We Should Organize A Protest

I personally believe that the idea of marriage is bull, and that it's a way corrupted version of what should be a happy thing. There should be no benefits to people who love others because that kind of ruins things for people who 1) don't experience any attraction and 2) people who do experience attraction but hate everyone they know and/or have social anxiety preventing them from talking to someone they love.
 
Now, what I'd like to see issome sort of "coming out to each other" day.

Imagine it:maybe one day a year, we ALL wear some little rebellious symbol that clearly says, "yeah, this is what I am."

You see someone across the train platform, or on the other side of the boulevard. And your eyes meet, & you smile & nod at each other, never to meet again (though you live mere miles apart) & realize "damn -- I'm NOT alone."

:cool:

For me (ADD/OCD all the way... :eek:), the problem has been coming up with some symbol that is readily recognizable, easily seen at like 50 feet, yet can fit in with dress at ANY level from stoner casual to boardroom. And can be readily denied if some anti-poly asshat decides to make an issue: "hmh? Oh, no, I just thought it was kinda cool. And my daughter gave it to me, so of COURSE I have to wear it once in a while. Is that a problem for you?" ;)

But wouldn't it be pleasant to realize that there are others in your day-to-day life who kinda-sorta have the same feelings...?

Polyamory-flag.svg.jpg

I love this idea too! What about on pride day? Is this flag recognized? I've also seen a symbol with a heart and an infinity symbol.
 
I've thought about the Poly Flag as well, but I can't see where it'd fit into corporate drag -- anyone who normally wears the Most Holy FOTUS on their lapel would stir up too much attention from the other Normals.

One reason it catches the eye is that very few national or regional flags both avoid white AND have such a big unrelieved chunk of black. Describing it, now it sounds like a banner for a militant African-American group....
 
It sort of looks like a the flag of a militant group of mathematicians.

I like the infinity heart symbol but I suppose a lot of men might find it too feminine.
 
the flag of a militant group of mathematicians.
:D The pi (π) does spin it, right? I figure it's intended to echo the Gay Pride lambda (λ) --
originally chosen by the Gay Activists Alliance of New York in 1970. The GAA was a group which broke away from the larger Gay Liberation Front at the end of 1969, only six months after it's foundation in response to the Stonewall Riots. While the GLF wanted to work side by side with the black and women's liberation movements to gain unity and acceptance, the GAA wanted to focus their efforts more concisely on only Gay and Lesbian issues.

Because of its official adoption by the GAA, which sponsored public events for the gay community, the lambda soon became a quick way for the members of the gay community to identify each other. The reasoning was that the lambda would easily be mistaken for a college fraternity symbol and ignored by the majority of the population.

Back in December of 1974, the lambda was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland.
https://web.archive.org/web/20070816231858/http://www.lambda.org/symbols.htm
(A rather nice article on various marks & flags & ribbons, backed up by a good bibliography, & includes the poly ribbon.)

In examining the various flags, I see where a later version of the six-stripe Pride flag had a black seventh stripe added at the bottom to signify AIDS deaths. Because of this, an alternate (& less gloomy!) Leather Pride flag replaced the (six-stripe) Gay Pride purple stripe with black, which didn't catch on probably from looking so much like the Victory Over AIDS flag.

The lowercase lambda is a smart choice. Unless someone's seriously anti-gay, it'd probably run unnoticed past most people. Easy to spot if you sensitize yourself to it. Simple to draw -- there's some cool image files online. And it's always reminded me of the classic R. Crumb illo.
robert-crumb-keep-on-truckin.jpg
 
I guess the lambda has flown under the radar because I never noticed that...lol

I do like the pi for poly. "P" for polyamorous, plus it's an infinite number greater than two. The only thing is it is so recognized that it could easily become a fashion statement for anybody.
 
an infinite number greater than two.
I never considered that!! Really a lovely sentiment

...but not actually true, of course. :(

FWIW, I've always liked the wave-top pi MUCH better than the flat-top (π, which looks boringly like "n") but I can't manage to drag an example to here. The wave-top makes it clear the lowercase pi is made up of three lines.

Though my math is a couple decades rusty, here's why -- relatively briefly :eek: -- I don't like pi as a choice.

The concept "infinity" is represented by ∞, & then there's Cantor's transfinites (omega & aleph-null) & the resultant "Absolute Infinite" Ω.

Pi (π) is an irrational number, meaning it can't be precisely defined by a ratio of two integers -- that's about as "poly" as I can make it. It does contain an (apparently) infinite series of digits, & there are various ways to apply infinite series to approximate pi.

The digit series of pi could be described as "an infinite & apparently random series of digits that never settle down & begin repeating" & thus pretty much defines the number as being irrational

...which kinda amuses me when I apply THAT to nonmonogamy. :) Makes it sound like we're agreeing with the mononormatives.
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So, most people recognize pi, even if they have onlythe vague notion that it has "something to do with circles." Which I figure is going to lead to being pestered by people about "wtf do you have to do with circles, dude?" :rolleyes:

Getting past that, when I was learning calculus, the character was drawn as two vertical lines with a third line balanced on their tops -- now THAT kinda sounds like it's idealizing the unicorn myth, right? In any case, far better suited to "marriage + 1" rather than general nonmonogamy.

And the value represented by pi is 3.1415926...; no matter how you slice it, that's "three & a little more," which again sounds a lot like a closed triad leaving open the possibility of roping in another.
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If I had to choose a Greek letter, it'd be something much cooler ;) AND less recognized, first vote being psi, ψ.

No good reason that a "P" needs to be explicitly incorporated, unless people WANT to intentionally exclude all other non-poly forms of nonmonogamy.

There are other choices that would have no real associations, though some just look neat &/or are easy to draw. Everyone ought to make a case. But lowercase omega looks like testicles -- ω. :D
 
We should organize a protest to get poly marriage legalized. It can be in all 50 states, or only a few, but one should be in Minnesota, where I live, Washington with the White House, New York because New York, and places like that, but they should all be on the same day, like December 22nd, or something like that.

Marriage is IMO a bad idea in the first place and it's even worse for poly people because of the inherent inequity that it causes between married and unmarried people. There is this perceived extra-specialness of marriage that acts as a divider, when IMO being poly should be about tearing down barriers and finding unity and harmony. So I don't like the idea at all, let alone the idea of a protest. If people want specific rights they should be able to bypass marriage altogether and set them up for themselves in mutually created agreements. Besides, I think it would be a sad day on the block if polyamory became yet another institution. I like the passion behind the suggestion, but there must be a better way to foster acceptance and recognition.
 
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I have mixed feelings about marriage. On one hand, I kind of like the idea of some sort of formal commitment. My GFs feel the same way. On the other hand, I dislike the idea of the government being involved. I'm not sure how to reconcile the two feelings. I have noticed that in some cases, people will choose to go through a religious ceremony and be recognized by a religious body, without filling out the government papers.

I kind of like the Pi symbol for poly because of the "irrational number more than two" symbolism. And because I could be a "Pi Rat." But I wonder if even having a symbol is too limiting?
 
I wonder if even having a symbol is too limiting?
I've been against the notion since the early 1980s; back then, it was someone in polyfidelity, probably Nearing.

But in the present context, all that's needed is pretty much ANY lttle "bug" that will get attention from the right people. It doesn't need to be overtly linked with polyamory, much less to become some eternal Symbol Of The Cause.

being poly should be about tearing down barriers and finding unity and harmony.
Well, really,
  1. nonsense, &
  2. ain't gonna happen.
There's no good reason for polyamory to somehow be made into a movement, & in fact I've gone on record speaking against "activists" who make such noises.

Likely outfall: Monogamists use this as a rallying point to revitalize monogamy by stirring up the 98% of the population that's stuck with it -- much as the Weird Right has convinced "po' white trash" that their lives suck only because they're being actively discriminated against by everyone who's not "po' white trash." Every inherent problem with monogamy can then be blamed on us subversives; certainly, most vees & "open couples" will shelter on the Monogamist side.

People attempting to practice nonmonogamy in their life should focus on learning HOW to best practice nonmonogamy. Once everyone has a grasp on that, I'm certain the tree-hugger stuff (peace, harmony, unity, brotherhood, free healthcare, universal education...) will fall into place. :D

There is this perceived extra-specialness of marriage that acts as a divider
Quite a claim, so please list your sources.
 
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Likely outfall: Monogamists use this as a rallying point to revitalize monogamy by stirring up the 98% of the population that's stuck with it -- much as the Weird Right has convinced "po' white trash" that their lives suck only because they're being actively discriminated against by everyone who's not "po' white trash." Every inherent problem with monogamy can then be blamed on us subversives; certainly, most vees & "open couples" will shelter on the Monogamist side.

People attempting to practice nonmonogamy in their life should focus on learning HOW to best practice nonmonogamy. Once everyone has a grasp on that, I'm certain the tree-hugger stuff (peace, harmony, unity, brotherhood, free healthcare, universal education...) will fall into place. :D

I hope you're not suggesting that everyone involved in poly-amorous relationships has to fall on the "left" side of the contrived political spectrum. Personally, I grew up "po' white trash" and part of that has stuck with me even though I've moved up in the world. :D

I've never really understood how a particular relationship style is expected to dictate a person's politics as well. It would seem logical that lesbians (how I have generally identified myself) would be able to come together to stand for their rights and ignore their other non-related political beliefs while they are together in common cause.
 
yeah..just No.
We have bigger issues to fry in the world right now than figuring out if anyone is poly their whole life, if it's genetic/biological/choice, and if we can get other humans to accept poly. (a term as we figured out we can't even agree on)

I'd rather stand naked before trump than do this.

Thanks but no thanks.
 
All good then... Lol

yeah..just No.
We have bigger issues to fry in the world right now than figuring out if anyone is poly their whole life, if it's genetic/biological/choice, and if we can get other humans to accept poly. (a term as we figured out we can't even agree on)

I'd rather stand naked before trump than do this.

Thanks but no thanks.

I would do the posing any day, lol. That's no biggie.

The definition or knowledge of poly through the world is there.. It's always been a part of nature.
Yes, there are always larger issues, yes
 
We have bigger issues to fry in the world right now than figuring out if anyone is poly their whole life, if it's genetic/biological/choice, and if we can get other humans to accept poly.
...or wasting your precious time trading posts with imaginary people rallying around all that ephemeral "poly" stuff.
Thanks but no thanks.
Glad you stopped by, sorry you have to leave so soon.

:D
 
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