Why are some people, SO overly Homophobic?

Question

From watching Vids on Youtube and reading some answers on here, and all over the place you see people go crazy over any insinuation of someone being gay.

eg i read a joke on here earlier, punchline along the lines of Man 1 : "how long have you been wearing stockings?"
Man 2 : "Since my wife found them in the back seat of my car"

Funny joke i thought, scrolling through the answers i see..
" He sounds like a cissy. I wouldn't care whether my wife caught me or not. Put up with it or get out. That's my motto. "

it was a joke!!!! and yet such a serious answer.... Discuss..

Answer 1

unfortunatley, religion and things such as sexuality are touchy subjects because of one major underlining factor : belief.
(note, im not trying to section out race/religions in particular and i mean no offence)

if i was a christian, then i believe in the bible, i believe god made the world.. and thas my belief, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and values, and nobody should ever comment or otherwise damage that.

i live my life by christian laws and traditions, then somebody comes along and says "oh, no such thing as god, evolution made the world" thats ignorance, they dont pay any heed to the fact that they may cause offence ( though in that instance, its only slight) the problem is, it can easily escalate into people forcing ideas / views onto other people forcefully, and that isn't right.

for instance, i am gay, openly so, i have no qualms about people who are "straight" or "transgender" none whatsoever, to each their own, live and let live right? however, what makes me angry, is when people start forcing the idea that "homosexuality is wrong" on other people, its our own life, we can make our own choices for ourselves.

wandering off the topic a little there, but the basic premise is that people who believe in values and religions tend to put strong faith into them, and it's all too easy to cause offence considering how highly they are valued by each individual.

for example, i could make a light hearted joke about a particular religion, i mean no harm in any way, i dont have any quarrel with the religion, but someone who subscribes to that religion and believes in it with his life could find it offensive at people mocking his lifes values.

homophobia has been around for thousands of years, Man will always Fear the "odd one out" but thats what we have to deal with in current society for blieving in ourselves and our choices in life as a whole. i dont force people to accept homosexuality is right, what someone else believes is their belief and i have no right to attempt to change it, but it is all to easy too cross that line unintentionally.

Answer 2

In spite of gays becoming more accepted in our society there are a tremendous number of people who think the behavior is aberrant and, in some cases, an affront to G-d. When the American Psychiatric Society published a study that basically said the homosexuality was not a mental disorder the flood gates of acceptance opened, particularly in liberal media and geographic areas. People came out of the closet in droves. That being said, a lot of people, as you discus, are offended by this open statement of sexuality. Don't ask, don't tell in the military under Clinton was another stunning event. Bottom line is that the people you refer to are, in my opinion, either 1) afraid of something they don't understand 2) really dislike homosexuals because they really feel the behavior is aberrant 3) are people who are tired about eople openly discussing their sexual habits when the majority of bi-sexual people don't feel it necessary (i.e. who cares where you put your fist in the privacy of your own home) 4) are made physically ill with press and anecdotal reports of child abuse at the hands of homosexuals 5) feel that gay marriage is an affront and unacceptable attack on family, and 6) are appalled at the concept of gay meeting places on the sides of highways, gay movie theaters, etc., where gays have sex with complete strangers in the bushes. Put all that together and I think most folks, the old silent majority, are tired of all of this and strike back when they can; anonymously on Yahoo Answers is a good forum for them.

Answer 3

Totally agree with what you are saying. Homophobia is not the only issue either. Try posting somethng that vaguely questions religion and see all the neo christian nut jobs crawl out from under their rocks. It seems to be that usual suspect, those who moan about anything that is outside of their frame of reference. (of course the amount of scarily right wing christians could also give you the answer to the homophobia q.) Then there are those that just want to cause offence for no reason other than their own insecurity.

Answer 4

That joke has nothing to do with being gay ..... it has more to do with infidelity. The guy had a girlfriend that left her stockings in his car ... and since she found them he has to pose as a closet stocking wearer. But thats not gay .... comes closer to being a cross-dresser.

Being homophobic is left over from the previous norms of our society. The Judeo-Christian ethic pretty much bans any approval for the Gay being so ..... most still joke about or condemn it .... it shows that .... for one thing ... you aren't gay and .... that you don't approve of it. This may be either due to your current beliefs or because you want to fit in.

Answer 5

That joke has nothing to do with being gay?

It's a joke about they where someone's stockings, a womans, so rather than admit having an affair to his wife, he told her he was a cross dresser.

Answer 6

it's mainly down to ignorance, lack of understanding of what homosexuality entails, lack of tolerance and not being socially aware of the concept of difference and diversity and in acknowledging that difference