Comments on: Family http://www.unlikelywords.com/2005/08/04/family/ A blog with delusions of grandeur. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:33:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: jolivo http://www.unlikelywords.com/2005/08/04/family/#comment-24 jolivo Tue, 16 Aug 2005 14:25:38 +0000 http://www.unlikelywords.com/family/#comment-24 Not sure whether any of my mother's family similarly shunned the newlyweds in my parents' mixed (lapsed-Catholic/Protestant) marriage, but wouldn't be at all surprised to find they had. I was taught that money was the root of all evil. For a long time I believed that it was testosterone (and that's still a contender). But my true belief these days is that it's religion. Uncle Paul's gonna miss a lot of joy letting his dogmatic views of the world and how it should be rule his life. I live in the hope that love will win over all those ills, but it's hard to keep that kind of faith day to day. Not sure whether any of my mother’s family similarly shunned the newlyweds in my parents’ mixed (lapsed-Catholic/Protestant) marriage, but wouldn’t be at all surprised to find they had. I was taught that money was the root of all evil. For a long time I believed that it was testosterone (and that’s still a contender). But my true belief these days is that it’s religion. Uncle Paul’s gonna miss a lot of joy letting his dogmatic views of the world and how it should be rule his life. I live in the hope that love will win over all those ills, but it’s hard to keep that kind of faith day to day.

]]> By: carrym http://www.unlikelywords.com/2005/08/04/family/#comment-23 carrym Tue, 09 Aug 2005 15:51:05 +0000 http://www.unlikelywords.com/family/#comment-23 You know when Rachel told me about your weekend my first question was how did your uncle feel about your sisters? Is marrying a non-Jew worse than being a lesbian? What if one of your sisters dated a lesbian Jew? Or, (worse yet?) a non-Jew? Would it just be ignored since they can't get married? And if they had children? I have to admit that the way some people use their religion to feel justified in their bigotry is amazing to me. My brother has essentially banned me from his home after I moved in with my partner. Since then we were allowed once, but only because my father invited us (not knowing about my brother's ban) and had made a special point of inviting my partner. And, like you, half of me is thrilled not to have to go anymore and the other half just wants to keep pushing it. But I have finally realized that I won't be able to change his mind, only he can do that and I won't waste anymore time holding my breath, waiting for it to happen. You know when Rachel told me about your weekend my first question was how did your uncle feel about your sisters? Is marrying a non-Jew worse than being a lesbian? What if one of your sisters dated a lesbian Jew? Or, (worse yet?) a non-Jew? Would it just be ignored since they can’t get married? And if they had children?

I have to admit that the way some people use their religion to feel justified in their bigotry is amazing to me. My brother has essentially banned me from his home after I moved in with my partner. Since then we were allowed once, but only because my father invited us (not knowing about my brother’s ban) and had made a special point of inviting my partner. And, like you, half of me is thrilled not to have to go anymore and the other half just wants to keep pushing it. But I have finally realized that I won’t be able to change his mind, only he can do that and I won’t waste anymore time holding my breath, waiting for it to happen.

]]> By: Mark http://www.unlikelywords.com/2005/08/04/family/#comment-18 Mark Sat, 06 Aug 2005 06:02:59 +0000 http://www.unlikelywords.com/family/#comment-18 Okay - so that makes me think of being in Jamaica for my dad's funeral and seeing some family I have not seen for a while and meeting new ones from my dad's second wife's side. Someone I ended up showing them pictures I carry around with me in my dayrunner, and one was of my ex-gf, white and blond with blue eyes, whereas I am not (not sure if you knew that). Someone's comment: "So you won't make that mistake again." Internal response: "Oh no I won't. I will be sure to never show you that picture again." External response: "So this is my mom and Dwight at an acappella concert..." Friggin people man! The last thing I ever want to think about with regards to finding a soulmate/lifepartner in this nonsensical world is the reaction of any family member, regardless of how far removed they are, to who I love. BTW - I was laughing at the parenthetical "Lesbians" cause I so had an image of you shrugging and saying it and the audience responding "Oh!" Okay - so that makes me think of being in Jamaica for my dad’s funeral and seeing some family I have not seen for a while and meeting new ones from my dad’s second wife’s side. Someone I ended up showing them pictures I carry around with me in my dayrunner, and one was of my ex-gf, white and blond with blue eyes, whereas I am not (not sure if you knew that).

Someone’s comment: “So you won’t make that mistake again.”

Internal response: “Oh no I won’t. I will be sure to never show you that picture again.”

External response: “So this is my mom and Dwight at an acappella concert…”

Friggin people man! The last thing I ever want to think about with regards to finding a soulmate/lifepartner in this nonsensical world is the reaction of any family member, regardless of how far removed they are, to who I love.

BTW - I was laughing at the parenthetical “Lesbians” cause I so had an image of you shrugging and saying it and the audience responding “Oh!”

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