Post by tommymc112 on Dec 5, 2012 0:31:47 GMT -5
In George Washington’s farewell address after his second term as President, he forewarned about the formation of political parties, for it will lead to the demise of the nation. George Washington had earned great respect and admiration, and his intentions were pure, but the formation of political parties was inevitable. Although our modern political parties were not present at the early stages of American history, the political spectrum was always there, being that there were people with more liberal views and those with more conservative views. As we progress as a nation, the issues confronting us have become drastically different. While slavery was at the forefront of the debate in the seventeenth century, now the issues dividing the country include universal health care, higher tax rates, abortion, immigration, legalization of marijuana, and, of course, gay marriage.
Our society has progressed dramatically in the past twenty years. Just a short time ago, homosexuals were cowering in fear and concealing their sexual orientation in fear of becoming social outcasts. Today, however, the tides have changed. Gays and lesbians have mainstream media support and in the area where we live, it is now viewed as “politically correct” to be accepting of legislation permitting gays and lesbians to get married. Taking a stance against said legislation could result in you being labeled a homophobe. Mainstream recognition and approval of gay marriage has become the consensus; those who do not support gay marriage for whatever reason are ousted from the progressive and socially acceptable society. In one case in the media, those who are not in favor of same sex marriage were even referred to as bigots.
The use of the social media is one way the consensus thrives. People upload pictures and statements via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram advocating for legislation approving of gay marriage. When this occurs, they are met with unwavering support. However, when a message that goes against the popular opinion is uploaded, they are bombarded with comments from irate people denouncing their morals and calling them “small-minded,” “arrogant,” and “despicable”. The consensus is rampant in social media because the messages of the public are present and people aspire to become one with the “in group” so they join the majority with the slander of the opposition to gay marriage.
The judgmental tyranny of public opinion leaves opponents of gay marriage masking their opinions, not willing to pay the consequences of being labeled a narrow minded homophobe. This especially prominent where we live, in a liberal dominated area. As in many situations where people are looking to criticize their opponents, it is often assumed that everyone who subscribes to a certain belief shares the same set of morals as the radicals of the group. There have been some acts of violence against people motivated by a hatred of gays, which is barbaric and inhuman. Obviously, not everyone who believes marriage should be between man and woman is a radical homophobe, just like not all Muslims are terrorists. However, the tyranny of consensus warps the view of the people and assigns the blame to the entire group, making all challengers to gay marriage laws the scapegoats for the atrocious actions of the radicals.
People need to be more careful when they are striving to complete something for the betterment of society, or in any case for that matter. People’s views of reality can become distorted while striving for a justifiable good, and rationalizing that “the ends justify the means.” It is frightening to think about how far people are willing to go to attain what they desire.
Word Count: 595
Works Cited:
Brumfield, Ben. "Eat Mor Chikin: Chick-fil-A's Stance on Same-sex Marriage Faces Test." CNN.com. N.p., 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012.
Our society has progressed dramatically in the past twenty years. Just a short time ago, homosexuals were cowering in fear and concealing their sexual orientation in fear of becoming social outcasts. Today, however, the tides have changed. Gays and lesbians have mainstream media support and in the area where we live, it is now viewed as “politically correct” to be accepting of legislation permitting gays and lesbians to get married. Taking a stance against said legislation could result in you being labeled a homophobe. Mainstream recognition and approval of gay marriage has become the consensus; those who do not support gay marriage for whatever reason are ousted from the progressive and socially acceptable society. In one case in the media, those who are not in favor of same sex marriage were even referred to as bigots.
The use of the social media is one way the consensus thrives. People upload pictures and statements via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram advocating for legislation approving of gay marriage. When this occurs, they are met with unwavering support. However, when a message that goes against the popular opinion is uploaded, they are bombarded with comments from irate people denouncing their morals and calling them “small-minded,” “arrogant,” and “despicable”. The consensus is rampant in social media because the messages of the public are present and people aspire to become one with the “in group” so they join the majority with the slander of the opposition to gay marriage.
The judgmental tyranny of public opinion leaves opponents of gay marriage masking their opinions, not willing to pay the consequences of being labeled a narrow minded homophobe. This especially prominent where we live, in a liberal dominated area. As in many situations where people are looking to criticize their opponents, it is often assumed that everyone who subscribes to a certain belief shares the same set of morals as the radicals of the group. There have been some acts of violence against people motivated by a hatred of gays, which is barbaric and inhuman. Obviously, not everyone who believes marriage should be between man and woman is a radical homophobe, just like not all Muslims are terrorists. However, the tyranny of consensus warps the view of the people and assigns the blame to the entire group, making all challengers to gay marriage laws the scapegoats for the atrocious actions of the radicals.
People need to be more careful when they are striving to complete something for the betterment of society, or in any case for that matter. People’s views of reality can become distorted while striving for a justifiable good, and rationalizing that “the ends justify the means.” It is frightening to think about how far people are willing to go to attain what they desire.
Word Count: 595
Works Cited:
Brumfield, Ben. "Eat Mor Chikin: Chick-fil-A's Stance on Same-sex Marriage Faces Test." CNN.com. N.p., 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012.