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Merged Ben Carson: Prisons prove being gay is a choice

Ranb

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Ranb
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http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/ben-carson-prisons-gay-choice/index.html

"Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight -- and when they come out, they're gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question," Carson said.
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I wonder what his definition of gay is? Maybe it is the same as the bigots who subscribe to the "one drop rule" when trying to decide who is black?

"Why do gay people want to get married? Why do they say they want to get married? Because they want to have various rights -- property rights, visitation rights," he said.
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I wasn't thinking of any of those things each time I got married. Where the hell is this guy form anyway? Must be dark under that rock. To be fair, he may have been misquoted or the reporter just selected what sounded good.

Ranb
 
I think it proves some guys in prison get really, really, really horny.
 
Well lets expose some problems with rhetorical question.

Even if people begin their prison sentence as "straight" and end up "gay" after they leave that does not at all imply that they chose to be "gay". He is ignoring the possibility that they were homosexual to begin with but was closeted. Likewise he's ignoring the possibility that they were neither gay nor straight but rather bisexual to some degree, perhaps just making due with whats at hand even if they would rather have sex with women or perhaps just discovering that it doesn't matter whether they are guys or gals while in prison. Maybe they were even unwillingly turned gay by something completely beyond their control and influence, like a hypothetical gay virus or something.

I mean if you were to take this type of mindset seriously a guy that has sex with a hot teenage boy would be gay and then be straight when he has sex with a hot 30 year old woman. A far saner classification would be to say that he is bisexual.
 
Arcade22 said:
Well lets expose some problems with rhetorical question.

Even if people begin their prison sentence as "straight" and end up "gay" after they leave that does not at all imply that they chose to be "gay". He is ignoring the possibility that they were homosexual to begin with but was closeted. Likewise he's ignoring the possibility that they were neither gay nor straight but rather bisexual to some degree, perhaps just making due with whats at hand even if they would rather have sex with women or perhaps just discovering that it doesn't matter whether they are guys or gals while in prison. Maybe they were even unwillingly turned gay by something completely beyond their control and influence, like a hypothetical gay virus or something.

I mean if you were to take this type of mindset seriously a guy that has sex with a hot teenage boy would be gay and then be straight when he has sex with a hot 30 year old woman. A far saner classification would be to say that he is bisexual.
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Good points.

Or, Ben Carson could just be another garden-variety conservative idiot pandering to an equally moronic base.
 
My understanding is that being gay or lesbian is having a sexual preference for those of one's own gender. Homosexual sex might or might not indicate a person is gay or lesbian, and as such, what one does in an extreme situation like prison is probably a very unreliable indicator.
 
LorenzoValla said:
My understanding is that being gay or lesbian is having a sexual preference for those of one's own gender. Homosexual sex might or might not indicate a person is gay or lesbian, and as such, what one does in an extreme situation like prison is probably a very unreliable indicator.
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Tell Republicans that.
 
Do gays forced into a traditional marriage "come out straight" after a divorce?
 
I love the Republican nomination seeking outliers. They are without a doubt much more entertaining that the Democrats. They take "appeal to the base" to mean "say everything and anything, no matter how stupid, in order to attract attention".
 
Once again demonstrating that having a medical degree isn't a good indicator of overall intelligence.
 
Babbylonian said:
Once again demonstrating that having a medical degree isn't a good indicator of overall intelligence.
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Seriously. Carson is clearly not stupid, but it's also clear that his intelligence is purely functional, and that in general he is extremely anti-intellectual, paranoid, and insane. You have to wonder where the Tea Party finds these lunatics.

I also find it interesting that this thread has appeared in both the SI&CE and USA Politics sections, with almost identical titles.
 
maxpower1227 said:
Seriously. Carson is clearly not stupid, but it's also clear that his intelligence is purely functional, and that in general he is extremely anti-intellectual, paranoid, and insane. You have to wonder where the Tea Party finds these lunatics.

I also find it interesting that this thread has appeared in both the SI&CE and USA Politics sections, with almost identical titles.
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I guess stupidity is a choice too.
 
While I think it's true that quite a few people will engage in gay sex while in prison, I'd need to see some evidence other than Ben Carson's say-so that the remain "gay" after coming out. It's perfectly understandable that some people might find sex with others of the same gender is preferable to no sex at all. But what happens when they are released? Do they stay "gay" or do they seek out sex with the other gender? I'm sure the answer is, "it varies", but what are the percentages.

I also think the question of whether being gay is a "choice" is a red herring anyway. Does "choosing" to be gay mean that gay people are not deserving of equal rights? I think not.
 
CORed said:
While I think it's true that quite a few people will engage in gay sex while in prison, I'd need to see some evidence other than Ben Carson's say-so that the remain "gay" after coming out. It's perfectly understandable that some people might find sex with others of the same gender is preferable to no sex at all. But what happens when they are released? Do they stay "gay" or do they seek out sex with the other gender? I'm sure the answer is, "it varies", but what are the percentages.

I also think the question of whether being gay is a "choice" is a red herring anyway. Does "choosing" to be gay mean that gay people are not deserving of equal rights? I think not.
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Thank you! I've been saying this for two decades now since this issue came up.

Nobody in their right mind, when creating a government and granting it a few, limited powers, would authorize a government to regulate their sexuality to begin with.

Properly speaking, as far as rights are concerned, the question of being born with it is irrelevant and of scientific curiosity only. You have the right to have sex with your own gender because and The People never granted government power over it to begin with.

"Sad is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another." - Madonna
 
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CORed said:
While I think it's true that quite a few people will engage in gay sex while in prison, I'd need to see some evidence other than Ben Carson's say-so that the remain "gay" after coming out. It's perfectly understandable that some people might find sex with others of the same gender is preferable to no sex at all. But what happens when they are released? Do they stay "gay" or do they seek out sex with the other gender? I'm sure the answer is, "it varies", but what are the percentages.

I also think the question of whether being gay is a "choice" is a red herring anyway. Does "choosing" to be gay mean that gay people are not deserving of equal rights? I think not.
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Absolutely, well-phrased.
 
Here's what always really blows my mind about the "gay is a choice" argument. In order for something to be a sinful choice (as the religious right contend), it has to hold some dark, forbidden appeal in the first place. Right?

You know - people are tempted to overeat dessert, because the chocolate lava cake is just so good, consequences be damned! People are tempted to do naughty drugs even though they're bad for the body, because they just feel so damn good for awhile! That kind of thing.

So the people making these "choice" arguments are implicitly saying that gay sex is as awesome as eating a dozen chocolate lava cakes and tooting a big ol' rail of cocaine - and just as deadly for the soul. So it must be resisted, no matter how hard that may seem! I wonder if they realize this.

I'm thinking the irony'd probably be lost on most of them.
 
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