Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Bully Pulpit

One of my very good, very gay, long-time friends recently posted two very moving video clips from celebrities who rightfully decry and condemn the bullying that recently led to the suicides of  four different teens in this country.  They accurately reflect that there are probably many more that we don't know about.  And then, in an irony that one would have to be in a parallel universe to ignore, they turned right around and did precisely the same thing that they are condemning in the first place... bullying.  The main difference seems to be NOT that bullying itself is wrong, but that the "wrong group" is doing the bullying.

There has long been a glaring double-standard in the LGBT community.  Every argument, every issue, every cause, every nuance of the interaction between the LGBT community and... well... the other 98+% of us... is colored by the rationalization that if you are gay, anything you do or say, no matter how hateful, factually incorrect, bullying, hurtful, unjust, outrageous, dishonest, disingenuous or inappropriate is gleefully acceptable, justified, and even rational.  And if you're not gay, well, you're a bigotted hater.  End of discussion.  And, unfortunately, end of dialogue... and tolerance...  as well.

When I was young, I grew up during the last agonal breaths of the Cold War.  And one of the things I remember learning about was the Soviet Union's practice of spreading "disinformation."  This practice involved the intentional skewing of the truth to make something appear different than it really was.  It was a tool, artfully and skillfully used, to sway public opinion by the painting of one ideology with dark, hateful and condemning brushstrokes, while painting the opposite position with bright, sunny colors and cheerful accolades..

Unfortunately, this practice is alive and well in the LGBT community.

Take Kathy Griffin's video clip condemning the recent suicides, for example.  Not content at condemning the actual bullies who caused these young people to take their lives, her rant quickly turned into a wholesale condemnation of anyone who "voted for Proposition 8."  She's "not a lesbian," she intones with a straight face... "but she plays one on TV."  Yes, she actually said that.   And she was serious.  Apparently that gives her the right and authority to wield the logical fallacy of Moral Consequences like a wrecking ball.

This attempt at disinformation tries to leverage the emotional collateral of a "hot" issue like "suicide-from-hateful-bullying" into massive LGBT political hay, by not-so-subtly attempting to emotionally tie heartless anti-gay bullies with anyone who believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman...  a completely different issue... but one which is at the heart of the LGBT agenda.

Kathy Griffin, not content to merely make a passing reference, continued to reinforce this ridiculous association by actually declaring that anyone "who supported Proposition 8 has blood on their hands."  Seriously???!!!  Such comparisons are obscene.  And such attempts to paint anyone who disagrees with the LGBT agenda as a hateful, murderous bully should be deeply embarrassing to the LGBT community... as was her skewing of the actual demographics of the LGBT population in the U.S., which she stated was "10-12%," but which the U.S. Census places at just .5% (2005 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau).


These impassioned pleas by celebrities such as Cindy Lauper and Kathy Griffin, while noble and moving, are nothing more than tired old Soviet propaganda, and proof positive that the LGBT movement is not only blind to the depth and breadth of its' own hypocrisy, but that it simply doesn't care... freely sacrificing its own credibility on the altar of desperation.

When any minority "movement" rationalizes the righteousness or nobility of their ideology or lifestyle to the point where there are no boundaries, where no holds are barred, where no action is inappropriate or unjustified, where no lie is too egregious... where even violence is encouraged...  when the "movement" will be content with nothing more or less than the forcing, if necessary, of it's principles and beliefs on the majority... the "cause" has ceased to be a "cause."  It has become an Opposing Force.  It has become an Enemy of the People.  It has become a threat to the very fabric of our society.  It has become dangerous.

The very principles of tolerance, patience and acceptance that are plied so deftly and frequently by the LGBT community to urge the majority to allow them to quietly assimilate into society unopposed, are routinely turned and used as weapons of hate and violence against anyone, and any thing, that gets in their way.  If the LGBT community truly wants open, refreshingly honest, and straightforward dialogue.. they need to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.  They need to drop the embarrassing bullying tactics, the wholesale rabid-dog attacks on anyone who dares to stand up for an opposing point of view, and ACT like they truly believe in tolerance and love of their fellow man and respect for the differences of others.  They need to SHOW us that they are willing to respect OUR right to disagree with their ideology and lifestyle, without vilifying us in the process for no other reason than that our beliefs differ from theirs.

The bottom line, which seems to be totally lost on our LGBT brothers and sisters, is that tolerance is a two-way street.  You cannot demand it on one hand, and refuse to extend it on the other.  And until that message is embraced by every single member of the LGBT community, there will continue to be strife, contention, and opposition.

But that's just me.  Your mileage may vary.

5 comments:

  1. I don't think ANYONE could say it better - thank you so much

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  2. So good to see you actively writing again my friend. You have a true gift with words. This is very logically laid out and well reasoned.

    Be prepared to be stoned by the LGBT community for pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes.

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  3. The monolithic LGBT community ... you will meet all shades of opinion in it. And don't forget the 'non-affiliated' members, whose opinions are just as valuable. And also those among us who want to join, but haven't had the courage to do so yet ;-)

    And while we're at, how about a bit of distraction from the REAL issue here? Seems like the Soviets weren't the only ones who are good at playing that particular game ...

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  4. Homosexuals commit suicide at far higher rates than other people even in places where it is generously accepted.

    That homosexuals kill themselves may not be due just to bullying, but that is what we are supposed to believe.

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