The Queer Questions: Good v Bad | Murdering Queers Good - Violence Bad

TW/CW I refer to violence against minorities generally and historically.

I hope to do a series of posts considering the basics that we're taught as a child.

We're sure black is black and white is white. Everything can be put into one of these boxes, good or bad – right or left – correct incorrect – true or false – fact or fiction, you get the idea. As much as we'd like everything to be placed neatly into a box and better still into two simple boxes. In my experience, I've not found that to be the case.

Good v Bad

All rise for the honourable power of your brain.

Kind people of the readership, I will present both of these words to you. Good and Bad. I will use the Oxford English Dictionary (online version) for definitions. I will try to demonstrate to you that perhaps your believes in a good or bad 'thing' is flawed and that you should consider situations more in-depth before making a judgement.

In a criminal case you'd be asked to decide based on 'reasonable doubt'. Meaning: would a reasonable person be moved to a guilty verdict beyond all doubt. Or, something like that – I'm not a lawyer – I'd be financially better off if I were. I want you to use a similar idea, 'fair enough' – if you feel my argument is fair enough then perhaps you should move to consider things in greater detail before calling on it.

Good is bad.

The OED offers 7 adjectives; 3 nouns and 1 adverb. Some of these offer sub-definitions:

Adj

1. To be desired or approved of.

Murdering queer people. Good?

It's approved of by many. All queer people being murdered is also desired by many people. So that meets the criteria of Good by those people's belief system. However not everyones.

1.1 Pleasing and welcome.

A drugs gang being eliminated. Good?

What, who would argue that this is a bad thing!?! I will :) A known entity is better than the unknown one which will surely move in afterwards. Not to mention, 'illegal' industries do add money to the visible economy. So to do they give people employment. There is likely to be a level of violence from rival gangs who want to take over the patch now available.

1.2 Showing approval.

Adolph Hitler's political believes. Good?

In 1938, a large number of people turned out to celebrate Hitler's politics at the Nuremberg Rally. Showing their approval for his politics. Even today nearly 80 years on, there are still people that would show approval for Hitler if they could do so.

2. Having the qualities of a high standard.

VW diesel car as an environmentally safe car. Good?

Sure, the CO2 output might not be at the level that it was advertised at but what about particular matter. Even the damage required to get the fuel to fuel the ships and equipment to get the fuel to fuel any car.

2.1 Skilled at doing or dealing with a specified thing.

I am a construction material expert, and I approve this material. Good?

This is the person who approved the Grenfell tower cladding.

2.2 Healthy, strong or well.

She's out of hospital. Good?

Perhaps but why is it good that a terminally ill person isn't being helped to die as they wish. Instead they've been 'made comfortable' and now they are in a place with less care…

2.3 Useful, advantageous, or beneficial in effect

Unlimited guns. Good?

Useful, advantageous and beneficial if you're in a world where you have to fight to get to the shops for some food. Less so in a world of humans with poor judgement and psychological issues maybe. The latter may feel they already live in a world like the former.

2.4 Appropriate to a particular purpose.

We should tell someone that this girl is pregnant… Good?

Only problem is her parents are extremely religious and will force her to keep the birth going dispite of her body not being capable of supporting it.

2.5 of language - with correct grammar and pronunciation.

Blow winds and crack your cheeks. Good?

It's missing a full stop at the end. Otherwise it's fine, isn't it? No, it's from King Lear and should be “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks.” The comma before 'and' probably isn't quite right for today's rules of use in everyday writing. The comma was used to signal a breath I'd imagine. How far we've come since ancient Greek where they didn't even put spaces between their words. How ever did they spend their days on social media… They got out more :D

2.6 Strictly adhering to or fulfilling all the principles of a particular religion or cause.

Heaven's Gate – Good?

They all killed themselves as instructed by their leader and a few even made sure that there were no survivors before killing themselves.

3. Possessing or displaying moral virtue.

He reported his neighbour to the police for breaking the law. Good?

Sure, if your neighbour has murdered someone and asked for a spade to bury the body. Less so if your neighbour was hiding a jewish family, earning a little cash to help them buy food their welfare doesn't cover or growing a little weed to help with their chronic pain problem.

3.1 Showing Kindness.

They were hungry and were offered all the food they could eat. Good?

This they, is the singular they and this they is a morbidly obese person with serious health issues. Killing someone with kindness…

3.2 Obedient to rules or conventions.

See number three. Good

I think this is a great example to stop on. There is often times in everyone's life that following rules could have caused something to have happened that wasn't what they would of wanted to. Choosing too spell words wrongly isn't gonna cause a deaf noar is it bad. It's difficult and annoying but if you still understood what I wrote, I was 'good' at communicating my point.

Bad is Good, do I need to re-explain how someone choosing to do sex work is good if they are free to make that decision? Or, how punching Natzi is good despite assault and violence being bad?

Next time in, the queer questions – Truth! If I remember to write it or perhaps I'm not intending to ever, who knows…