America. It's a wondrous place, built on the blood and sweat of a multitude of immigrants who fled their home countries looking for a better life. Many were fleeing the poverty and oppression of their homelands, others were escaping for their lives, their beliefs or lifestyles under heavy persecution by their native brothers. During that period, America was a clean slate. A place to start over. A place to live freely, without fear of being killed or shunned because your ideals were different from your neighbors. It was a new beginning for many immigrants. Those people went on to build a society based on the belief that all peoples have the right to live freely and express themselves, as long as it isn't a harm to others.
Of course, that isn't always the case here in the US. Many groups of people are still being persecuted by their fellow Americans. Hate crimes are not uncommon in our news media. Churches still slander one another, preaching about the “rightness” of their religion and damning all other congregations to hell. Sexism is alive and well and self proclaimed hate groups still spout their ignorance to the general public (isn’t the freedom of speech great!).
It saddens and angers me that the people who promote such irrational garbage are the first ones to jump up and scream “I AM AN AMERICAN!”. These people couldn't be any more LESS American. If they were truly Americans, they would remember their roots and why America is what is today. Forgetting those who left their homes behind, those who were brave enough to start over somewhere else, and the reasons WHY they came here is a slap in the face to our country as a whole. If you don’t understand, go pick yourself up a history book and start reading. While your at it, grab a copy of the US Constitution.
Don't get me wrong. I love my country. I respect the morals and values it allows me to have. I respect the morals and values of those that I might not agree with as well, since this is, after all, a free country. If I don't agree with the lifestyle or beliefs of my neighbor, I have the right to turn my head and ignore them. I have no obligation to try to change their mind or chastise them any more than they do to me.
What I DON'T respect is blind hatred and ignorance. There's no excuse for it. With all the information available today, all people need to do is pick up a book or jump on the internet. Unfortunately, most hate mongers and bigots are too damn lazy to exert the effort, or perhaps, in some circles, they just find big text books to daunting. There are children's books available folks. Get educated on a subject before forming and opinion and expressing it.
For example, my best friend received an email after logging a message in his blog. He was innocently discussing his feelings about being a gay man in society and coming to terms with his own perceptions about it. It was a heartfelt message about his own views on himself and humanity as a whole. It was probably one of the most heartfelt and honest web log entries I've ever read.
He sent me a copy of the message and has given me permission to post it here. Before warned however, it is offensive and vulgar, but then again, he proves mine and my friends point perfectly. A real shining example of what it's like to deal with intolerance and hatred.
>>>From user: anonymous
>>>AM 7:55 PST
anonymous writes:
The reason you people aren't accepted is because of whiny crap like thes shit! The rest of the world isn't gay so you are just going to have to lern to live with it. queers are abominations and we shouldnt have to make exceptions for them to go around fornicating with anything that moves, and since when do pedophiles and queers become "different" all you pervs come from the same pod!
At first I was peeved when I read this, but then I had to laugh. Who wouldn't, after seeing the total idiocy of Mr. Anonymous post? If your going to try and make a point, at least do it with some dignity and spell and punctuate correctly. It's L-E-A-R-N dumbass, not lern. Maybe you need to do some more “L-E-A-R-N-I-N-G” before you try to formulate a complex opinion on something and someone you know nothing about.
It's sad, but Mr. Anonymous is the perfect example of ignorance at it's finest. He believes that gay men and pedophiles are the same, which is about as correct as me saying that all Catholic Priests are molesters or all men are rapists. No, Mr. Anonymous, being gay and being a pedophile isn't the same thing. Pedophiles like young children, little girls and little boys. They are sick and disgusting individuals, who should be lock in prison the rest of their natural lives. Gay men and women, however, prefer the company of the same sex, not little children. Both heterosexual and homosexual people can be pedophiles.
As for coming for the “same pod”, I suppose I would be correct in assuming you come from the same “pod” and the KKK, Hitler, and The Skin Head Nations. I mean, come on, if we are comparing idiotic assumptions, I must be right, since you spew nothing but hate, hostility, ignorance and intolerance. And while we're at it, why not add all the various religions of the world to that “pod” as well, since from the beginning of time they contributed to the mass slaughter of other human beings in the name of their many re-written and idealized bibles.
“Fornicating with everything that moves?” That made me laugh, because Mr. Anonymous just described nearly the all male species in the world, heterosexual, homosexual, and animal! *laughs* At any rate, I can't even comment on this sort of irrationality, because it doesn't make sense in my head. Trees move, rivers move, clouds move…Mr. Anonymous needs counseling.
I don't remember my friend asking for any special rights, Mr. Anonymous. I believe he was asking to be treated as the human being he is. He wants to be able to walk into a store and not have bigoted radicals like you spew stupidity at him. He wants to be able have a meal without having to overhear people calling him dirty names. He wants to shop in peace and live his life like any other tax paying, law abiding citizen. What’s so bad about that? You wouldn't like it much if you went somewhere and heard people talking about “stupid honkies” or “F….niggers” or “filching kites” or what ever nationality/religion you happen to be. It's so obvious you've never had to deal with any type of discrimination what so ever, and if I perchance am wrong, shame on you for being a hypocrite.
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” - Matthew 7:1-5
Every once in a while, the bible gives us a good lesson. To bad the bible thumping hate mongers don't take the time to read the whole thing. They'd much rather read passages that COULD pertain to their cause and then twist them around to fit their warped, moronic ideals. If I were God, I’d be pretty pissed about this…I imagine he is…
Anyway…I'm sorry to inform people like Mr. Anonymous that this is indeed America. All of us who live here have the right to live our lives the way we see fit and pursue our own happiness. We can choose who we love, what we wear, what we say, and what we think. That's what makes this place so great. However, we cannot obstruct another American's right to pursue happiness, and that includes everything from murder to discrimination. A person being homosexual doesn't hinder your life, Mr. Anonymous. It only bothers you because you make it your business to let it bother you. However, your hate and bigotry fuel the fires that make it difficult for other Americans to live. You, Mr. Anonymous, are very Un-American. You, and people like you, do our country a great disservice by being poor representatives of our country. Maybe you should move, it wouldn't be any loss to the rest of us citizens, but I warn you, there are gay people all over the world!
Also…
The next time you decide to reply to someone's personal feelings, I suggest you better educate yourself on your opinions, instead of coming up with some sort of 4th grade reply that makes you look like the idiot you are. Your reply to my friends blog does your cause no justice and only illustrates our point that people like you are nothing but uneducated, inferior, insecure parasites with some sort of moralistic complex. Apparently your opinion doesn't mean much to you, since you can't even apply a screen name to your post. How typically cliché that is of your kind, always hiding behind masks and computers.
To everyone else, I just want to say that I don't know what it's like to be discriminated against because of sexual preference, but discrimination is discrimination. I've been discriminated against because I'm a woman, and I know that it made me angry and hurt me. Whatever form it comes in, it is wrong. Do I think there needs to be laws regarding hate, bigotry and discrimination? Yes, to some extent. I don't think we should try forcibly change a person's way of thinking, but I do believe there should be laws regarding jobs, business, etc. that prevent employers, employees, customers, etc. from discriminating against certain people. I don't agree with affirmative action, as people should be chosen for their merits and not their skin color, sex, or sexuality, but until the hate mongers stop being so biased and obsessive about such things, those types of laws will be necessary.
My friend is a wonderful person. He's very kind and open minded. It is very rare to find a human being like him in this world. My son loves him very much and I just want him to know that there are many of us who see you as YOU. We accept you for who you are and everything else doesn't matter!
To the readers I don't know, if you feel the need to flame, go ahead, but be warned, if you are too moronic, I'll roast your flame publicly, along with your email address or IP#. All comments are screened for approval first BY ME, so think things through before posting...
Posted by Zoso at May 16, 2004 12:23 AM