Bullish on bears.I was happy to see mention of the bear culture in your April 27 issue [Left Hook], but I take offense at Richard Goldstein's stereotyping of it as a fetish fetish (fĕt`ĭsh), inanimate object believed to possess some magical power. The fetish may be a natural thing, such as a stone, a feather, a shell, or the claw of an animal, or it may be artificial, such as carvings in wood. . Webster's defines fetish as "an object of irrational reverence or obsessive ob·ses·sive adj. Of, characteristic of, or causing an obsession. ob·ses  sive n. devotion ... an object or bodily part whose real or fantasied presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification GRATIFICATION. A reward given voluntarily for some service or benefit rendered, without being requested so to do, either expressly or by implication. ." Yes, I agree that to some men, myself included, there is a certain attraction to bears. Overall, however, bears and their trappings are not the be-all and end-all be all and end all or be-all and end-all n. The quintessential or all-important element: "Not that the more spectacular athleticism is the be all and end all of free skating. Spins . . . for my sexual gratification. I think Goldstein came to this conclusion because of the stereotype he associates with bears. Not all bears wear muscle shirts and leather vests. Furthermore, not all bears have facial hair Noun 1. facial hair - hair on the face (especially on the face of a man) hair - a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss; "he combed his hair"; "each hair or vast amounts of body hair. Most are just regular blue or white-collar guys who enjoy the company of real men, not boys whose biggest concern is what new drugs they can get and what new fall fashions will appear at the Gap. Stereotyping is a dangerous thing. Most people view gays as party-going, drug-using, feminine-acting kids who care about nothing more than their next sexual encounter. We need to stop stereotyping ourselves; then maybe the straight world will stop stereotyping us! Pete Dixon, Winterville, N. C. |
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