Apropos of yesterday's post about tribalism arising from the most unlikely sources; after listening to an anti-gay marriage advocate debating the issue with someone of the other persuasion on the radio, I can't help feeling that those opposed to gay marriage just don't want outsiders in their tribe. It's a case of; "It's ours, and you can't have it!"
More to do with wielding power and fending off the out-group than anything logical, if you ask me. They dress it up as 'changing the definition of marriage', as if the English language is written in stone for all time. Given marriage pre-dates Christianity, or indeed Judaism, and no religious body is going to be forced to marry gay people, the religious argument falls flat on its face at the first hurdle. Indeed a Moslem can have several wives (and several mothers-in-law, the poor bastards) and Christians aren't exactly up in arms about that.
I dare say that the vast majority of people who get married in church don't have a religious bone in their body anyway and it's more to do with tradition than anything else - they are admitted to the tribe despite their atheism or agnosticism because they are 'normal' in the sexual sense. Well, traditions can and do change - if they didn't, then we'd have judges in long wigs and ceremonial soldiers in 19th century costume, God forbid!.
Gay marriage does not affect any individuals other than the two people being married, thus being vehemently against it can only be because you wish to foist your belief system on others. The Taliban are fond of doing just that, as are the Catholic church, fascists and communists.
Some claim homosexuality is not 'normal'. Well, it features quite significantly on the bell curve and therefore is part and parcel of the human condition, despite not being at the top of the curve, but there again, nor is having red hair, having blue eyes or being a Conservative.
Last night on the national news I heard someone say; "I'm not a bigot, but....." and proceed to spout unjustified intolerance. Have you ever heard anyone actually admit to being a bigot? It's not something your average bigots will admit to. The thing I dislike about bigots is that they're just not like us..... not 'normal'.
If gay marriage makes you angry, ask yourself exactly what makes you so so angry when it doesn't actually affect you in the slightest. If its root is in discrimination, then that not a valid reason in this age.
Some claim homosexuality is not 'normal'. Well, it features quite significantly on the bell curve and therefore is part and parcel of the human condition, despite not being at the top of the curve, but there again, nor is having red hair, having blue eyes or being a Conservative.
Last night on the national news I heard someone say; "I'm not a bigot, but....." and proceed to spout unjustified intolerance. Have you ever heard anyone actually admit to being a bigot? It's not something your average bigots will admit to. The thing I dislike about bigots is that they're just not like us..... not 'normal'.
If gay marriage makes you angry, ask yourself exactly what makes you so so angry when it doesn't actually affect you in the slightest. If its root is in discrimination, then that not a valid reason in this age.
4 comments:
"Discrimination" doesn't have to be bad. Discriminating between good and bad footballers is a good idea if you're a manager picking a squad.
"Prejudice" is, I guess, always bad. Prejudice leads to unjustified and wrong discrimination. But maybe I'm just bigoted against prejudiced people.
It didn't work for Graeme Souness!
...and it ain't bigoted if there's a logical reason that holds water.
Well said CB!
As the non-religious community knows all too well, "tradition" and "normal" is defined by whatever the religious majority of the time choose to cherry pick from their crusty old books of mythology and nothing to do with Biology, Physics or Chemistry, you know, "reality" as the rest of us like to call that.
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