I ran across remarks made by a Utah politician earlier today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This isn’t the source I stumbled on, but it’s the one I could find when I tried searching for it, later:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Utah Lt. Gov. Apologizes to LGBT Community in Emotional Speech Honoring Victims of Orlando Shooting<\/a>“
ABC News (June 16, 2016)<\/p>\n\n\n\n“…’And I am speaking now to the straight community,’ he told the crowd. ‘How did you feel<\/strong> when you heard that 49 people had been gunned down<\/strong> by a self-proclaimed terrorist? That’s the easy question. Here is the hard one: Did that feeling change when you found out the shooting was at a gay bar at 2 a.m.<\/strong> in the morning? If that feeling changed, then we are doing something wrong.’…”
[emphasis mine]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nI’m not ‘political’, so I won’t try either extolling or slandering Spencer Cox \u2014 he’s the person who made that “I am speaking” statement, is currently Utah’s governor, and is newsworthy again for another reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am, however, a Catholic who tries acting as if what I say I believe matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That includes acting as if loving my neighbor is a good idea. I’ll get back to that, briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seeing my neighbor’s viewpoint \u2014 arguably part of that ‘loving my neighbor’ thing \u2014 is easier in some cases, than in others. Having had parallel experiences helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>“Affect Display” and Perceptions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n…I’d been having my usual frustrating experience, being one of the 99-plus out of a hundred or so job applicants who didn\u2019t get hired. I’ve since learned that my affect or affect display isn’t squarely on the 50th percentile, which didn’t help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Affect display” is psychobabble for verbal and non-verbal displays of emotion. I’m a very emotional man, and \u2014 well, apparently I don’t consistently act normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyway, back to frustrations, me, and a career counselor. We’d been discussing incentives I might offer a potential employer, including government funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He asked me if I was homosexual. Turns out, the question made sense:<\/strong> during the ’70s in the Upper Midwest, at any rate. For one thing, bias against homosexuals made \u2014 I think it was still called affirmative action \u2014 an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For another, I fit the profile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m creative, articulate and not obsessed with sports.<\/strong> I can’t swear, some four decades later, to “articulate” being in the mix. But I’m pretty sure that talking like I was at least a little smart was part of the reason I fit the homosexual profile.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, despite fitting the profile, I’m not homosexual. Which is no great virtue<\/strong>. I’ve got issues, lots of issues: but not that particular one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning that nice, normal folks might perceive me as homosexual, however, explained a few otherwise puzzling interactions I’d had….
(“Taking People, Pride and Dignity Seriously: June 2022<\/a>” > Fitting a Profile<\/a> (June 11, 2022))[emphasis mine, for this post]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nI said I was going to get back to that “loving my neighbor” thing, so here it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Loving My Neighbors: It Comes With the Territory<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
I’m a Catholic, so I should love my neighbor, and see everyone as my neighbor. Everyone.<\/strong> No exceptions.<\/em><\/strong> (Matthew 5:43<\/a>–44<\/a>, 22:36<\/a>–40<\/a>; Mark 12:28<\/a>–31<\/a>; Luke 6:31<\/a>, 10:25<\/a>–27<\/a>, 29<\/a>–37<\/a>; Catechism, 1789, 2196)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of my neighbors are more ‘lovable’ than others. But picking and choosing my neighbors isn’t an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That story Jesus told about the crime victim who was helped by \u2014 of all people \u2014 a Samaritan makes that clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loving my neighbor doesn’t necessarily mean approving of what my neighbor does, and that’s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve talked about this sort of thing before:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- “Olympic Opening Ceremonies: ‘Saddened by Certain Scenes’<\/a>”
(August 5, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n- “Liberal? Conservative? Republican? Democrat? No: Catholic<\/a>”
(July 27, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n- “JWST: Names, Claims and Attitudes<\/a>”
(December 3, 2022)<\/li>\n\n\n\n- “Taking People, Pride and Dignity Seriously: June 2022<\/a>”
(June 11, 2022)<\/li>\n\n\n\n- “‘Renewed and Expansive Hope’<\/a>”
(June 18, 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I ran across remarks made by a Utah politician earlier today. This isn’t the source I stumbled on, but it’s the one I could find when I tried searching for it, later: “Utah Lt. Gov. Apologizes to LGBT Community in … Continue reading