Martha Nussbaum’s novel, From Disgust to Humanity, demonstrates a change in time where our society is moving forward from politics of disgust to politics of humanity. According to Nussbaum, the politics of disgust is a viewpoint that connects homosexual activities with things that are normally categorized as disgusting, such as saliva, feces, semen, and blood. These practices performed by homosexuals tend to invoke the emotion of disgust; thus, the term politics of disgust. The politics of humanity is quite the contrary. An individual’s freedom, liberty, and decisions are looked upon with utmost respect regardless of others’ personal attitudes, as long as they don’t inflict harm on the bystanders. In Nussbaum’s From Disgust to Humanity, disgust …show more content…
Nussbaum targets both same-sex marriage and different-sex marriage during this part of her argument. She clearly breaks down to the reader the reasons behind the disapproval of same-sex marriage. Since, most people who are against gay marriage always take their position in the argument of straight marriage, Nussbaum discusses the whole topic of marriage itself. States tend to take marriage nonchalantly; anybody who fills out the application is granted the right to marriage, but there exist people who believe marriages are how it is said to be on a wedding card; truth is, those types of marriages doesn’t exist. According to Nussbaum, marriages are not as usually how it is portrayed in pictures, movies, etc. It is definitely not how the little figures on top of the wedding cake portray marriage to be either. The act of polygamy was popular during early eras. Men married more than once and people didn’t care about divorcing their spouse before taking part in another marriage. Nussbaum berates the people who defend the term “happy marriages” because the divorce rates of the present era show that marriages are falling apart quicker and quicker. This is due to the fact that “when women are able to leave, many demand a better deal” (Nussbaum 138) and also “it’s just that people live so much longer” (Nussbaum 146). Nussbaum believes that marriage is a changing problem in our era. She questions why our …show more content…
The fact that homosexual clubs are kept an eye on by the police way more than heterosexual clubs is a form a social inequality according to Nussbaum. She takes John Stuart Mill’s side of self-regarding actions and how those actions that do not arouse harm around others shouldn’t be monitored. While Devlin and Kass use disgust the criteria for the basis of law making, Mill and Nussbaum resort to harm as the criteria for the basis of law making. People who believe that sex clubs are not necessary believe that because they think it harms customers. However, Nussbaum points out the fact that there are other harmful activities that are not regulated. “Alcohol, a dangerous drug with well-documented links to harm to others (violence, drunk driving, sexual assault) is hardly regulated at all, except for age and place of purchase restrictions” (Nussbaum 178). She even counteracts the argument that criminals tend to take part in criminal activity due to them going to sex clubs by stating that “we should target criminals, not places of consensual activity that are sometimes patronized by criminals” (Nussbaum 182). Due to these arguments, Nussbaum comes to the conclusion that there is no need of banning or regulating sex clubs because they don’t harm the nonconsenting and the actions performed in the clubs are self-regarding. The only criteria that people
In the book Deadly by Julie Chibbaro there were many themes that were analyzed and illustrated throughout the book. There were only three that catches the eye love can be blind, death can hurt and oppression of women. These themes stood out the most because this book take place in somewhere in the 1900’s because in that era there were many disease taking place in New York. Such as the typhoid, Yellow fever, small pox and other contagious diseases that cause many deaths and also when the Germ theory was just a theory not a law. This book mainly talks about Prudence, Mr. Sopher, and Marm especially but there are others such as Dr. bakers, Jonathan this book talks about how typhoid was carried by an Irish Woman named Mary Mallon and the disease
As previously stated, John Knowles’s A Separate Peace has been challenged in a number of different places for a variety of reasons. Graphic language and explicit homosexual content are perhaps among the most well-known reasons cited for the challenge of the book.
In the featured article, “Beside Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy,” the author, Judith Butler, writes about her views on what it means to be considered human in society. Butler describes to us the importance of connecting with others helps us obtain the faculties to feel, and become intimate through our will to become vulnerable. Butler contends that with the power of vulnerability, the rolls pertaining to humanity, grief, and violence, are what allows us to be acknowledged as worthy.
In certain countries such as the U.S, people discriminate against others to a certain extent based off their gender, race, and sexuality. Butler states that “to be a body is to be given over to others even as a body is “one own,” which we must claim right of autonomy” (242). Gays and Lesbians have to be exposed to the world because some of them try to hide their identity of who they truly are because they are afraid of how others are going to look at them. There are some who just let their sexuality out in the open because they feel comfortable with whom they are as human beings and they don’t feel any different than the next person. The gender or sexuality of a human being doesn’t matter because our bodies’ will never be autonomous because it is affected by others around us. This is where humans are vulnerability to violence and aggression. In countries across the globe, violence and attack are drawn towards tran...
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
In John Corvino’s essay, “Why Shouldn’t Tommy and Jim Have Sex?” he advocates his argument that gay sex is not “unnatural” in any moral way. However, this argument is easy to critique when considering opposition from natural law theorists, democracy, and other perspective ideas.
In the essay “Shame”, by Dick Gregory, the author narrates how two painful experiences during his childhood reflected how difficult it was to grow up as a poor African American. Gregory was ashamed of being on welfare and of his poverty, so much so that he got of rid of the warm hooded mackaw he received because it was a reminder that he and his family were on relief. Gregory also expresses his embarrassment, shame, and desire to hold onto his dignity throughout it all. In the essay “I Became Her Target”, by Roger Wilkins, the author describes how it was difficult for him to break the ice with his classmates because he was a new student in school. In fact, Wilkins was the only black student in this new school which only worsened the situation. Moreover, he was the target of both
Disgust is something that all humans go through. It starts at the beginning when a child is born and continues to form as the child grows up. Disgust can, if not be, one of the most dangerous reactions or behaviors that humans have. Disgust is an interesting emotion in the sense that a good bit of the time, humans do not even realize they are invoking their disgust response. In Richard Beck’s book “Unclean” he quotes Paul Rozin who groups disgust into three segments.
David Wojnarowicz’s 1990 “One day this kid…” piece uses the pathos of a kid done harm in an attempt to get the audience to take a hard look at how their and others actions effect homosexuals, and whether its warranted. The artist goes through a long list of trials and tribulations that effect homosexuals, and then uses the picture of a kid to put it in the context of not just supposed problems a gay person could encounter, but of wrongs done to this kid specifically. This is then reinforced when David gets to the second column where he addresses specific responses his opposition might think of such as laws, repression, which he phrases as being forcibly silenced and evokes thoughts of unhealthiness, or psychology in all of the horror its practice
It is clear that the murder of Matthew Shepard was a hate-crime against homosexuality and that fact was bound to be a significant factor in the court case. The motives of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson prove that homophobia can lead to nefarious actions and tragedies. Not only do more serious consequences for homophobic actions need to be enforced, but acceptance of homosexuality needs to be enforced socially in order to reduce future tragedy in the LGBTQ
Homosexuality is a sensitive topic and often avoided in conversation. For centuries the human race has oppressed and persecuted others strictly because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual etc. Although disturbing to most of us, these actions still occur in our society today, as many believe that homosexuality is abnormal and disgraceful. One supporter of this belief is Michael Levin, who strongly believes that homosexuality is highly abnormal and thus, undesirable. Although his beliefs and theories supporting this claim are subjective, there is evidence that can support his stance on this topic; we will analyze this claim in further detail and how it relates to his other views mentioned in this essay.
In this essay, I will explain how religion is sometimes used to mobilize against LGBT people, how some people’s religious and personal doctrines conflict regarding LGBT issues, and how religious belief and community can be a positive force for the LGBT community. In history, mainstream Abrahamic religions have had a negative relationship with LGBT persons. Beginning during the Hebrew exodus of Egypt, the purity codes documented in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Leviticus explicitly stated a slew of rigid rules that attempted to keep a new Israelite nation “clean”. As William Countryman argues in the article “Dirt, Greed, & Sex”, the Bible sets a precedent for what is “clean” and pure as well as what is “dirty”. In this sense, dirty means where something doesn’t belong, or is out of place.
Stein, Edward. The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. 20 Oct. 2011
In today's society, there exists a mixture of issues which tend to raise arguments with people all over. There are a handful of topics that always seem to escalate these differences between people to the point where one who earnestly participates in discussion, debate and argument can direct their anger towards their feelings on the person themselves. Some examples of such delicate subjects are the death penalty, abortion, and euthanasia. An issue that has in recent years, begun to increase arguments, is the acceptability of homosexuality in society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, it was considered a secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society. However, it seem that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples. The idea of coming out of the 'closet' has moved to the head of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception. Homosexuality is nothing to be ashamed of and we should all come to realize this.
Horowitz, Carl F. “Society Does Not Need to Accept Homosexuality.” Homosexuality: Opposing Viewpoints. Dudley, William, ed. United States: Opposing Viewpoints Series. Pages 69-77. Print.