[lbo-talk] Nepal gays and Maoists/Marxist Approach

[Miles Jackson]

Shane Mage wrote:
>>
> Miles Jackson wrote:
> 
>> ...same-sex sexual relations occur in most societies, but the linkage 
>> of that behavior to a stable, exclusive sexual identity is not a human 
>> universal.  Good example: ancient Greece.  The men who engaged in same 
>> sex sexual relations were typically older, married men and young men 
>> who would later marry and have a family.  There were not "gay" men in 
>> ancient Greece...
> 
> 
> The ignorance expressed in these lines would be astounding were it
> not so commonplace.  How can anyone have the chutzpa to write
> about Greek homosexuality without ever having read the *Symposium*?
> 

Because, of course, if one philosopher makes a claim, it reflects the 
common sense beliefs and practice of people at that time and place!  You 
need to stop reading philosophy and study the actual sexual practices 
and norms in a society.  We have plenty of direct historical 
documentation that contradicts Aristophanes' view of sexuality in 
Ancient Greece.

Miles