Prejudice or disagreement?
Garvey, John
fellow's point of view. gelical of the present day, who doesn't re- possess a thorough understanding of the Speaking of the other fellow's point of alize that when...
...But is it too much to ask view...
...because you are wrong, or because the per- necessarily implemented, would not by that My own opinion is that a reasonable com- son who disagrees sincerely believes you token be "heterophobic...
...time when all ideas are seen as opinions, to expect tolerance, and no right at all to Some recent polls have revealed what and all opinions are equal, the feelings that equate it with acceptance...
...You can disagree and not exclude them the Ancient Order of the Hibernians...
...This isn't cowardice, but con- ly have accepted a certain civilized comtion, and enforce a code of conduct that viction, and to be confident of a belief looks plication, a right to differ, even about the would make any unwanted sexual ad- like arrogance or fear to people who be- deepest things, and still live in the same vance, from or toward people of either sex lieve that there is no such thing as a real society...
...Since in addition ty can be compared with race, and prejuto not voting for presidents I don't go to dice against homosexuals with racial parades, I don't care, but the comparison prejudice...
...bigotry...
...gelical of the present day, who doesn't re- possess a thorough understanding of the Speaking of the other fellow's point of alize that when it comes to important ques- issues involved...
...0 one item on a much larger gay rights agenda...
...In a that I am right!-but we all do have a right people alone...
...Insight...
...Here, because I know from all, a waffler, a man who miscalculates, ditionalists are to be held in disdain...
...Fourth, your opever actually talked with someone whose military-he should defer to his betters...
...Or that they believe the ultimate goal of the gay rights agenda is to win full OF SEVERAL MINDS John Garvey social approval of homosexuality, not mere tolerance...
...plainly they have not been met on the part these people take their religious convic- Time was when liberals prided them- of liberals who dismiss as mere bigotry tions seriously...
...The flourishing "natural" forms...
...selves on their ability to understand the all opposition to Clinton's proposal...
...condemned homosexual conduct as im- that liberals should at least try to under- This is a heavy set of conditions, and moral for thousands of years...
...opposed to discrimination against gays portant and deeper and more sophisticatHere in New York we are embroiled in in such matters as employment and hous- ed understanding...
...Fifth, your opponent's reason ligiously based...
...Someone may disagree with you ceptable view could be tolerated but not were asked about their sexual orientation...
...It is a symptom of the narAre they aware that these believers fear no clue as to what motivates opposition rowness which is overtaking the average social approval of "unnatural" forms of to gays in the military is, as I said at the contemporary liberal mind, to the point vice will lead to further approval of already outset, appalling...
...sixth, you have to have a thorough unHave they reflected that these believ- Maybe they are suffering from a perse- derstanding of your opponent's point of ers belong to religious faiths which have cution complex...
...So how angry letters that there are readers who a man of less principle than they had can they take seriously the opinions of the seriously think it would have made a thought, not really the messiah, etc., etc...
...of this controversy with the Clinton pro- There is, however, an extreme view posal to admit homosexuals into the mil- found among some gay activists...
...After all, the temptation to take Have they ever taken the trouble to see what other fellow has something to say that is cheap shots in the midst of heated debate traditionalists mean when they call ho- worth listening to-is vanishing...
...How tleman tried to enter into the worldview of thought it would have made a signifi- about vagueness, cloudy good feeling, the servants...
...There also or another, and at the time of this writing the issue, "bigoted," etc...
...I like how get it...
...ponent has to be equally obviously on the opposition to homosexual conduct is re- Now I'm not saying that liberals should wrong side...
...of the fact that it is wrong to hurt or desisted on marching under their own ban- The characterization of this supposed spise people whose choices may not only ner during the Saint Patrick's Day parade split is accompanied by a rhetoric that not be yours, but may really be wrong choicwere turned down by the parade sponsors, offers a similarly simple either/or: you es...
...But the liberal temper of mind-the than a cheap shot it would be of little conworse than garden variety immorality...
...Maybe their imaginations are overheated...
...Those who op- about the equation of homosexual activiple who oppose gays marching under their pose the correct line on this issue are al- ty and heterosexual marriage, and at the own banner has been threatened, various leged to be "afraid" of homosexuals or same time agree that homosexuals should moves have been made in one direction homosexuality, "uncomfortable" with not be discriminated against...
...And a conservative Catholic...
...In short, do those on the cultural Left distance...
...It should be noted that those cant difference of the sort I care about, and all the hard-edged thinking you old-fashioned servants were better be- or that a lesser of two evils could have might expect of a man who would haved than your typical Protestant evan- been found during this election, I would choose Al Gore, Fleetwood Mac, and Commonweal 26 February 1993: 9 Maya Angelou as vicars...
...cultural lower orders...
...intellectual courtesy that presumes the cern...
...I didn't vote...
...A heteroworried that an order to force the AOH to sexual may be willing to accept a monogaccept gay marchers could work both amous gay couple as neighbors, and to ways: what if gays wanted to celebrate gay believe that people should not lose their pride with a parade, and were forced to jobs simply because they are homosexuaccept a contingent from, say, the United "`Wrong'?-l thought you said that every- al...
...Have they talked with an agree with their conservative opponents...
...It seems there that homosexuality is not a choice (which will be either a thin parade or a defeat for means that in and of itself it is not a moral Dinkins on this issue...
...for being on the wrong side has to be utOrthodox Jew, an evangelical Protestant, Maybe the conservatives are wrong...
...First, the issue at stake has to be a wretched lack of intellectual discipline Can they appreciate that these people a moral and social question of funda- on the part of people who pretend to be see the issue of gays in the military as but mental importance...
...a controversy which would seem to have ing, but are ambivalent, at best, about what It is more sophisticated in that it can aca national analogue, but doesn't...
...moral difference between bathhouse The parade has always been a funny mix promiscuity and monogamous fidelityof private and public sponsorship, and at both are "rights," and to take a different least some gays made it known that they point of view is homophobia...
...Can they understand that many religious believers see the gay rights movement as PREJUDICE OR DISAGREEMENT...
...part and parcel of a secularist assault on HOMOSEXUALS IN THE MILITARY religion...
...Boldness...
...love watching politics from a have found it morally necessary to vote...
...Third, you have to be obview, I wonder if Lewis and the others have tions of social justice-like gays in the viously on the right side...
...The distance is that Since I didn't, I didn't...
...they itary-the apparent national analogue-is would argue that there is no essential a false one...
...ing, cheating, violence, etc., not to men- accusing tens of millions of people-of But the debate on this issue has revealed tion other forms of sexual misconduct...
...But I fear this really is somemosexual behavior "unnatural...
...It is not a sign Mayor David Dinkins favored the gays, are the equivalent in every way of "het- of a split in their thinking, but rather a sign the parade was taken from the AOH, given erosexual lifestyles" (faithful fathers and of some appreciation of complexity, that to a group formed for the purpose of ac- mothers in one home, usually with kids), people can find something objectionable cepting the gay marchers, a boycott by peo- or you are "homophobic...
...That is a strong one...
...A directive issued during out of fear, but it isn't really logically com- silencing, who thought that my unacthe Reagan years forced the issue: people pelling...
...maintained by someone who rapidly the press has found out that The answer of course is, no, they don't...
...The question of gay members of the mil- It may seem a rhetorically effective A gay person who disagreed with me itary seems to me to be a different sort of tactic to characterize someone who dis- about all of this, but accepted the fact that thing...
...El 10: 26 February 1993 Commonweal...
...And that they believe the ultimate goal of secularism is not separation of church and state but the erosion and eventual destruction of religion...
...Courage...
...That they Think for a moment of the conditions liberal is turning illiberal...
...either support the idea that "gay lifestyles" from the human community...
...doesn't care who wins but is fas- Clinton-whose victory was so obviAnd the reason they don't is that it is al- cinated with the way the game ously cheered on by the media-is, after most an axiom with them that religious tra- is played...
...someone like Anthony Lewis should have thing more...
...He would merepromise here would be to drop the ques- are wrong...
...And that stand the religious conservatives...
...His tolerance would not be what by either sex, a reason for disciplinary ac- truth, or who believe that no idea may be I want-I want him, of course, to agree tion, and otherwise forget about it and leave more compelling than another idea...
...I'm thinking has been characterized as a "split" in the are now being characterized as "split" of a new bumper sticker: Don't blame attitudes of most Americans: they seem may in fact be the survivals of a more imme...
...Second, you have to liberals...
...Isn't there a body was entitled to his own opinion...
...Gay and could look like approval of what the cept complication...
...fear giving the okay to homosexuality that have to be met before you can legit- I don't know what impact gays in the will open the door wider to lying, steal- imately accuse a person-not to mention military will have on military discipline...
...Some may in seems to be an appreciation here of the fact there is no clear resolution...
...ways of being...
...There is an acceptance lesbian Irish and Irish-Americans who in- press increasingly calls "gay lifestyles...
...terly devoid of rational justification...
...Either way it will question), and in this sense homosexualibe a defeat for Dinkins...
...Do they understand why these people point of view of those they disagreed If the bigotry charge were nothing more consider homosexuality to be something with...
...to believe that faithful heterosexual marright to free association, even where we riage and parenthood, or the asceticism don't like the associations that may be deed be any or all the above, but this is celibacy involves, are objectively better freely made...
...They no more try major difference to the future of the na- What do they expect of a man who has to understand the point of view of such tion if George Bush had won and Bill to appeal to as many people as possiprimitives than the Victorian lady or gen- Clinton had lost, I must say that if I had ble...
...Obviously, gays have always been agrees with you as someone who does so our disagreement should not lead to my in the military...
...too simple by far...
...where it becomes almost sectarian...
...at the same time, it is not homophobia Homophobes of America...
Vol. 120 • February 1993 • No. 4
