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Monday, March 26, 2012

Childishness & Competitiveness

Warning: If you have, in any way, left your childhood and high-school years behind, if you might be bothered by childish behavior, if you cannot bear the stubbornness and stupidity of teenagers, do NOT read any further. 


This school has a way of turning any average student who steps into its ground into a competitive son of a bitch. So when a little kid, the poor little very very competitive R, first walked into Jamhour, he turned into the devil's spawn.

Used to being top of his class, he never really put a lot of effort into his schoolwork. However, when he received his last transcript and saw he was second of his class, the dormant devil in his finally woke up.

Rumors spread about how crazy he became. He was working so hard I doubt he had time to shower. It has been said that he started talking alone. He was not himself anymore.

Bullying and rumors. That's one of my specialities. I have defended poor little R, telling everyone how he wanted to study in the USA, how hard it is to get accepted there and how hard it is to pay for college.
Every time he made a mean comment in class, I would burst out laughing, making everyone believe it was a joke.

R saw every test as an opportunity to prove that he was smarted then me. Every day, every class, everything he ever did had just one purpose.

So little me just kept on defending him, pitying him a little bit, but never showing it.
Until little R decided to make everything personal.

I don't know what he did, he might have just googled my name, he might have hacked into my computer, I don't know what he did to find my blog.
He forced me to come out to him.
I did not mind. I never pay a lot of attention to this.

But every man has his limits.
After seeing R cheat on his last math test, a friend whispered to me 'I need to talk to you after the bell rings'.

So the bell rang, and that friend came.
   'He hates you, you know that?'
   'I know'
I started laughing.
   'He is spreading awful rumors about you'

Well, that was enough to make my smile fade away.
   'The rumors are true'
This is all I said before leaving class. I was mad, oh so very mad. How can competitiveness get someone to do this kind of thing? This poor little honest R was now turned into a rumor-spreading bitch.
This was useless anyway. Everyone at school knows I'm gay.

So I told him. I told him how much I pitied him. How much I pitied his life. How everyone hated him, how everything he does makes everyone furious.
I hurt him and oh, did it feel good.
For six month I have defended this son of a bitch. For six month I have been nothing but nice and this is how I get rewarded.

Now, I am watching Mean Girls (for the very first time) and I am thinking about how exhausting it is to be the bigger man, how easy it is to be a bitch.

And now I am reading this again and realizing how childish it might seem.
But this is how some people act. And I hope that one day, poor little R will grow up. I really do hope so. 

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Christianity

Today my dad called me materialistic.
Why? Because I refused to go to church with him.

So now all atheists are materialistic because they have no spiritual life.
But what kind of spiritual life do Christians lead?

They are fools, fools who refuse to open their eyes.
They blindly follow the crowd. They follow their fathers and their mentors, because they have been raised to believe that there is a deity actually leading the crowd.
Maybe if they open their eyes, they could see that this crowd is just wandering, that there is nobody leading it.
Or maybe is the crowd too thick for them to see through it?

All I know is that they do not think, they follow.
They follow rules and boundaries, but who set these rules?
A man desperate enough to become a priest.
A man who preaches about love and peace but rapes little kids.
A man who tells us to give our money to the poor but waves his million-dollar ring, his million-dollar sceptre and wears his million-dollar hat with pride and joy.

You are the one with no spiritual life, with no social values. You are the blind follower who just nods and accept everything that is thrown to him.

I think.
I have principles and values. And even if I will walk alone, I will stick to these values.

You have a non-existent leader. 

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Using Diversity.

I am in a friendly, discrimination-free environment where diversity is not only accepted, but also praised.
I am with very competitive people who always look for someone who will stand out, someone who is different.

Scenario 1: 
I hide my sexuality, or just don't mention it.
Gay men and straight men are equal. Isn't equality what we keep fighting for?
Being gay is indeed an advantage, but I will not use it.
Does this make me an idiot who can't make a smart move to win, or does it make me an honest man who asks for equality and acts upon his demand?

Scenario 2: 
I talk about my sexuality and my experiences.
I've been through a lot because of it, from discrimination to bullying, and this gives me an advantage that I should use.
People will remember me and I will get their attention.
Does this make me an attention-seeking competitive bitch, or does it make a smart man who can use everything to his advantage?


I am asking for your opinion because I had to take this choice more than once and never really got close to a decision. I will face this dilemma very often and I need to think about it, I just wanted to see what you would do or what you did in this situation.

Gay men are not straight men.
Gay men do not want to be treated like straight men.
Should we praise this difference or not?

There is a sharp difference between equality and equal rights.
Which one should we ask for?




Friday, February 10, 2012

The Graffiti

There are two kinds of New Year resolutions, the sober ones, and the drunk ones.
My drunk New Year resolution was to leave a footprint on Beirut's wall, share a message of love and peace.

Finding the idea was quite easy, V for Vendetta, of course!
Even if I do not know you, I love you, from all my heart. - Valerie.
First thing I did next morning was to call LM.
She immediately came up with a great idea.
She turned this famous photograph (I don't know how famous it is, she's the only one who actually knows it)


Into this awesome design:


Now the real challenge was the painting.
She was just calm, chill and relaxed.
I was excited, stressed and scared.
What if someone sees us? What if they call the police? What if we get arrested?
Hah, ah well. I was surprised to see that Lebanese people do not give a single fuck about what you do.
A lot of people passed and did not even notice what we were doing.
A guy, who looked like a tourist, stopped and watched us paint for a while.
Two other Lebanese guys randomly said 'Ya3tikon el 3afyeh'.
Everyone else was just indifferent.

The result was quite amazing, hope you guys like it.




Don't forget to check LM's blog!

And also see what Celine K. wrote!


Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Pill.

I love how curious straight people are. Once they find out you're gay, they start asking so many questions. It's funny to see what can pass through people's mind.

But I won't be talking about the questions I get today, no. I will be talking about a question I often hear or read about, but have never been asked.

'If there was a pill that can turn you straight, would you take it?'

Well, if you asked me that a couple of years ago, my answer would have been a big yes.

But over the years, I thought about it and now, there is no way you can convince me to take this pill. 

First of all, I've always been gay. For me it has never been 'straight until proven otherwise'. I've always known I was gay, I might not have been able to give it a name or say it out loud when I was a kid, but I have always known, and I cannot possibly imagine myself being straight. I just can't.

But what changed during the last couple of years is that I discovered what the LGBT community is all about. You might hear stories about suicides, depressions, you might hear stories about people being kicked out of their homes, people being killed because of their sexuality, you might hear stories about gay celebrities, gay men and women who changed the world, but all these stories, the good and the bad, they all are stories of strength and courage.


So, will I ever take the pill? No, because being associated with the LGBT community is nothing but an honor.

When 'It Gets Better' Gets Musical

Another awesome video shared by Ziad, the best gay-source you can wish to meet!

Check it out and be amazed by the choreography :)