Why ANYONE with the smallest drop of common sense and a sense of compassion one hopes still exists in all humans should vote NO on Prop 8.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Prompt: Voting Absentee?
Music: Beatles-Revolution
And etc. Lunch on the Run (t)
Appalling. That’s the word I use…over and over and over again. It’s just appalling that a group of people could get together and decide to put arbitrary restrictions on a social institution as central to our society as marriage. Not only is marriage a sort of coming-of-age practice in our culture, but it comes with many legal and economic benefits. Married spouses have a much stronger legal bond. With that bond comes a sense of security that the strongest most enticing civil union in the world cannot guarantee. And then there’s the cultural connotations that come attached to marriage: there’s an implied sense of loyalty and committment that the community does not give to other relationships–however loyal and committed they may be.
If you couldn’t tell already, I have a very strong opinion on this….I actually wrote an persuasive ethics paper in AP Lang arguing why the U.S. should allow same-sex marriage. That was the first time I really thought about this topic; then within a month’s time of writing the paper I found out that my cousin is gay. By no means am I using that discovery to explain my strong convictions. Nor am I trying to win some odd sympathy because of this. It just makes the injustice hit a little closer to home.
To me, the biggest (and most absurd) point of contention people supporting Prop 8 use in their arguments is the concept of the traditional marriage. From my own experience, this concept is closely tied to many orthodox Christian teachings. Now I really don’t know much at all when it comes to Christianity and other related religious beliefs, so I’m not even going to try and pretend like I do. What I am going to address is the simple conclusion that many public figures have been coming to from this traditional marriage concept. In their views, a marriage is traditionally defined as a legally binding and recognized union between a man and a woman. Why? Because that is the way that the Western world has been defining marriage for centuries, and that is the way that it should remain. Only recently have homosexuals been coming out into the open about their sexual orientations. Only even more recently has our society started to pay attention to their justified demands for equality. In the minds of Prop 8 supporters, any changes made to an institution as highly touted in our society as marriage would only sully its name, weaken its value. Never mind that they are denying legal recognition of mutual love to millions of people. They are just protecting the name of marriage. But I ask you, at what cost? So that is their argument in a nutshell. Since marriage has been defined in that way for many many years, it should stay that way. Of course, it makes perfect sense. For centuries the world was defined to be flat. That was the traditional and socially accepted view. FYI, Columbus didn’t fall off the edge of the earth.
For those people, I have one simple request, religion aside, politics aside. Stand in front of a mirror. Look yourself in the eye and ask yourself this: Am I worthy of denying a fellow human being the simple right to be legally acknowledged for loving someone else? Am I important enough to impose my own views on people I don’t even know, on people whose beliefs don’t even threaten my own way of life? Do I really deserve to decide what our society deems as a socially and legally allowed relationship, what our society deems acceptable love? By the way, if you actually come across someone who can confidently answer “yes” to these questions, I wouldn’t suggest introducing them to me. :)
So I’m sorry if I’ve offended anyone. I really am. Reading over what I’ve written, “bitter” is a word that could jump to your mind. But if there’s one thing that seems wrong for one person to do to another, it is to prohibit them from being publicly and legally recognized for having a loving relationship with someone else. If there’s one thing that just seems like “the right thing to do,” however cliche that may sound in our cynical world, it is to VOTE NO on PROP 8.
All right. I’m getting off my soapbox now. It’s safe to come out. Oh yeah, I’m voting absentee (mailed my ballot last week). And I’m thrilled with being enfranchised : )
argh…the formatting on the first 3 lines got screwed up. sorry about that.
Earsplitting “Alas, Earwax!” Whisper | Homepage | 10.27.2008 - 7:28:37 UTC
Nice post, I have the exact same opinion of the proposition on my blog: http://inculpatuspuer.livejournal.com/1849.html
Sorry if its a bit long.
This is not so much a religious affair than a rift that will break apart society itself. Marriage is one of the sacraments of Catholicism and Christianity, but it is also a sacrament all humans follow. The family is not so much a religious unit than the basic function of life. And throughout the years we have defined marriage as a man and a woman, the ideal family. Ideal because a family is created to give life, and only a man and a woman can create the ultimate conception of life, immaculate and pure. This is what it will take; this is what is happening right now. We are taking history, all two thousand years of it, and we’re tearing it apart. This man and woman marriage has been in effect and has been the perfect machine for centuries, why take it apart for a system that can provide to be unstable? Because it is not perfect. And today, we stand to tear this perception apart, while others stand to preserve traditions of age.
The Barna Research, in a poll in July 2001, published results based on 1003 adults in America. They reported that 45% viewed homosexual lifestyle as acceptable and 46% viewed it as unacceptable. A rift in the Catholic community is seen as 47% viewed it accepted, 38% viewed unacceptable, and 15% were not decided. This undecided percentage is the largest among the religious groups polled. Atheists split 72% for and 20% against. Evangelicals view homosexuality 2% as acceptable and 95% unacceptable. While many attacks have been religious, it has evolved into a question of rights.
For centuries, marriage has been defined as a man and a woman, as a tradition that is rooted into our history. That’s why so many people against the act are the adults in society. They come from a world where there is no tolerance for homosexuality. Today we exist in a world where it is a reality. There is bound to be at least one homosexual in our group of friends and that proximity causes a sense of tolerance. That is not evident in those who have lived their lives with the little or no experience with these issues. To them this represents an issue that will shatter their perceptions of love and marriage. What we do here, even discussing the topic, is a mind blowing blasphemy toward the ideals of yesterday. But this is what it will take to define tomorrow. We need to know where we stand and be solid in our faith toward our beliefs.
In a CBS news poll in June 2008, 40% of 18-29 year olds supported legal gay marriage, while only 30% of 45-64 year olds and 17% of 65+ year olds supported. This is a trend: today’s youths are moving toward tolerance of homosexuality. We hold the future, and already, acceptance is becoming more and more commonplace.
This is not a movement that is moved by persuasion and debate. It is moved by youth of the world. We are born into a society where homosexuals are evident in our communities, they are our neighbors, and they are our friends. We learn to accept them because of the reality we live in. We cannot ignore or discriminate against them, not only would that be wrong, it would harm our ability to work, to interact, to function in this changing world if we do not see equality for everyone.
What is marriage? We think of it today as a two humans joined to produce offspring. But we miss an important factor nowadays. Where is the love that we used to treasure? Today things have changed, for the better or worse. Today love is superficial, we marry, and if we don’t like the arrangement, we divorce. Divorce and abortion rates are alarmingly high today and it is up to us to choose which values we will choose to uphold. Things in America, and sometimes in the rest of the world have lost their worth. And because their worth is being redefined, their importance is also being questioned.
Love is, in essence, the bond between two humans, to care for someone and to be cared for by someone. We have a right to unquestionable right to love for the sake of love. This is beyond the freedom of speech, beyond the constitutional rights; this is the right we as a human race are entitled to. If we do not have the right to love for the sake of love, there is no reason to live. Have we in defending that love, lost what it truly means in the first place?
No human constitution has ever had the right to determine love. Aristotle once said: “The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.” It states clearly in the United States Declaration of Independence that our inalienable rights include the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As vague as pursuit of happiness is, our right to love who we wish is definitely included in the pursuit of happiness. The government cannot determine that marriages can only be allowed for people of the same gender no matter how much of the people protest. As long as there is a single man who can fight for the cause of equality in marriage, there will be inequality in banning unisex marriage. Rita Mae Brown’s speech in 1982 made that point: “No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don’t love anything.”
Marriage is not about sex. No matter how culture today says so, marriage can never base its foundations on sex itself. The cornerstone of marriage is love, the bond of care between the recipients. We cannot afford to mistake this bond for one of sex. Childhood is but the reward of marriage, the highest level of love. Do not demean love by associating it with sex, you can love and yet not have a child or ever go to bed together. By limiting our rights to marry, we limit our right to love. And without that right, we have no reason to continue living. These ideals have been with us since the beginning. When 524 AD brought the publication of Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, he makes a statement: “Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law.” We do not have the right to put boundaries on love, and even if we did, who in their right minds would do as such? Rings can rust, vows can be broken, but true love can never be broken because we seal ourselves to another, and a promise to ourselves is most bonding.
Even today, the movement toward a redefined perspective of society and marriage is forming. According to the Gallup poll, 57% of Americans believe that homosexuality should be an acceptable alternate lifestyle in this year. Compared to 1982, then the tolerance percentage was only 32%. According to the same poll, 89% of Americans believe homosexuals should receive the same job opportunities. The world is moving toward acceptance in society.
There is not so much difference here than to the racial rights movement or the women rights movement. Both worked to create a tolerance and acceptance from society; both were attacked by those who would preserve the past; and both got accepted into society in time. Today we do not question these movements, the homosexuality awareness movement is only another of these changes that refine and lift our society.
I don’t think this issue only deals with marriage; it also deals with the acceptance of the homosexual community. Even if we pass this proposition, you cannot stop them from loving. In that manner, marriage is but a formality. In their hearts, they have already marriage a hundred times over. So keep your sacrament of marriage clean. We are fighting for a larger cause, one of acceptance, of new self consciousness. In time, terms such as fag and gay will be as unaccepted as the N word is today. Only through change can we progress and only through progress can we hope for a better tomorrow. Love has not been redefined, but strengthened by homosexuality. Soon we will be able to admit that we have finally broken down the borders in love between a man and a woman to include all human beings. Our love is so powerful we have broken down thousands of years of tradition and prejudice. No longer are we limiting love to our sexual organs and our ability to reproduce, we can say so much more now, than we have ever before. We can say yes that man has a husband, but that does not confine their love for each other. We have begun to look beyond physical appearances, and into the soul itself.
Inculpatuspuer | Homepage | 10.27.2008 - 22:54:06 UTC
This is amazing. Both the post, and the comment
also, i went ahead and fixed your formatting for you =) if you want to go down one line, hit shift+enter and it should be good
Jinx “T-Unit” Flair | Homepage | 10.30.2008 - 20:59:46 UTC
Thank you =]
And i was seriously disgusted yesterday at one of yes on 8 communities claims on the little brochure they sent along with my dad’s voting ballet.
“A yes vote on prop 8 does not take away rights or benefits from gay or lesbian domestic partners.”
I don’t care if it’s true. I don’t care if homosexuality is the most immoral thing on the face of the Earth today. There are so many things wrong about that statement. This is truly an insult of the highest degree. When I ehar the word domestic, I think of cows. I think it only hit me as hard as it did, because I dared to compare today’s morals, today’s ethnics, today’s definition of rights to what a child rightfully thinks of them. I dared to think that todays humans had an inkling of conscience left in them. Most blashpamous was the thought that life could still be fair.
I know im overreacting, but the yes on 8 community does nothing but spit on the name of love and destroy the frabrics of our society over and over again.
And i know there are many people out there who can see beyond the sex, beyond how disgusting homosexuals are. You know what is right, now spread the word.
P.S. Sorry about the language, the truth is that many people see homosexuality as disgusting. Even if that were true, it doesnt give anyone the right to look down on them. I see some of my friends as disgusting, but that doesn’t give em the right to take away their rights.
Inculpatuspuer | Homepage | 10.30.2008 - 22:46:12 UTC
Sorry i pulled that on you guys XD
Its not all of humanity, but the group of specific individuals who can say something like domestic partners, know the contradiction, and yet proudly say it. I hate how they can turn a blind eye to these things, and yet put the signs on their lawns. The views of the yes on 8 community do not reflect on the entire world however, and I know that. Just makes you wonder if this passes, how many people out there belive in love for the sake of love and yet lack the courage to fight for their beliefs.
It also has to deal with the fact that the antigay movement hasn’t provided a validable argument other than superstition and the fear of change. Give me one good argument in favor of the proposition. Our government cannot be ruled by superstition or else the next prop 8 will efficently ban black cats from the public. Instead of the advertisement of the little girl showing her mother a homosexual picture book, the same little girl will be telling her mother about crossing a black cat and how it emotionally depressed the rest of her day. “Think it can’t happen? It’s already happened.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PgjcgqFYP4&feature=related
And a little something, if i’ve made anyone feel guilty. A friend once told me on AIM,
[19:59] FRIEND: yea
[19:59] FRIEND: lol
[19:59] FRIEND: u used the whole “thats not cool, man” tactic xD
[19:59] FRIEND: i HATE it wen ppl do that
[19:59] FRIEND: and make u feel all guilty
I replyed:
[20:00] ME: the onyl reason u feel guilty is cuz u know deep inside
[20:01] ME: u wouldnt feel guilty about soemthing u know isn’t true
[20:02] ME: so if u feel guilty, then homos have already won, u think antigays feel guilty?
[20:02] ME: heck no
Guilt is our consciences way to tell us we did something wrong, and it’s up to us to realise what mistake.
Inculpatuspuer | Homepage | 10.31.2008 - 5:53:22 UTC