So yesterday a picture of a guy with blood all over his face and hands rapidly spread via the social media in Belgium. It was taken at the Christmas village "Winter Wonderland" in Hasselt. The subscript said "This is what happens to when you are gay at the skating ring of Winter Wonderland. Thanks to the security guards and organisation." It immediately provoked a lot of reactions on how intollerant and dreadful the live standards of gay people in Belgium still are.
At the beginning it was shocking and gradually you got an impression of how many support there is for banning gaybashing. Nevertheless, some nuance is called for. A lot of people immediately showed sincere sympathy for the guy and his boyfriend. Even if they did not know them. And more importantly, did not know the facts!
Of course it is incredibly heartwarming to see such reactions. Nonetheless, the reality was partly conveyed by the rapid speed of the social media. The sources were not 100% waterproof. There seems to be a different side to the story, which wasn't interesting enough to spread. Apparently, he and his 'boyfriend' were getting into each others pants where children were present. They did not wanted to adjust their behaviour when asked by other people. As a result, the security asked them again, they became agressive and refused. The security asked them to leave, so they became even more agressive and refused. They where thrown out and one of them fell on the floor, causing the bleed.
In the end, it is not up to me to judge what actually happened. If they did use their sexual orientation as a false excuse to misbehave in public and be arrogant. Shame on them! If it was indeed a matter of intolerance, we can only gain courage from the fact that so many people showed support so fast. Hence, irrespective of the truth about this incidence, I think it still is reasonable to judge Belgium as one of the best places to live as a gay guy.
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On another note, as a PhD student it is hard to find some spare time nowadays. The last week I have been preparing to present the provisional of my masterpaper to the rest of our research department. Kind of scary, let that be clear. The professors don't spare any opportunity to criticise an assumption, result, ... Presenting as a doctoral researcher is definitely different from presenting your work as a regular student. Nonetheless, they all do it to point out things you can improve or get you thinking about other perspectives before submitting it. So, although it all was quite overwhelming, I survived. My promotor even said it was a very clear and good presentation.
Ooh, and Christmas is approaching! So I'm continuously in a good mood. We've decorated our new home last week. It looks marvellous ... Now the preparations for our Christmas party have started. Selecting a range of sweets to bake, doing groceries, and so on. I'm thrilled because over 30 people agreed with our invitations. It's going to be nice to see all those people again. More on that later ;)
Things like that picture can certainly go viral, and if the story that goes with them is misleading, it's hard to correct. We need to be willing to listen to corrections, or the "other side." At least it's good that many people had a good reaction to what they believed was true.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you're making good progress in your academic program. Good luck as you continue.
Merry Christmas.
That is exactly what I thought as well. Some people can sometimes just blindly run along with what seems to be the truth, while it isn't necessarily the case. The same holds for those who immediately agree with the European proposals to fix the current problems. There is more to it than politicians will admit. I think that is one of the main roles of academics in society: shed light on such matters, without taking a definite stance.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Enjoy Christmas yourself as well.
The best wishes for you too!