"They're mean. They want to talk about being nice. They're the meanest buggers I have ever seen."The response has been predictable. But really, Senator Buttars isn't saying anything different than what Anthony Asadullah Samad wrote in the LA Progressive last December,
“It's just like the Muslims. Muslims are good people and their religion is anti-war. But it’s been taken over by the radical side.”
"the gay backlash against African Americans was vicious and vile. Oh, now we was “Ni**gers” again."Indeed. Was there a lot of meanness on display during and after Proposition 8? Yes, there was. Does that mean the entire gay community is mean? No, it doesn't. In fact, Samad's column is an argument to not listen to the more radical voices in the gay rights movement calling for riots after the Prop 8 vote. It was a plea to not be "taken over by the radical side."
As foolish as it was - because of the predictable response - Senator Buttars' metaphor works.
5 comments:
Funny, I never heard an African-American referred to as a N***er after the election. I'm frustrated and shocked by their vote, but I'd challenge someone to produce these people who did this - and find out if they wouldn't have done it anyway.
This just strikes me as bogus.
I don't know if Samad meant that he was called that name, or if he was referring to the general nature of the "vicious and vile" backlash he felt after the vote. I think he was particularly upset that the gay community compared their cause to the civil rights era, and then as soon as it didn't go their way they turned on him. I guess you'd have to ask him exactly what he meant by that reference, but that's how I understood it.
I thought we had a thing called "Freedom of Speech" It shouldn't matter what people say, they should not be fired for it just because you don't agree with it. That is ONE person's thought process. If this were the case a LOT of actors and hosts should have lost their jobs ages ago! You can't please everyone, all you can do is be happy you don't think that way if that's how you feel.
I agree Jaime. If Senator Buttars is no longer wanted in the legislature, then let his constituents vote him out.
agreed Cameron, because if this is the case where do you draw the line? you simply can't. There will be idiots everywhere that say stupid things, trust me I know some ;) however that is their privilege of living here.
Noam Chomsky states that: "If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you don't like. Goebbels was in favor of freedom of speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you're in favor of freedom of speech, that means you're in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise."[9]
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