Winning civil rights victories one open closet door at a time March 21, 2010
Posted by Evil Bender in LGBT Rights, News and politics.2 comments
During one of my first semesters as an instructor of Freshman Composition courses, a student came by my office to talk about her paper, in which she was grappling with a contentious social issue: she was writing about why gay people should be allowed to adopt. As we discussed her paper, the conversation turned to her upbringing.
“I was raised religious,” this young woman told me, “and I used to believe homosexuality was wrong. But now that I’ve met gay people, I just can’t believe that any more.”
What fascinates me about my student’s story is that no complex theological or philosophical argument won her over, nor did appeals to fairness or equality, nor the mountain of evidence of the fitness of gay parents. What made the difference for her was putting a face on the issue. Once she knew gay people, it became impossible for her to believe that they were evil and immoral. Discrimination against queer people became impossible for her because what she’d been taught to believe in the abstract could not survive the reality of what she saw in her gay friends.
I am reminded of this story today because a personal hero of mine, James Randi, has come out of the closet. Mr Randi could have easily chosen to remain silent on this issue, and that would probably have been easier. But by coming out, he does a great service to humanity, joining the increasingly visible and vocal group of LGBT people and their allies who, merely by existing and being honest about who they are, strike a blow against hatred and intolerance. Bigotry will still exist, of course; plenty of people will be comfortable with their hate no matter what. But many more people, finding that their families and friends include people with a wide variety of interests, beliefs and gender identities, will start to rethink their biases. Even those personally uncomfortable with homosexuality will increasingly find themselves unwilling to deny their friends and family the rights that they enjoy. Simply put, people who know gay people are less likely to be homophobes.*
So I would like to thank Mr. Randi and the millions like him who have exposed themselves to scorn, hatred, and even potential violence for the simple and brave act of openly being themselves. As a straight man, I’m sure I don’t know how hard that decision can be, but I do know that each person who makes it opens the door wider for others, and everyone who steps out through that door strikes a blow against hatred and intolerance.
We still have a lot of work to do, but the day is coming when our society will be a much safer place for our LGBT citizens. That day is still a long way off, and the bigots will always be with us. But they will not always be victorious. And on today, at the very beginning of Spring, that knowledge continues to be a source of great comfort to me.
*Yes, I am aware that this may be merely a correlation, not a matter of causation. It’s possible there is a different explanation for the data; yet the data strongly suggest that merely knowing someone who is openly gay is strongly linked to being more progressive on gay rights issues. This is to be expected on this issue, just like others: intolerance thrives in isolation, but is much harder to maintain once you start putting names and faces on those people one believes they hate.
When we say that wingnut economics is discredited, this is why July 13, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in economics, News and politics, wingnuts.5 comments
Over at Atrios’ pad, echidne notes that Republicans don’t seem to mind screwing over ordinary people, but slight tax increases on the rich are right out. We all knew that. We also knew this:
Senator John Kyl, the Republican Whip, also flatly rejected any such tax increase.
“We’re in a recession,” he told CNN. “It would be a job killer. It would be exactly the wrong thing to do any time, but especially when we’re in the middle of a recession.
Recession? Cut taxes! Boom? Cut taxes! Inflation? Cut taxes! Deflation? Cut taxes!
Seriously, if it’s “exactly” the wrong thing to do at any time, how can that be more true during a recession? These assholes aren’t even trying any more.
So would Milbank suggest this is essentially the same as Bush’s Jeff Gannon moment? June 24, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in News and politics.add a comment
Obama asking a reporter who was covering Iran for a question from an Iranian is, according to Milbank, “theater.” He further blathered
During the eight years of the Bush administration, liberal outlets such as the Huffington Post often accused the White House of planting questioners in news conferences to ask preplanned questions. But here was Obama fielding a preplanned question asked by a planted questioner — from the Huffington Post.
While Milbank is wrong on the substance, one also wonders if he can honestly believe that alerting a reporter that he might be called on is in any way equivalent to the administration that brought us “Jeff Gannon.”
That’s serious journalism for ya, folks.
Welcome to oldsville, population: Evil Bender June 22, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in Blogging, News and politics.add a comment
I just watched a commercial for the new Punch Out game, where a father plays with his kid after talking about how much he loved the original game growing up.
Intellectually, I knew that those of us who grew up with the NES are now old enough to have kids rediscovering our childhood classics. Practically, though, it makes me feel very, very old.
Now if only we could get a new Killer Instinct game!
Deep Thought June 22, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in Iran, News and politics, wingnuts.1 comment so far
Amazing how people whose fondest wish has been war with Iran suddenly decide to stand in solidarity with the Iranian people, as demonstrated by their hatred for ice cream.
—-
All kidding aside, we’re all rooting for democratic reforms for the Iranian people. God knows they’ve been too long in coming. But anyone who seriously thinks we’d be doing the protesters any favors if President Obama got McCain/Bush style belligerent needs lots of remedial education in international relations.
The best thing the US Government can do right now is to make measured, cautious appeals that the will of the Iranian people be honored. Any more agressive strategy will do more harm than good.
As I said before, Good News, Everyone! June 10, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in Comedy, News and politics.3 comments
Recalling the first round of Good News, there’s more! Futurama‘s back, baby!
NEW YORK, June 10, 2009 — 20th Century Fox Television, the animation powerhouse that brought “Family Guy” back from the dead five years ago, has done it again: Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy “Futurama” will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last original episode. …
The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on COMEDY CENTRAL.
Welcome (back) to the World of Tomorrow!
Look, this vigilante stuff might seem satisfying, but it’s not okay June 4, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in Morality, News and politics.2 comments
Wow. So, Philly police were looking for a “person of interest” in the rape of an 11 year old girl, and some locals decided to take things into their own hands:
Philadelphia’s police commissioner said Thursday he will not pursue criminal charges against a group of angry neighbors who beat a man sought for questioning in the rape of an 11-year-old girl. [...]
Philadelphia’s police commissioner said Thursday he will not pursue criminal charges against a group of angry neighbors who beat a man sought for questioning in the rape of an 11-year-old girl. [...]
Surveillance video shows a man being chased by at least three people, one of whom hits him several times with what appears to be a bat or large stick. As they chase the man, a crowd gathers. The video cuts off after a police officer arrives.
It should be obvious that vigilante violence isn’t okay. Going outside the rule of law is never an optimal solution, and beating “persons of interest” as a means of detention is a dangerous precedent, to say the least. If this guy is the rapist, I hope he spends a long, long time in prison after being convicted by a jury of his peers. But we can’t have people taking the law into their own hands. I would think in the aftermath of Dr. Tiller’s murder (by a man convinced he was stopping a moral atrocity), we’d be particularly sensitive to the danger of vigilante violence-in-the-name-of-justice.
To be clear, I don’t know if these people should be charged for their detention of the suspect. I do know that three people chasing down and beating him is a chilling thought, and quite possibly a crime. Certainly we should be very, very cautious of this sort of comic-book-hero style “citizens arrest.”
That’s why I must admit to being very troubled by Samhita’s remarks:
Marc Lamont Hill makes the point that because of the erasure of the experiences of women of color and specifically black women with sexual violence in the justice system and the news media, there is an understanding within the community that no one is going to do anything about this injustice. So while we may fall on the side of never resorting to violence, many people do not have this privilege.
But of course, the authorities were actively pursuing this man, so it’s hardly safe to assume this crime was going to be erased. And while my sympathies are clear with people of color, women, poor people and other marginalized groups who are treated so unfairly within our system of law. But I don’t think it’s a matter of privilege to condemn vigilante violence. If these people used any more force than necessary detaining the suspect, they were wrong, quite clearly. You can’t be for the rule of law only some of the time.
Furthermore, marginalized communities are not, and will never be, served well by vigilante systems which, as should be obvious, are often used by those in power to terrorize marginalized groups.Vigilantism, it seems to me, far more frequently takes the form of lynchings than proper detaining of suspects.
And, as several commenters point out, if these people feel marginalized by the justice system, and there’s every reason to think they have a right to feel that way, then they certainly shouldn’t be engaging in beatings on the word of the police that this particular “person of interest” is likely guilty.
Marginalized communities are not well served by going outside the rule of law, as such lawlessness will be used against them. The only thing worse than our flawed justice system for marginalized groups is no justice system. Being for the rule of law and opposed to vigilante violence is the responsible position here. We need to work to improve our justice system, not weaken it with justifications of lawlessness.
Question of the Moment June 2, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in News and politics, reproductive rights, Terrorism, wingnuts.1 comment so far
Given what we know of accused terrorist and murderer Scott Roeder’s acquaintances, including his connection with convicted felon Cheryl Sullenger*, shouldn’t the rabid anti-terrorists types on the right be freaking out about what has all the appearances of a terrorist group?
Or do such standards only apply to people of color?**
* Sullenger was convicted of conspiring to bomb a clinic, which makes her pretty clearly a terrorist in my view, and, I’ll charitably assume, in the views of wingnuts who were so eager to label Bill Ayers a terrorist.
** To be clear, I think Operation Rescue is a terrorist group, in that they engage in intimidation and violent rhetoric against doctors performing legal procedures, and that their denunciations of Dr Tiller’s murder were mixed with talk of “reaping what he sowed” and other language that is very, very close to incitement to violence. Readers of this blog know I’m a fierce defender of free speech, even speech as odious as calling doctors “murderers” and comparing them to Nazis. But I think its time that people like those who encourage Roeder to be accountable for their actions. If what they’ve said rises to the level of incitement to violence, they should be prosecuted, and even where it does not, we must hold them responsible for their violent rhetoric, to the full extent of the law.
Free speech means they can say what they want; it does not free them from the responsibility of answering for what they choose to say.
Dr George Tiller murdered May 31, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in constiutional issues, News and politics, reproductive rights.3 comments
As you’ve probably already heard, Doctor George Tiller was shot to death this morning. There had been at least one previous attempt on Tiller’s life, and numerous threats, yet he continued to offer one of the rarest medical services, late-term abortions, at great personal risk. He will be greatly missed.
No doubt those, like Bill O’Reilly, who spew political rhetoric which encourages this sort of terrorism will continue to do so, while officially decrying the terrorists who commit these acts.
Sadly, I think we can expect to see an increase in this sort of violence as the far right, increasingly irrelevant in mainstream American discourse, will continue to implicitly (and in some cases explicitly) endorse terrorism, and some particularly evil or unwell people will act on those endorsements.
No wonder wingnuts are opposed to empathy May 21, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in News and politics, wingnuts.1 comment so far
…they just can’t do it well. Over in California, where an extremist wingnut minority is taking a horrible situation and using it, along with a set of rules designed to cripple government effectiveness, to hold the state hostage.
But of course they feel really bad about it:”I would do a bigger number of layoffs,” [Meg] Whitman told the Roseville Chamber of Commerce last week.
“The most important thing is we have to get a government that the citizens of California can afford,” she said later in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. “And as badly as I feel about the 30,000 or 40,000 people that will lose their jobs, I feel even more badly for the millions of Californians who are paying higher taxes, who are looking at a state that is not working.”
That’s right. Screw 40,000 unemployed people in an economy with no jobs: the important thing is that no one pays higher taxes ever. Maybe we could take a survey and see if those who are being laid off would rather have higher taxes and a job or lower taxes and no job.
[h/t]
