Moral Values - Turning Our Backs On The Culture War
Chronic gambler and former boyfriend of Janis Joplin, William Bennett, writes that the election is a victory for moral values. As we listened to NPR all night and through the morning, we heard this emanate from the speakers over and over, so we'll have to agree. My girlfriend, however, made a rather startling observation. "There's a war on. Our people are dying in Iraq, and we're about to invade Iran. But more people cared about effin' gay marriage. ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?" It would appear they aren't.
Just in case anyone isn't sure, remember what "moral values" means:
We all know how ridiculous these ideas are. We all know how evil they are. But we can't convince the majority of the country of our case. Why? I don't know. There are millions of reasons, but whatever they are, the majority in this country believe these issues are paramount.
So I say let them have their moral values, but whenever someone says "moral values", we need to remind them to stop speaking in code. We also need to remind them that they don't want America The Republic, they want something else. They should stop pretending they give a damn about what this country used to be.
With that in mind, I say it's time to stop trying to argue. The culture war is lost. But the Constitution still stands. The line is drawn. These people can have their moral values, but whenever they step across the line, they need to be fought tooth and nail. We need to say we reject their values and there is no compromise or accomodation. The Constitution was created to protect the minority from the majority as much as it was to give the people power. I wish I had more specifics, but I think as time goes buy, the time for countering the conservative argument with reason has gone. Instead, it's time to ask "ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?", flip the bird, and tell them to just stay the eff out of our lives. We have blue states, let's use'em.
Update: Eric Alterman, kos and Atrios come to similar conclusions about the problem, if not the way to solve it.
Just in case anyone isn't sure, remember what "moral values" means:
- Gays shouldn't have rights
- "Abortionists" should be killed
- The poor do not deserve your help
- It's better to be sectarian in all aspects of life
- None of the above applies to rich people
We all know how ridiculous these ideas are. We all know how evil they are. But we can't convince the majority of the country of our case. Why? I don't know. There are millions of reasons, but whatever they are, the majority in this country believe these issues are paramount.
So I say let them have their moral values, but whenever someone says "moral values", we need to remind them to stop speaking in code. We also need to remind them that they don't want America The Republic, they want something else. They should stop pretending they give a damn about what this country used to be.
With that in mind, I say it's time to stop trying to argue. The culture war is lost. But the Constitution still stands. The line is drawn. These people can have their moral values, but whenever they step across the line, they need to be fought tooth and nail. We need to say we reject their values and there is no compromise or accomodation. The Constitution was created to protect the minority from the majority as much as it was to give the people power. I wish I had more specifics, but I think as time goes buy, the time for countering the conservative argument with reason has gone. Instead, it's time to ask "ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?", flip the bird, and tell them to just stay the eff out of our lives. We have blue states, let's use'em.
Update: Eric Alterman, kos and Atrios come to similar conclusions about the problem, if not the way to solve it.
posted by jayinbmore at 3:03 PM
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