I don't think I can take another month of this...

[thistlechaser]

There's an even worse political commercial airing here now. Anti-Prop 8 (same sex marriage).

Little girl, blonde, maybe 5 or 6 years old is sitting and reading a book. We can see the picture: Prince and princess in a castle, green dragon nearby.

Little girl looks up to her mother and says, "The prince is going to marry a prince!"

Mother gasps in utter shock.

Voice over, in the most doom and gloom, end-of-the-world tone you could imagine: "If Prop 8 passes, children will be taught that two men having a relationship is okay!"

...

I'm sorry, but what the hell? It's not? I see no mention of any issues with teaching kids it's okay for two people of opposite sex two have a relationship. Gods above, are we living in 1950? How in the world is this hatred acceptable? Would a commercial about the "evils" of a mix-race marriage be permissible to air?

I really don't think I can take this. Every time that damned commercial comes on I stop what I'm doing and glare at the TV. Bah.

Edit, quoting a post from trinityofone:

"The polls have turned, and right now it's looking like California's Proposition 8, which would take away the right to marry that California same-sex couples won earlier this year, may pass after all. There are good articles explaining what's happening here and here. The idea of this passing infuriates me, and it should infuriate you, too. I just donated money to Equality For All, and I think anyone who cares about this issue and has a little to spare right now should donate as well. Even if you're not a Californian, you'd be standing up for basic rights on an issue that certainly has nationwide—and even worldwide—ramifications. You can give as little as $5. That's less than the cost of a sandwich! (Well, in L.A. it is, anyway. :\ ) But just think about what a difference it would make if everyone in fandom gave just one day's lunch money."

I'm going to donate money tonight.

Edit 2: Man, look at the picture from one of those two links. How could anyone be against this? How can anyone not see that couple as being in love? How can any decent human being be against them being able to marry? Love is good! If you don't want to love someone of the same sex, then don't! But where do people get off trying to control what others do? It hurts, physically hurts in my chest, that people out there in the country could be so anti-love.... or rather "my love is the only acceptable love". Bah. :(

Comments

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

OMG, ew. Thank god I haven't seen that one. I think I'd hurl something through the TV, and then akukorax would kill me.

Did you see the link I posted about where people can donate money to stop it? Send it to everyone you know!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Woo, thanks for the link! I'm a little behind in reading my flist, but I edited my post with your info and links. Thanks! Going to donate now, before bed. :)

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

No problem, glad I could help! I want to believe we can still stop this!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Well, even if it fails, the courts have said they'd overturn it again. Hopefully they'll stand by that. Eventually this country will grow out of that hatred, same as it did with womens' rights and racial stuff. Large sections of the country may have to be dragged kicking and screaming, but eventually we as a people will mature and evolve. I just hope it happens in my lifetime, because I'd really like to see it.

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

Pffft, we are humans, just wait until they find something else to bitch and moan about and say it's against god or whatever. It's rather annoying. Personally, I hope we get to take aim at preventing stupid people from having children soon. Can't wait to see how that one will turn out, although I think people are revving up to take aim at the fat people again...*sigh*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Personally, I hope we get to take aim at preventing stupid people from having children soon.

Man, I'd be all for that.

although I think people are revving up to take aim at the fat people again...*sigh*

I get that feeling, too. :/

[piratewiccy.livejournal.com]

hopefully one day soon people will realize that it is stupid to think that stopping gay marriages will stop people from being gay. You can't help who you fall in love with, be it two people of different race, or two people of the same gender.
Keep your head up sweety. ^_^

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

You took the words out of my mouth!

And thanks. :)

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

Was totally unprepared for that LJ icon...which is odd because I try to prepare whenever coming here. Goodbye current level of personal boundry! *smash* (Is a good thing)

Anyways, in the end it will all work out thanks to people who are willing to stand up to this kinda stupidity. Like Racism and Sexism though, it will never totally go away. But at least there will come that day when gay/lesbian couples can just live like the rest of us without having to worry about "social acceptability".

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

*laughs* It's my newest one! I like it a lot, though it's bordering(?) on NWS. I probably won't use it much. :)

I bet you're right, and I can only hope it won't take too long to get to that point.

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

You know... for as much as you rail against the evil Republicans and Religious establishments forcing their views on you... you sure seem to want to force your way of thinking on everyone else. FYI, There are people that do not think like you, and that does NOT make them wrong!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Darned me for wanting equal rights for all?

FYI, There are people that do not think like you, and that does NOT make them wrong!

In many/most cases, I'd agree. However in this, or in my believe that people of different races should be permitted to marry, women work/vote/etc? How can anyone be against those things? Are gay/black/female people not still people? Do all people not deserve the same rights?

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

All people DO deserve the same rights... but you have to accept that "ALL people" include straight/white/men as well. There is a huge tendancy to assume that the only way to grant right to a minority is to strip rights from a majority. That is NOT affording equal rights to all, that is favoring one side over another.

You say it's not OK for the government to tell people how they can or cannot feel; That the government cannot tell people they can't love who they want? But they can apparently legislate it all they want so long as it is doens't interfere with your views. Hate Crime laws are laws that tell people they are not allowed to hate. There are already laws against assault and murder but for some reason we apply stricter penalties because of how the person was feeling when they committed the crime?

If the government is going to tell people they are not allowed to hate, and everyone is OK with that, then the government has every right to tell people they are not allowed to love. Otherwise we have a very serious double standard that does not allow equal rights for all, it allows only equal right for the group that thinks the same way as the government.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

All people DO deserve the same rights... but you have to accept that "ALL people" include straight/white/men as well.

o.O? I've never said that straight people shouldn't be able to marry. Anyone and everyone should be able to. What have I said that would imply I'm trying to take rights away from anyone?

There is a huge tendancy to assume that the only way to grant right to a minority is to strip rights from a majority.

Same question. Where are you losing anything by other people marrying?

You say it's not OK for the government to tell people how they can or cannot feel; That the government cannot tell people they can't love who they want?

No. Wrong. I've not said anyone can or cannot feel a certain way. And I wouldn't have an opinion on the government attempting to make people feel something. You want to hate gay people? You want to wish in your heart-of-hearts that every gay person die in a pit of fire? That's your right; you'll have to live with your own hatred. Who in the world can control feelings?

But they can apparently legislate it all they want so long as it is doens't interfere with your views.

Again I ask: If someone were against interracial couples, would it be okay for there to be laws supporting that? This is not about my view on this. This is about equal rights for all. White, black, fat, thin, man, woman, gay, straight. Why should just some people from that list get full rights?

If the government is going to tell people they are not allowed to hate, and everyone is OK with that, then the government has every right to tell people they are not allowed to love.

I'm not sure if you're missing the point here on purpose or not. :) You're free to hate. No one can control what you feel. However, acting on it is what is being controlled. You want to hate "niggers", that's fine and dandy. No one in the government will knock down your door over that. You want to string a black person up from a tree? That's a different story.

Note that 'you' in all of this does not mean Bara-you, just a generic you.

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

I prefer to think of hate-crime laws like this: it's a propensity to commit another, similar crime. Someone who assaults someone else for looking too gay is likely to assault someone else later. It's not a crime of passion, with a specific cause against a specific person - it's more of a form of sociopathy. In that sense, unprovoked crimes against a class of people are scarier.

I'm not a staunch supporter of hate-crime status increasing sentencing, truth be told, but I think that angle makes it make some sense. It's not entirely thought-crime, it's an attempt to prevent future crime, and our legal system has that at it's core from the founding days.

I do think that straight men should have a right to marry women, white women should be able to marry white men, or black men, or chinese women, and so on. This is completely not a case where stripping rights from a majority group is a factor.

I'd very happily scrap all hate crime laws in exchange for Gay Marriage remaining legal, for sure! Easy trade.

And for the record, I'm a straight white male.

[kelen.livejournal.com]

Wow.. just wow.

Bara, I didn't think you capable of such narrow minded bigotry, but I was wrong.

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I haven't seen that ad- just reading the description brings my blood pressure up about 400 points. I think this is one of the best things to donate money to right now, because the stupid and the hatred are just rampant out there. I just heard from a friend that a friend of hers forced her daughter to pass up a FULL scholarship to U.C. Berkeley. Why? Because Berkeley is "full of lesbians, and that's wrong, and I don't want my daughter exposed to that." I can't even get my head around that one.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh god. I feel horrible for the daughter of that person.

And if you're lucky, you might not see it. It seems not to be run too often. (I keep the TV on the whole time I'm home as background noise, and I only saw it twice yesterday. Most political commercials are being spammed right now.)

[piratewiccy.livejournal.com]

Why the hell do people think that if a child is exposed to gay people that it will automatically "turn" that child gay??!! Being gay has nothing to do to exposure, and quite honestly, by the time a child reaches the age to go to college, they pretty much know which way they are going, either straight or gay. Alot of people do not realize, but homosexuality has something to do with genetics.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1925
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3735668.stm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21309724/

Those are just some links to show that it has to do with genetics. Hell, just google it and you will find more info on it.
So yeah, being exposed to gay people does NOT turn someone gay. It is how they were born. I have two little girls, and I live in Orlando FL. Trust me, plenty of gay people here, and I do not worry one bit about my girls. I have explained to my oldest one already about gay people. I told her that some girls love boys, some boys love girls, and sometimes a boy can love a boy and a girl can love a girl. That whatever makes them truely happy is right for them. And in all honesty, she understood completely. Btw, she is 8yrs old.
People need to quit being ignorant, and be more open minded. Learn to read and study before making their mind up.
No, I am not gay, but I do NOT think that I should have more rights than anyone else in the world. The goverment should realize this too. Gay should be able to get married and have the same benefits as straight couples. There is nothing wrong with being gay, and people need to quit acting like it is a desease. It isn't. It's normal, and has been for over thousands of years.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I wish more people felt like you. :)

[piratewiccy.livejournal.com]

I wish they did too sweety. I know every parent has the right to raise their kids a certain way, but with narrow minded people, they are only doing more damage than good imo. That is why I try to teach my kids to never prejudge a person by gender, race, sexual preference, or religion. I also try to educate them as much as I can, and answer whatever questions they have the best I can. And trust me, a 5yr old and an 8yr old can ask alot of questions lol.
Keep your head of sweety. In time people will realize that being gay is not a sickness or wrong. That it is normal. :)

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

As a parent it is your obligation and right to raise your child as you see fit. Berkely has proved itself to expouse radical socialist ideals that are out of step with a vast majority of society. If either of my daughters were to bring up the subject of attending Berkeley with me, I would nto be able to express my objections fast enough. However, no parent can force an adult child to do anything. If the daughter of your friend's friend was really the type of student who would fit in at berkeley, I assure you they would have told their mother to go take a flying leap, and would have taken the scholarship. The fact that her mother expressed concern, and the daughter listened, is highly suggestive that berkeley would not have been the right school for her.

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

My grandmother, father, and numerous friends are alumni of UC Berkeley. They all got fantastic educations and exhibit few, if any, radical socialist tendencies. ;) I gather that you and I are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, and thus probably don't share too many of the same opinions. I, for one, would be thrilled beyond measure if my daughters were able to get into Berkeley, and so would most people I know.

It's true that an adult child has the choice to go anywhere she wants. It's also true that many children are very much invested in pleasing their parents, and have been known to modify their wishes/plans to align them with their parents' preferences. Let's hope there were more issues at stake than just lesbianphobia, because on its own, it's the world's stupidest reason to pass up a free ride to an excellent university.

[gab.livejournal.com]

I just found your lj! And agree with you. I hope it's cool if I friend your lj. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Sure thing, I friended you back. :)