The Realm of the Pachyderm

The year 2008 has been a reaffirmation in my mind about exactly why I hate my generation so much. The NANOSECOND you give a young person the idea that their say means an iota to anyone, they push it all over you.

I understand that it is important to have opinions and that we need to dicuss them. If people never had debates, we would lose countless opportunities to understand different points of view. However, there comes a point where people stop debating and start berating. The second your objective is simply to shout another person down without there being any hope of a prayer of compromise in your mind, you need to get away from other human beings.

I've been reading countless discussions about Prop 8 on Facebook, and most of them are just downright nasty. People do not care about seeing other points of view. Since most of the people on Facebook are college kids, I can say that MANY [not all] young people are simply interested in forcing their opinions on others. This tagging game of calling people "sinners" or "intolerant" safely from behind their keyboards is so juvenile, it makes me sick to think that this is the rising generation of citizens and voters. I know that there's a lot of pettiness and slandering that goes on in all age ranges, but because I spend the most time with people my own age, I notice their glaring stupidity the most.

One such instance of ignorant berating was a commercial that came out recently from the Against Prop 8 camp. Now, I didn't see said commercial, but I heard it went something like this:

Two Mormon missionaries knock on the door of a lesbian couple. They address the couple by saying, "Hello, we're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and we're here to take away your rights!" They then proceed to ransack the apartment, look through all the couple's personal items, tear up their marriage certificate, and take their wedding rings. The commercial concludes with the missionaries leaving the house while saying great satisfaction, "That was easy! I wonder what else we can ban!"

I'm very pleased to see many people vehemently opposing this ridiculous "Courage Campaign", but the fact that anyone would even create something so bigoted and ignorant is infuriating. I'm sure many people feel the same way about some For Prop 8 commercials, but at least those don't make personal attacks on people's faith. Did the idiots who made this commercial in the first place make another one about the Pope setting a gay bar on fire? I certainly hope that the people who are railing against the Mormons are just as furious at the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

Alright, I'll step down from my little soapbox here. I just hate it when people think they have the right to smash their opinion over your head under the false pretense of "debating". If you have no intention of even listening to what I have to say, put a cork in it. No one wants to hear all the hot air of some idiot 18 year old whose main issue is the legalization of medicinal marijuana.

P.S. It snowed today for the first time. Brrr.

P.P.S. [1:11 AM, 11/08] Alright, I think this is just too precious for me to forget. So, I was looking at the "Courage Campaign" website and reading some of the responses to the aforementioned commercial. All the comments were negative--save one. There was one where this person was going off, saying that most people have no idea what it's like to be "gay and discriminated against" and that "we should be ashamed to call ourselves Americans after voting Yes on Prop 8" and that their "rights had been taken away".

Oh boy, here we go...

1. Discriminated against how, exactly? This country is not perfect, we're all fully and completely aware. And, here's a heads up--ALMOST EVERY MINORITY HAS BEEN "DISCRIMINATED" AGAINST AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER [including Mormons, but no one wants to count that]. And let's define discrimination exactly. Are homosexuals denied job opportunities? No. Are homosexuals denied service in any establishments anywhere in the country? No. Are there "straight" and "gay" restrooms? No. If by "discriminated against" you mean that people choose to stick to their religious beliefs and simply define marriage as being between a man and a woman [and rewarding only this union with tax/insurance benefits], then I suggest you talk to any African American cerca 1850.

2. You know something? Last time I checked, America was still "One nation under God". There would not even be an America without our brave forefathers' need to practice religion in a place where they wouldn't be pressed under the Iron Thumb of England. America has all of the precious freedoms it does because our ancestors came here FOR GOD. Therefore, I will listen to what God says. I will be proud of my choice AS AN AMERICAN because I've chosen to stick by something I know to be true. You have the right to believe what you want, but I should be ashamed of claiming my national heritage because of what I believe? Yeah, not going to happen. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, THANKS.

3. Last time I checked, no rights are being taken away. There was never the right for homosexuals to marry. It would alter the situation somehow if a long-standing tradition were being toppled, but this is never a right that's been available for longer than a few months.

Alright, my indignation is running out. I know I was talking about people shoving their say on people, and I really hope that no one is taking my blog that way. I only post these things because I'm comfortable with who's reading, and I hope I haven't stepped on anyone's toes. This whole situation just makes me so upset and sad that I feel myself exploding inside sometimes.

Everyone who's ready for the Second Coming so that this whole mess will be over, raise your hand.