Edit: lil you can reference this in your post if you'd like: I'm sorry, but this is just ridiculous. Because he's a CEO he's not a human being, with human emotions and relationships to people on an interpersonal level beyond Apple? I'm sorry to tell you this, but pain is pain, bigotry is bigotry, and it may actually take more courage to come out as the CEO of Apple than it does for a 22-year-old on a liberal college campus. That said, this is widely speculative as each individual case would be unique unto itself. You can't pretend you know any more about his interpersonal life than he could about yours. Tell me this, what happens when you reveal yourself to be gay? I'm guessing it would be really rough probably because of family, friends and coworkers that thought otherwise. How is that any different for Tim Cook? Add to this, he has endorsement deals with his company. He has shareholders etc. No offense, but outside of your friends and family nobody gives a shit whether or not you're gay. Not to be insensitive, but he may have more at stake because of his notoriety. Honestly, I really don't care whether or not he is gay, I suspect that the majority of the populace could care less too. His friends and family may have a hard time with it, for whatever reason. How is this different from you?How are the downtrodden queer folx aka the real people
-the "real people?" Oh gawd.
This whole point is ludicrous. He is not "the common man" whatsoever and never will be, yeah he's a human being but he's a rich and powerful human being and that's a lot different than some kid who's homeless because he came out to his parents, sorry. That kid will never be Tim Cook, and Tim Cook will never be that kid. edit: Man the more I think about it the amount of apologia for who is essentially the do-no-wrong idol of every tech person on the planet over like, actual struggling queer youth is really concerning to me. I'm just getting far too angry so I'm going to step away for a while.
Don't make any assumptions, I don't know anything about Tim Cook, I'm not an Apple fanboy and honestly, I couldn't care much less about the guy. However, I know CEOs of companies and they're just people. I know that's hard to believe, but really, they are flesh and blood. They care about many of the same things we do, and have insecurities, just like we do. Diminishing someone because of the job they have as less than human, which is WHAT YOU DID, is stupid. What is "the common man?" Is a poor college kid? Is an assembly plant worker, is a door to door salesman? Is a well paid business man? Which one is allowed to be the "real people of the world," in your estimation? There's no apologia from me, but no condemnation either. I don't know the guy, neither do you.
longstocking I think, if it's possible, that you're both right. In 2014, it maybe sucks for Tim Cook to have to come out as gay, for all the reasons thenewgreen mentions. He has shareholders, he has huge responsibilities, he has public scrutiny. It also sucks for some kid to come out as gay, for the reasons longstocking mentions. That kid has no money, maybe no home -- I've known a few -- and potentially no other support system. -- Stop arguing, if you even are arguing, I can't really tell. Life is too short to argue. Or whatever. I'm about to go make another white russian with added pumpkin spice liqueur. I'll make time for that shit, but not arguing. -- Uh, by the math I guess, odds are something like 40-50 of the Fortune CEOs (maybe less due to societal selection) are gay, but the only one who has come out, ever, seems to be Tim Cook (I didn't actually read the article because I don't read articles if I have a 75% change of guessing what they say beforehand^). Tim Cook's at the top of the "Fortune CEO" world. So there is something in that. If it was an easy thing to do, the CEO of rich company number 432 would be out. You could also argue that maybe it's only news if Apple CEO does it, so CEO 432 just hasn't bothered. I don't know. ^My guess: Tim Cook's the only openly gay CEO and that's a shame!
I'm definitely not trying to argue, I did however take exception to this phrase: Only Tim Cook and that homeless kid will know how difficult it was for one another to come out. longstocking, I apologize if my comments upset you. I used some inflammatory words "stupid" etc. That wasn't cool. My sincere apologies. Somewhere in here is a discussion worth having though.How are the downtrodden queer folx aka the real people of the world
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I don't honestly really know what that means but nonetheless, yeah, there's a discussion to be had someplace. This Cook event/issue is more interesting than I first gave it credit for being.How are the downtrodden queer folx aka the real people of the world