Get me out of here!

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Oh GEEZ, "pray the gay away"! UGH! I don't have any gay relatives that I know of, but my parents cut out that kind of talk when I had a gay friend in high school and college whom they knew and grew to like a lot. He spent a lot of time at our house and my parents really liked him. He was always like "yes ma'am" and "yes sir", more respectful and nicer to them, and engaged them more than other people I used to hang around with (most of them were quiet and geeky kids who didn't say much). When they found out Joe was gay, I guess it made them think about their attitudes.

~Kate

What most non-Americans fail to realize is that American broadcast airwaves are pretty much open for anybody to broadcast nearly anything they like. Initially, tight govt control of the airwaves was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (the same guys who tried to scuttle the New Deal in the 30s) and for several years there was literally a free for all on the radio. When the FCC was finally rammed through, it was run by the big broadcasters that had formed, and anything not directly impacting their profit margins was ignored.

Shortwave radio here is still a free for all, and you can hear the weirdest stuff on there, right wing conspiracy theories and such, the CIA pays some of these hosts to go on SW and be deliberately provocative to smoke out dissidents by encouraging them to shoot people. Harold Camping, the freak preacher who insists the world will end this Saturday, got his start on shortwave with "Family Radio", WYFR (he's actually based near San Francisco, but he owns a transmitter in Florida-California has poor signal propagation).

Then there's TV. There used to be tons of low power TV stations that broadcast right wing Christianity, ethnic programming, and such, but the FCC shut them down when the move to HDTV was made. Now you have them moving to satellite and some of the less enlightened cable operators. I suspect there's plenty of crazy Christian programming to choose from in the Appalachias in rural Pennsylvania where Erisad is.

Basically, if you can afford transmitter time, you can say whatever you want. Once, a SW station in Miami, WRMI, literally sold airtime to any and all comers, $1 a minute. You got an introductory packet stating the few things they'd kick you off for, and then it was simply a matter of sending in your tapes. In the days before Google and online newspapers, I toyed with the idea of reading the Silicon Valley news over the air, back when the dot.com boom was in full roar. As for anything else, I wish I had a bottomless pit of BS to pull stuff from like Camping so I could be famous too!

Then there's the "exorcisms" of gay people, where they try to "exorcise the gay demons" that have taken control of people's bodies. So far, they seem to realize that autism is NOT caused by autism demons. That could change, so Erisad should be prepared for her mom to try to drive the demon from her. You see, according to the crazies, "God don't make junk", so if you're gay, it is a gay demon making you be gay. Strangulation is a common means of exorcism. People have been choked to death to get the demons out of them.

Ugh, the exorcisms. I just don't get it at all. In fact, I'm surprised that I haven't heard much about "autism demons." I guess that's even too ridiculous for those nutjobs. *sigh* I really don't get it. I think some people are just bound to live in fear of those who are different than they are and that's it.

Please keep in mind, as far as making significant money, artistic projects are long-shots. Now, as soon as I say this, the whole thing might roll very smoothing and the only "problem" might be when you look back and say the whole thing came too easily (as if that could be a problem! ) We people on the Asperger's / Autism spectrum definitely have things to contribute.

And please don't settle for a crummy job. Think in terms of middle to good jobs. Even with a difficult economy, putting enough resumes out there and talking with people about what fields might be opening up, hopefully something eventually will come you way. And there are some sane reasonable bosses (somewhat of a minority ), but when it works, it works so easily and a person wonders how it ever did not work.

Good luck with your upcoming wisdom teeth operation!

I am an atheist-agnostic. Straight up. And I am comfortable as an atheist-agnostic.

When I was age 14 and 15, I was religious. Because I wanted more meaning to my life, I think because I wanted connection, and I think I thought, if people believe in all this, they should take it seriously. I had a religious crisis in that what this book talked about “being filled by the spirit” did not seem to work for me. And a number of things gave me handholds and footholds, some of them almost seemingly accidental where I could later rethink (such as the Christian athlete Craig Morton not winning the Superbowl, in fact doing very poorly and being embarrassed) (like meeting some Baha’is who had a table at a community festival, asking what they believed and the guy saying, well, we probably believe in a lot of the same things you do, that there’s one god . . . and me thinking, don’t be too sure about that)

That summer, I both sat in the garage secretly reading some of my mom’s old books on religion (my mom more of an agnostic, my dad the religious one). And I also sat in my closet having “think periods” and writing about the universe, the beginning of the universe, the end of the universe, the main point of life, the sole point of life) And I kept these writings organized in files in a locked plastic file holder.

And basically, for me, the fact that different religions believe different things is a slam dunk that none of them are true. (not logically, but the emotional texture, and I realize other people view it and feel differently about it).

And you can use this with your Mom anyway you like, like an NFL linebacker if you want, the Hindus believe this and what makes you so cocksure that they’re wrong and you’re right?! Or more genteelly, that most religions have a version of the Golden Rule, and most of them do. Or anywhere in between!

If the direct arguing about religion has gone on less than 6 weeks, you mom might pull back on her own. There’s a verse in the bible about if a spouse is a nonbeliever and not pulling up the roots of the tree. It’s insulting but it might work in your favor. And baptists have a saying about “not bruising the fruit” which might also work in your favor.

(The only thing with “think periods” and thinking through religion that summer, I tried it with being lonely, things not working out socially, jobs difficulties and questions. So, it almost worked too well the first time. I later decided, okay, a purely intellectual topic, maybe “think periods” will work, although no guarantee of course. With more social topics, what I’m missing is the ping-ponging back and forth, the medium steps and observing how it works out, and the light touch and the riding the zen waves as it were.)

Erisad, good luck with this difficult period. It does not sound like any fun at all.

We've had these religious arguments since I declared myself non-Christian last summer. *sigh* Oh well.

I am more concerned with working in my field so I can accumulate experience as a professional writer so I can be considered for a better job. I'll do whatever I have to, but I'd prefer for it to have something to do with writing in some way and not just retail or fast food. I'd be miserable. >.<

Oh, wow, then it's more of a pattern, and not so cool on the part of your mom. And she really should know better, but I guess she doesn't.

She just "wants the best for my soul" but how does she know what my soul wants? *sigh* Whatever. I'll try to avoid the topic whenever I can.

Oh for gods sake, not to sound rude but a lot of Christian stuff is human made because it's so petty. I don't blame you for wanting to break out of that environment.

Do what thou will and so be the whole of the law.

Grandma got annoyed with me when I wouldn't watch the sermon on TV yesterday. She asked why and I reply, "because I don't believe in that s**t." I had little sleep and was in lots of pain from my surgery so I didn't care that I cured in front of her. Then she ranted about my soul and I tuned her out. I love my mom and grandma to death but that's really annoying. I hate having my soul discussed at least once a week.