The NBC News show “Today” has become a hotbed of journalistic bias and bombast. Gay fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana (a former gay couple) have expressed view so politically incorrect as to offend fellow gay man Elton John and the man he married. These two had the nerve to say that children need a mother and a father, and that children produced by invitro- fertilizization are “chemical” children.Big deal? “Chemical” is a bit extreme, and almost a pejorative. So Elton John has called for us to boycott these businessmen for their opinions. Big deal? Eh.
WHAT IS a big deal is that pressed for their views I am quite of the opinion that both these couples would support a “woman’s right to choose” to murder her unborn baby! Folks, it is time to stop crimes of many kinds and tolerate spoken opinions which offend our ears. Speech is a not crime until some one suffers physical injury or property damage as a result. Getting your feelings hurt is not to suffer a crime. Hurting someone else’s feelings is not a crime. Abortion is a crime because it deprives a person of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Abortion is a crime because those who choose and perform it actually cause damage, and the taking of life is irreparable.
It seems to me so very evil to recommend a boycott against someone because they hurt your feelings. But… we should be free to do business with those we choose! Of course on the other side of the coin we ought to be able to refuse the hire of those we don’t want to work for! Gay people are suing those who are refusing to work for them, notably straight people with religious convictions.
But what is so very sad is the childish behavior of the Today show hosts in reporting this story and others like it. Never has whining around breakfast time been so public, or so off base.
We also see the fallout from a fraternity house bus ride in which a truly unsavory expression of the perjorative : “nigger” was used. Although it is a word that shows a great insensitivity to people of African origin, there are equally offensive words used for people of almost all origins, among them “spic,” “honky,” “gook,” … it would be a long list to try to complete. The odd think is that in many places the n word is used by people of African origin! They can say it but others can’t? I’m not for using it at all. But I’m also not for making the use of it a crime, especially if some are allowed to use it. Any use of thet word is inflammatory. When a “black” man or woman uses the word it inflames the memory of all manner of crimes against people.
There must come a time when we refuse to remember in bitterness crime committed against our fathers or by our fathers against each other. Not to forgive and forget simply keeps an evil fire burning, and ignites that fire in the hearts of the generations to come.
Stick and stones do break bones. Words do not. But words are often and regrettably hurtful. Too often they are spoken and hurtful without regret. We have all said something that hurt someone’s feelings, we have all heard something that hurt our feelings. But should my hurt feelings justify some revenge on another for his unkind words? Speech may be provoking and inflammatory, but I can refuse to be inflamed and provoked. I can choose to ignore or even to forgive, and even to forget. I hope that many others have forgiven and forgotten the stupid things I have said.
When people choose to act against those who offend them criminally, for those troubles we have the law, the courts and the police.
The truth is we have all been offended and we have all offended others. We don’t often embrace truth instantly, sometimes we resist it until it overwhelms us. The truth is that Elton John offends many people who don’t share his politics and social/cultural choices. Should those offended boycott him? Should I boycott NBC Today?
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