Quote:
Originally Posted by u-dog
Honestly, Steven, you make me work too hard sometimes. It was really just the impression the piece left me with, but here goes.
1. No, the demand for justice is not inherently whiney when it is expressed as a demand for what is right and what is consistant with community values. Jake's arguments later in the piece when he points out that not living up to her ideals hurts America and ALL of her citizens is such a "strong" argument.
2. But Jake begins by articulating this "poor me, I'm the only one in my family not allowed to marry" thing. That is whiney. Then he goes on to explore the psychological and spiritual cost to GLBT people of marriage inequality. Those costs are REAL and the arguement TRUE and RELEVANT but it walks the edge of "whiney". When it follows the "poor me" opener it seems like just MORE whining by GLBT folks. I think everything Jake says is true, but the way he builds his argument comes off as whiney. The piece would have been stronger if he had led with the idea that marriage inequality hurts America and all Americans and then maybe CLOSED with the personal cost of injustice.
Just my opinion.
U-dog
|
Dear Dave: I strongly disagree with you. Each time a heterosexual person is married, there is a deep sense of pain for a large number of TBLGs who know that they will probably never have that experience because of bigotry.
I experience the same feelings often when I attend an ordination because I believe that I was called to the priesthood. It is important that we acknowledge that pain, out loud so that our heterosexual allies comprehend how important this is.
I thought Jake's piece was outstanding.
Kara