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From: CSvax:Pucc-H:aeq@pur-ee.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: happy anniversary to us; thoughts on MOTSS
Message-ID: <249@pucc-h>
Date: Fri, 26-Aug-83 21:11:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.249
Posted: Fri Aug 26 21:11:35 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Aug-83 01:34:29 EDT
References: <207@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 52

I have decided, based on observation, that there are two different types of
unmarried person, which I call the "single" and the "bachelor".  The "single"
is the one who has the spiffy pad, the finest accessories, and the impeccable
appearance (and who is probably neck deep in debt).  "Bachelor", on the other
hand, is roughly a synonym for "slob"....  Inasmuch as I am a very impatient
person, and being a "single" takes a great deal of time to carry off (not to
mention that I am already neck deep in a more useful but still crushing debt
known as a MORTGAGE), I am a bachelor.	It may be sour grapes, or it may be
a genuine impression, but I get the feeling that the "single" lifestyle is
extremely false, and really rather demeaning, since it requires the person
to appear as Mr./Ms. Spiffy irrespective of mood--i.e it encourages lying.
(On the flip side, it is said to encourage what used to be called "lying with"
someone, which would be decidedly pleasant; perhaps the advantage of being a
"bachelor" is that it simplifies adherence to traditional Christian morals
[there's a lot of wisdom in some traditions]....)

Still, I'm no Falwellian.  I honestly wish I could figure out a way to
counsel homosexuals, rather than condemning them out of hand.  Why do I say
this?  Because I have struggled against sometimes very strong homosexual
desires in my time; and in my experience, such desires have arisen out of
despair that my heterosexual desires would ever be satisfied.  Considering
that some of the homosexual men of my acquaintance should have been very
attractive to women (more so than I, and I think I'm pretty good for a
"bachelor" who keeps hacker's hours), I can conclude that their emotions were
similarly agonized at some time in the past, but they were unable or unwilling
to fight the homosexual urges--at least they could get SOME intimacy, even if
ersatz.  Mind you, I'm not saying there's anything wrong about close
FRIENDSHIPS between members of the same sex; one of the most unfortunate and
silly of our cultural mores is that men should not talk about their emotions
to anyone, especially not another man, lest they be thought "weak".  I think
that's backwards; considering that I'm a strongly emotional person, it is
actually a bit of a boost to my machismo to reveal my emotions in a big way
and thus show myself off as a BIG man (more so than just the 6'2"); however,
it is also a tremendous relief to have male friends with whom I can discuss
problems that are common to most young men (and I find, among other things,
that I'm not the only one who has had to fight homosexual feelings).  As to
the questions as to how I would react to being approached by a man for a date:
As I said, I appreciate friendship, so I am pleased when someone is friendly
to me and interested in me as a human being; but I'm still not out of sight
of that ragged edge between the two flavors of sexuality, and thus I would
react rather strongly against any invitation to cross it again back to the
homosexual side.  I'm tempted to post either to this group or to net.religion
a sermon I recently preached dealing with this topic in more detail; but
the thing is 7.4 pages typewritten, and in one week of reading the net, I
have developed a grand dislike for articles over, say, 100 lines.

So I'll shut up.  (I never realized I was so opinionated....)

-- Jeff Sargent/pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq

(Purdue's Electrical Enginerring [sic] department really ought to rename that
machine "tomato"--but such a comment belongs in net.jokes ....)