Bill O'Reilly Defends Ellen Degeneres

[Joecoolyo]

My point is that there is no such thing as the heterosexual lifestyle, or homosexual, or bisexual.

Each group is made up of people leading totally different and unrelated lifestyles. There isn't enough in common between them to warrant labelling it a "lifestyle"

You might as well label me as leading a "bacon eaters' lifestyle". Sure, I eat bacon, but I have nothing obvious in common with other people who do. It doesn't make sense to just slap a "lifestyle" behind a random word and expect it to make sense.

What's wrong with bacon eater's lifestyle? If you eat bacon regularly, and so do other people, I don't see the problem with calling it a lifestyle.

What you seem to think is that it isn't correct because the descriptor covers a wide and diverse population of people. What you don't seem to get is, of course it does. With only one thing being described as a "lifestyle" at a time, it's going to cover a lot of people, since a lot of people will do this one action, or have this one interest, regularly. And there's nothing wrong with that. If you eat bacon regularly (I have no doubt you do), then there's nothing wrong with calling what you're doing a "bacon eater's lifestyle". And since that lifestyle is only concerned with bacon, of course you're going to get a wide population of people, very different from you. But, you all share one element in common, and that is you eat bacon regularly, and hence live the "lifestyle".

 

[warpus]

What you seem to think is that it isn't correct because the descriptor covers a wide and diverse population of people. What you don't seem to get is, of course it does. With only one thing being described as a "lifestyle" at a time, it's going to cover a lot of people, since a lot of people will do this one action, or have this one interest, regularly. And there's nothing wrong with that. If you eat bacon regularly (I have no doubt you do), then there's nothing wrong with calling what you're doing a "bacon eater's lifestyle". And since that lifestyle is only concerned with bacon, of course you're going to get a wide population of people, very different from you. But, you all share one element in common, and that is you eat bacon regularly, and hence live the "lifestyle".

How useful is that descriptor? "The bacon eaters' lifestyle".. So what does that say about me? What sort of lifestyle *do* I lead?

You have *no* idea. If it was an actual lifestyle you'd be able to deduce things about me just by hearing "This guy leads a bacon eaters' lifestyle". But you got nothin. All you can say is "This guy eats bacon sometimes" which renders the word "lifestyle" in "the bacon eaters' lifestyle" useless.

If somebody said "Yeah, that guy totally leads an athlete's lifestyle", that tells you TONS. It's a useful descriptor and a good use of the "lifestyle" tag. That *is* a lifestyle. Eating bacon from time to time isn't.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Of course the descriptor isn't very good at describing an entire person's lifestyle.

But it does a good job of describing that one aspect.

 

[warpus]

Of course the descriptor isn't very good at describing an entire person's lifestyle.

But it does a good job of describing that one aspect.

That's not what a lifestyle is. A lifestyle encompasses a wide array of philosophies, intents, and actions, not just one thing.

That's why we call it a lifestyle in the first place. "Oh, he leads a marathon runner's lifestyle? That means ____, and ____, and maybe ____, and probably _____" That's a lifestyle.

If you're just using it to describe ONE thing, that's not a lifestyle. Just say "That guy does that thing"; calling it a lifestyle doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

 

[warpus]

Here's what wikipedia has to say about the word lifestyle

Lifestyle is a term to describe the way a person or an animal lives.[1] A set of behaviors, and the senses of self and belonging which these behaviors represent, are collectively used to define a given lifestyle.

It's a set of things. It's a word that encompasses not only that person's outlook and attitudes, but also behaviour, personal identity, etc.

It obviously doesn't apply to "occasionally eating bacon" and by extension to sexual orientation.

 

[Crezth]

But it does a good job of describing that one aspect.

Only as much as a plain-old adjective would.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

So, in what way does the gay lifestyle differ from the heterosexual lifestyle?

Do they get up on the other side of the bed? Drink their coffee with milk and sugar, instead of just sugar like real manly men do?

Illuminate me.

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

Well Ziggy, it basically boils down to this:

Spoiler :

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

The use of the "f" word in that comic reminds me of a few tirades in the letters section of the newspaper bemoaning the appropriation of the term "gay" by homosexuals , and how among all their sins they had also stolen this word .

A gay guy replied that he would agree to cease describing himself as gay on the condition that in turn they would recommence the correct practice of using the term ("f" auto censored unfairly as I'm using it correctly) to describe a bundle of sticks

 

[shadowplay]

What the hell is a "homosexual lifestyle"?

I think it's supposed to go something like this:


Link to video.

 

[Traitorfish]

Of course the descriptor isn't very good at describing an entire person's lifestyle.

But it does a good job of describing that one aspect.

By that logic, I could say that you have a "ballpoint pen-user's lifestyle". It's a retreat into absurdity.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Never mind

 

[Joecoolyo]

By that logic, I could say that you have a "ballpoint pen-user's lifestyle". It's a retreat into absurdity.

Well yeah it's absurd.

Doesn't really mean it's wrong though.

(and it isn't too far off either, I use ballpoint pens for everything )

 

[Traitorfish]

Well yeah it's absurd.

Doesn't really mean it's wrong though.

It's either inconsistent with how the concept of "lifestyle" is properly employed, in which case it is wrong, or the concept of "lifestyle" is itself an absurd and unhelpful mess, in which case it should be abandoned. So there's no real winning here.

 

[JerichoHill]

Having not watched the video, how anti-gay are we talking?

Violation of a few (many) federal laws on anti-discrimination anti-gay