Feminism, Abortion, Palin

[SNJ]

Ignorance is bliss. It's like this...well, I have a story.

I'm not religious. Never have been. I stereotyped them as all the same. I hated that they preached to me, that they would try to force their religion on me, so I would always state myself as an atheist, and make a point out of it. Little do I know, I was preaching atheism to others, and putting people with religious views 'below me.' When I had a talk with a friend roughly 2 years ago (maybe more), he said to me, "you're no better than the ones preaching religion to you."
"What?"
I honestly thought he was crazy. "I'm not preaching a religion."
"Exactly, you're preaching against one. There is no difference....."

I'd like to say I learned a life lesson. We're all so stuck in our own values and ways, and we're so ethnocentric about everything we strive in and believe in, that we're typically ignorant about others. We stereotype whether we know it or not.

To say all Repubs are white christian straight whatever is completely ignorant and stereotyping. To say that are Demos are valueless atheist commie hippies is also ignorant and stereotyping.

People need to stop living in their heads, in the clouds, and in their anus. Having an opinion is great, and discussing them even in differences is extremely healthy, but to completely disregard one based on their opinion is going backwards. I was a major victim of this act.

I'm still having some trouble with it, and learning from it daily.

[Sir_Cliff]

Very well put, SNJ, and let me just say that you're well ahead of where I was and most people are at 18. Hell, a lot of people never quite realise that you've got to listen to and at least try to understand other opinions even if you don't agree with them.

I think your last line about it being a continuing process is also spot on. I'm pretty sure we all fall into the trap of immediately dismissing someone as an idiot, ignorant, or immoral for their point of view at some point and it's a matter of constantly stopping yourself and trying to at least understand why they think the way they do.

[KevRus]

Great post, SNJ. Couldn't agree more.

[Goin2Disneyland]

And I'd like to point out that while McCain is against gay marriage, so is Obama.

So it would appear NEITHER party is down with "equality."

Why don't all the gay democrats just wake up and smell the coffee? Why are they part of party that discriminates against them and treats them as second-class citizens?

The argument is absurd.

And SNJ, you are a very bright young man. Kudos.

[Snoopy]

SNJ, I applaud your excellent hindsight (foresight?) on the matter.

[Sir_Cliff]

And I'd like to point out that while McCain is against gay marriage, so is Obama.

So it would appear NEITHER party is down with "equality."

Why don't all the gay democrats just wake up and smell the coffee? Why are they part of party that discriminates against them and treats them as second-class citizens?

The argument is absurd.

I think there is a significant difference in how the Democrats have dealt with the issue of homosexuality in recent years than the Republicans, though.

Democrats know that there are few votes to be gained and many to be lost in the current political climate by advocating gay marriage, so a Democratic presidential candidate will say they don't support it as will their Republican opponent. Democrats, however, do at least preach the idea of tolerance toward the gay community and believe that the states should have the rights to make the ultimate decision on whether to allow gay marriage or not.

Republicans, on the other hand, have aggressively campaigned against gay marriage and used it to help bolster their votes by sticking the issue on the ballots in swing states come election time to promote a higher turn-out of anti-gay conservative voters. There was also a push to amend the constitution so as to define marriage in a way that would specifically preclude gay marriage, overturning the right of individual states to make a decision on the issue, and requiring a constitutional amendment with all that would entail for it to ever be permitted. That is a fairly aggressive frontal attack on the "gay agenda".

[SNJ]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate that.