Confronting hate - WHEREVER it originates...

i used to be a tom friedman fan, having been seduced by his articulate and reasoned approach which, only later, did i come to see as relatively shallow... but, this piece, condemning hate speech of any flavor from any quarter along with those who enable it, is a winner... personally, i am sick unto death of what i call "wwe" (world wrestling entertainment), testosterone-fueled rhetoric that is destroying any semblance of rational dialogue...

We need to shine a spotlight on hate speech wherever it appears.

[...]

We also need to spotlight the "excuse makers," the former State Department spokesman James Rubin said. After every major terrorist incident, the excuse makers come out to tell us why imperialism, Zionism, colonialism or Iraq explains why the terrorists acted. These excuse makers are just one notch less despicable than the terrorists and also deserve to be exposed.

[...]

Finally, we also need to shine a bright light on the "truth tellers." Every week some courageous Arab or Muslim intellectual, cleric or columnist publishes an essay in his or her media calling on fellow Muslims to deal with the cancer in their midst. The truth tellers' words also need to be disseminated globally.

but, please, let's not forget the hate-mongers in our midst...

(thanks to john at americablog...)

One of the lead religious right groups, the American Family Association is again promoting the work of a known hate group, a group that has been put in the same group as the Klan and white supremacists by the Southern Poverty Law Center. That group is the Family Research Institute, run by quack "doctor" Paul Cameron, who was kicked out of various medical professional societies over twent years ago for his embrace of quackery.

just for grins and giggles, let's take a look at what this hate group "in our midst" says about gays...

As opposed to animals, where homosexuality appears to be irrelevant, we know that homosexuality in humans is harmful . We know that those who engage in it:

• get and transmit blood borne diseases at high efficiency;
• generate high medical costs;
• often deliberately try to infect others; and
• shorten their lifespan.

Those who engage in homosexuality also:

• frequently seek to ‘convert' others, particularly the young, to their sexual tastes
• are generally rebellious, unstable and troubled;
• are disproportionately disturbed (most who want ‘sex-change' operations engage in homosexuality);
• are more frequently criminal;
• more frequently take mind-altering substances;
• more frequently engage in sex with animals (e.g., dogs, etc.);
• more frequently engage in odd sex practices (e.g., sadomasochism, anal-oral sex);
• are less productive in terms of fertility, raising well-bred children, and in their economic contributions; and
• are more self-centered, selfish, and self-concerned.

just the kind of stuff that got matthew shepherd murdered...

Submit To Propeller
Tweet