John Ramwell

Why should I want to write about this subject? Maybe it’s because this practice has marked, for me at least, and exemplified the huge shift over the last few years in social attitudes regarding human behaviour.

So where’s this coming from; this urge to write about such abstract a subject early on a Sunday morning. Well, because it’s Sunday and I had the radio on and a church service was in full flood I made use of the opportunity to briefly listened to the sermon.

I don’t usually contradict the church and it’s ministries but I often do wonder at its attempts to explain the many contradictions, as I see them, regarding philosophy and psychology. Why is the world such a cruel place? Why do we all, everyone of Gods creatures, have to rely on luck? Luck can be fickle - is fickle, and being so, is never proportionally dished out. One needs to be in the right place at the right time to catch any. Even then, it’s often seriously rationed.

But I’m not here this morning to write about ‘Lady Luck’ or about my perceived theological contradictions but instead I’m wanting to cover this issue (the one that says that to be gay is wrong and requires changing) of human behaviour and attitude which I’ve always found both interesting and yet perplexing. I’ve had more than a passing interest in psychology and have read extensively on the subject but have so far failed to understand human behaviour. I believe it’s possible to spend several lifetimes studying the subject and yet not arrive at any tangible conclusions.

First to explain where I’m personally coming from on this subject. I can almost hear your brain cogs whirling. “My goodness, he’s about to come out. Taken his time. He’s just turned 80, you know!”

But I’m going to disappoint. I just don’t believe it’s necessary to ever disclose your inner feelings unless you have the urge to so do. How I dislike it when an introduction is prefixed with, ‘he/she is gay,’ unless it’s particularly relevant.

Some many moons ago I was a Hospital Officer at HMP Wandsworth. One of my tasks was to escort prisoners to local NHS clinics for, among many medical reasons, aversion therapy. I knew, or at least had a firm conviction, that we were all wasting our efforts and time. All we ever did was to raise unrealistic expectations whist continuing to acknowledge that being gay was the root of many social problems such as criminality, domestic violence (which, in this case, it might well have been), and a whole raft of social mal-behaviour. Rapidly our society has become so much more tolerant.

I was watching a mainstream programme (‘Granchester’ if you must know.) last night. Based on the 1950’s, as part of its story line, it depicted two men, one a member of the clergy, having a ‘sordid, wicked affair’ which was about to come before the court and blow their lives apart.

It wasn’t too long ago that mainstream television viewing would never have entertained such stark material. Now, anything goes. It seems that the more obscure television channels vie with each other to attract viewers with banality, (which happens to be my own interpretation of their material); in order to encourage the sort of viewers who are keen to be sexually excited, whilst even mainstream media entertainment seem to be joining the fray.

I really don’t care if I’m thought prudish or even a potential pervert. As opposed to recent eras and generations where so much was frowned upon, I’ve begun to wonder just how many of us today really give a damn about what others think about us. ‘I am what I am and to hell.’

My recent book, ‘Just Jimmy,’ might provide an insight into my dark character! (Couldn’t resist this opportunity to give it a nudge in your direction, the book, not my character.)

Before going further, the last thing I want to encourage here is an attitude that appears to set us up against our parents and grandparents; apart, that is, of an acceptance they were narrow minded, intolerant and bigoted. By today’s standards they stand accused but not, in my view, guilty.

Are we, the current generation, guilty for the deluge of pornography that has recently blighted many lives, young ones in particular? Are we guilty for the huge betting industry that has blighted so many lives? Of course we could do more to push these genies back into the bottle… couldn’t we?

Maybe Governments could do more. But experience shows little is effective other than they become labelled. ‘Nanny States.’

Scotland has tried to curb excessive alcohol consumption by raising its price but this often serves to drives the addicted into acquisitive crime and/or illicit drugs whilst becoming a highly unpopular policy by those simply wanting to enjoy a ‘wee dram.’

There are some who will make an association with modern liberalism and with it such as pornography and other addictive self-harming behaviour, and maybe this is the price that ‘progress’ brings. Personally I feel this is crass as results of change are often consequences rather than a price to be paid in striving to achieve a better and more equatable life for the majority.

The issue of child abuse has to rear its head in any discussion regarding perverse human behaviour. Often connected with the whole range of domestic abuse, this and rape has to be the worst of a bad bunch of crimes against humanity away from those connected with war crimes which are often terrible by their quantity as well as quality.

So maybe we should be focusing on dealing with child abusers and not on labelling simple differences between us. After all, morality has to begin somewhere.

Maybe you’re right, but one thing at a time.

For the record here’s a formal dictionary definition …

“Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions. There is no reliable evidence that sexual orientation can be changed, and medical institutions warn that conversion therapy practices are ineffective and potentially harmful. Medical, scientific, and government organizations in the United States and the United Kingdom have expressed concern over the validity, efficacy and ethics of conversion therapy.

Various jurisdictions around the world have passed laws against conversion therapy.”

John Ramwell