So there's lots of stuff people get real huffy about. Especially things that have to do with prejudice, like racism, or whatever.
Now we shouldn't be prejudiced, right? We should be fair with people, and treat them respectfully, even if they believe different than us, yes?
Did you ever notice that the people who get the most up in arms about it are also complete hypocrites?
Well, they are. Odd, ain't it? Or maybe you don't believe me. I'll give you an example. Something that's real controversial like religion. Lots of people aren't religious. In fact, there's lots of people who are straight up atheists. Now, that's their own choice. But lots of atheists keep getting "offended" and people who ARE religious. They claim that all religion should be eliminated from anything resembling a public place out of respect for people who don't believe the same as they do. Well, that's just about as much of a double standard as you can get.
Did it ever occur to anyone else that people with religion deserve to have their rights and beliefs respected too? Maybe they get "offended" at atheists who bash their church, and won't let them worship how they believe they should. Don't they have the right to get rid of anything resembling atheism, out of respect for their beliefs?
You say, no. Of course not. Well, then why in the sam-hill do atheists get to? Hypocrisy if I ever saw it.
Still aren't convinced? Here's another example. One less controversial than religion, maybe, but the point still stands. Let's talk about something really common. Like living together before getting married. Or even sex before marriage. There's lots of people who say there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. And there's other people who say there is. That's still all based on a personal choice of beliefs. But in our society, this is how it works:
People who think it's ok, and fine, and nothing wrong with it at all get all SORTS of upset at people who don't believe it's ok, even if no one said anything about it. They get really mad at having other people "restrict them" or "shun them" or treat them less because they choose something in their lives that not everyone thinks is ok. After all, it's "their life" and "their choice" and they shout to the whole world "I'm free to do what I want."
Agreed? That seems a pretty common point of view. AND YET... And yet they are totally hypocritical about it. Because those same people who claim freedom of choice, and shout about how it's their 'own life, they can do what they want' are also the same people who mercilessly poke fun at anyone who doesn't do it.
If you choose not to live/sleep with someone before you get married, you get called everything from a sissy to a prude by everyone from your neighbors to international tv. There's no peace from it. You get laughed at, picked on, and sneered at for having pointless standards.
But isn't that their own choice? It's their life, they can choose what they want. Who has the right to restrict them? Who has the right to shun them? Shouldn't they be free to live their lives how they choose?
The world screams that people should accept lots of different stuff. Just because a person is different from the majority, doesn't mean that they aren't still human. While this is true, people get confused about the real meaning of it. Because it doesn't mean that you have to accept what they do as right, or good. It just means that you accept the people. "Love the sinner, hate the sin" is the phrase. Love the people, treat them with respect, fairness, and general courtesy. That's what we need to be doing.
But if you take it to that next level (ie. being forced to accept it all as right, good, natural, true, or whatever the heck you want to call it) that changes the entire meaning. It goes from fair, honest open-mindedness to utter hypocrisy. Because isn't that forcing everyone to believe the same thing? Isn't it asking people to make life choices to fit in with what everyone else says is right? Isn't it asking people to all have the same set of beliefs and standards and morals? And isn't that what the people who claim all this are professing to fight against?
And the people who are the worst at it are the uber liberals. I don't care if you get mad at me for saying that, because it's entirely true. Without taking inferences on my beliefs from the example, let me show you what I mean.
A boldfaced liberal will shout till they're hoarse about... well... gay rights for example. We should accept gay people as they are, and they can't help it, and they shouldn't be treated any different because of their sexual preference. That's just a fact. Not an opinion one way or the other.
Here's another fact: Most liberals will also tell you that you HAVE to teach the theory of evolution in school, because it's a viable explanation for the coming about of the world. But they will tell you that you have no right whatsoever to even mention 'creationism', despite the fact that it is also a viable explanation.
So I have to accept the gay/lesbian movement as is (not just the people, but the beliefs), no matter what else I believe, because if I don't, then I'm a bigot. But you don't allow me to even mention my belief about the way the world came about. I'm not allowed to even talk about it in a school, let alone teach it as an option.
How are you not being a bigot in this situation?
Like I said, this is not an exposition on the rightness/wrongness of being gay, NOR is it an essay on the theory of evolution. It is simply an example of how the liberal movement in the country is entirely two-faced. Because this happens on countless subjects.
I'm not saying that conservatives are perfect. They aren't. No one is. But I honestly see significantly less double-standard-ness on that end of things. And that's part of the reason I follow that political line a whole lot more. It's also to do with different things I happen to believe in. But I digress.
I suddenly realized this whole huge thing last night at about 2 am. I wasn't even thinking about it, or philosophizing or anything. I was just heading to the bathroom, when the discrepancy occurred to me.
I am actually someone that this has happened to a LOT. I actually am religious. There are lots of things I believe in that most of the rest of the world thinks is completely retarded. If I even mention that I believe those things, I get the biggest lecture you ever heard on being prudey, bigoted, behind the times, brainwashed, closed-minded, stupid... trust me, I've heard them all. Lots of times. I don't even have to come close to referring to the other person's behavior, and I get the evil eye and an angry mouthful of bitterness and condemnation.
And in the same lecture the double standard rears its ugly head. I'm not allowed to say a single solitary thing about the way you live your life because if I do then I'm unconstitutionally judgmental. But you can berate me for believing 'stupid, retarded things', and that's ok??
Don't I have the right to believe what I want to without condemnation, even it it's more conservative than you? Just because you don't believe in a God, doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to if I want. Just because you feel like certain activities are ok, doesn't mean that I don't have the right to not partake in them, without repercussion.
This is the paragraph where I realize that I've started to ramble. So let's get to concluding this thing. Basically there are two points: 1. Accepting people IN their choices, and accepting them DESPITE their choices are two totally different things. 2. There's a lot of prejudice, hypocrisy, and bigotry that takes place completely unnoticed by the average person, and which is given BY those who claim to be so liberal. Just be careful to draw the line between treating people with respect and forcing their beliefs on everyone.
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