The Heterosexual Community

[poliphilo]

Some Diddy-biddy on the BBC News channel just asked an interviewee how something or other would affect the heterosexual community.  The what? 

I'm a heterosexual. How come I never heard of this community before? Why don't they send me the newsletter? Why don't I get invited to meetings? Where's my club badge? 

Who's our convenor? Peter Stringfellow?  Katie Price?

I want to get out and meet my fellow-heterosexuals. I want to take tea with them. I want to discuss all the pressing concerns we have in common.

What lazy, nonsenical stuff all this talk of "community" is.  The Muslim community, the Chinese community, the gay community, the black community: none of these really exists.

Comments

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

It could be that "community" implies shared understandings and common concepts among its members.

For example the question, "Ladies, do you plan to change your name on marriage?" could be said to be primarily aimed at straight women rather than gay women. It would be an understood norm within the heterosexual community.

The fact that heterosexuality is a dominant trope might blind us (there's that tricky word, "us"!) to the understanding that not all these common, shared beliefs are, in fact, common shared beliefs.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Exactly. When I'm told that some community that I might be supposed to belong to thinks this that or the other, my usual response is, "Well, I don't".

I'm an instinctive contrarian.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Even more insidious is the governemnt seekin the views of "community leaders". Like, erm, who votes for THEM to represent anyone? It is dangerous when a few powerful individuals claim to speak for the "community".

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah yes.

A lot of them, I reckon, are chancers, publicity seekers and unrepresentative loudmouths. We should treat them with great scepticism.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Not any more! The gay ones are getting married too!