Is "Born This Way" the most socially relevant song of the last 10 years?

[ItsTommyBitch 12,640]

2 minutes ago, T E A said:

i think you're entirely missing the message of the song: it's not about feeling shame; on the contrary, it's about being proud of who you are, of the way you were born on the inside. you're the one that should define your identity and the meaning of being beautiful ("i'm beautiful in my way"). it's about tolerance and acceptance: accept yourself and accept/tolerate others. maybe even more importantly, it's about the potential of being born over and over again: if you're not satisfied with who you are, either on the inside or on the outside, you have the potential to redefine both.

these are complex issues, i agree; however, there is much more to the song than just the advocation of LGBT issues. it's an anthem for every misunderstood and insecure individual out there. "no matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgenderd life," "no matter black, white or beige, chola or orient made," they are on the right track.  

I didn't say anything to suggest that it was about feeling shame, I definitely agreed with everything you are saying, so I don't see how I missed the message of the song, I just said that its an incomplete message  I get the general "be proud of who u are no matter who you are message" its pretty obvious.

I'm saying the general idea that being born a certain way as validation for your personal identity is flawed. Most religious people back when this song came out saw (and many still do see) homosexuality as a sin, so the argument was that "Hey, I didn't ask to be gay, I was born this way!" and its a bit less ethical to judge someone for something they can't control, as opposed to something that is a choice. This also fits into the whole "God makes no mistakes" and "God made you in his image" stuff. Again the appeal is, "hey, god made me this way, how are you to judge"

This places the right to exist peacefully and be respected on a flimsy pretense. If being gay WERE indeed an active choice, this would mean that people CAN discriminate against you and disrespect you for being a sinner. It also means that being a product of your environment (a variable factor) allows for the same, as neither are being born, immutable in God's eyes or whatever.

It's incomplete. Being gay or being different in anyway should not rest on the defense of being "born this way". Sexuality can be fluid. Someone who discovers they are gay later in life and does not believe they were born gay should be able to proudly accept their identity in public and be treated as equally as someone who was born gay or made gay "by God"  

Id say this is an over analysis, but many religious people, (the majority of America) DO believe in the idea that God makes people in his image and that they are all "good" essentially, so a lot of the support or defense of gay people from religious people rests on this contingency of being born this way, which I think is majorly flawed and honestly kind of offensive. It's like holding a lifeline out over someone's head with the constant threat of pulling it away if they don't comply

It's still got a good message in general, but this part of it irks me and I don't think enough people see the problem. Like for SO many years (and it still kind of is today) the huge argument whether being gay is a choice or not. It shouldn't freaking matter in the first place  

[Mees 269]

16 hours ago, Music said:

 

ICONIC

[crisTEAne 21,059]

1 hour ago, ItsTommyBitch said:

I didn't say anything to suggest that it was about feeling shame, I definitely agreed with everything you are saying, so I don't see how I missed the message of the song, I just said that its an incomplete message  I get the general "be proud of who u are no matter who you are message" its pretty obvious.

I'm saying the general idea that being born a certain way as validation for your personal identity is flawed. Most religious people back when this song came out saw (and many still do see) homosexuality as a sin, so the argument was that "Hey, I didn't ask to be gay, I was born this way!" and its a bit less ethical to judge someone for something they can't control, as opposed to something that is a choice. This also fits into the whole "God makes no mistakes" and "God made you in his image" stuff. Again the appeal is, "hey, god made me this way, how are you to judge"

This places the right to exist peacefully and be respected on a flimsy pretense. If being gay WERE indeed an active choice, this would mean that people CAN discriminate against you and disrespect you for being a sinner. It also means that being a product of your environment (a variable factor) allows for the same, as neither are being born, immutable in God's eyes or whatever.

It's incomplete. Being gay or being different in anyway should not rest on the defense of being "born this way". Sexuality can be fluid. Someone who discovers they are gay later in life and does not believe they were born gay should be able to proudly accept their identity in public and be treated as equally as someone who was born gay or made gay "by God"  

Id say this is an over analysis, but many religious people, (the majority of America) DO believe in the idea that God makes people in his image and that they are all "good" essentially, so a lot of the support or defense of gay people from religious people rests on this contingency of being born this way, which I think is majorly flawed and honestly kind of offensive. It's like holding a lifeline out over someone's head with the constant threat of pulling it away if they don't comply

It's still got a good message in general, but this part of it irks me and I don't think enough people see the problem. Like for SO many years (and it still kind of is today) the huge argument whether being gay is a choice or not. It shouldn't freaking matter in the first place  

i think i understand what you're trying to say, but i'd say that you're approaching the whole thing from a religious perspective. yes, the lyrics of the song do mention god, but that's because gagz wanted to convey the message explicitly. capital H-I-M can also refer to a nameless superior force that is not the figurehead of any (major) religion. however, gagz is a catholic at heart, so maybe she did it on purpose.

the point is that religious beliefs are, or usually tend to be, incomplete. i think that you don't have a problem with the song; rather, with its religious undertone. again, the purpose of the song was to be a universal anthem to every insecure and misunderstood individual, regardless of their religious beliefs. 

the choice/born thing you mentioned is interesting. even though i agree that sexuality is fluid, i don't think that someone can simply choose to be gay. it's not a freaking on/off switch.  that individual may realize in the future that they have gay inclinations that they didn't have in the past, but that's because they were born that way.

[hmm 979]

I'd possibly agree with the title question (within the context of sexuality I guess) but "lasting impact on human rights" is a tad of a hyperbole  

[SamJ 8,008]

All About That Bass

[bionic 49,848]

Bad Blood simultaneously created and ended feminism.

[Slayer 9,227]

17 hours ago, Prismatic said:

firework & roar still exist and gets views daily

Firework and Roar aren't used on flags at Gay Pride parades and generally aren't ingrained in culture as part of a social movement. 

I think BTW was definitely very relevant at the time, and still is to an extent. I just wish the power of the message was reflected in the quality of the song.