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Anti-Bullying Speaker Curses Christian Teens

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
The fighting is most vicious when the stakes are so low.

This is an issue where children and young adults are literally being driven to suicide because of the treatment they receive at the hands of their peers. I don't think the stakes are low at all.

I think the anger that Dan Savage expressed was very justifiable and appropriate. The only place where I think he fell down was in the method he used to express that anger.
 

Antiochian

Rationalist
I must say I get a laugh out of some of these replies by people who think criticizing the Bible constitutes bullying. That calling out people on their hypocrisy is bullying. I do think Savage could have worded his criticisms better, and the "pansy-SSSS" thing was ill thought-out.

But is that bullying? No. Let me tell you what bullying is. Take, for instance, Kenneth Weishuhn, the 14 year old from Iowa who recently took his life. After coming out, he received death threats.

Kenneth Weishuhn, Gay Iowa Teen, Commits Suicide After Allegedly Receiving Death Threats

Or go back a few months to Jamey Rodemeyer's suicide. Not only was he taunted mercilessly when alive, but after his death his sister had to hear kids say things like "We're glad he's dead." Essentially, these nasty little sh*its (and that's the kindest word I could think to use) were killing him again after he was already dead.

Jamey Rodemeyer's Sister Talks About the 'We're Glad You're Dead' Chants at Homecoming Dance: VIDEO |Gay News|Gay Blog Towleroad

Or take the account mentioned by Evangelical Tony Campollo, who mentions when he was in high school a bunch of boys cornered a gay kid and urinated on him in the locker room--he took his life shortly after. (Let me point out I do not agree with other sentiments expressed in this video, including those of the uber-bully Santorum).

[youtube]fZ7GLRNNJgA[/youtube]
Rogers Story - YouTube

So, what is bullying? In all these cases, the kids were terrorized, dehumanized, and humiliated REPEATEDLY, to the point where they felt there was no more hope and death was the only way out.

You think criticizing the Bible and calling someone a "pansy-****" in an hour or so long speech constitutes bullying? Were these kids humiliated repeatedly for their beliefs to the point where they felt death was the only out? No!

It seems to me when it comes to the real definition of bullying, a lot of people don't have a f*****g clue.
 
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Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
This is an issue where children and young adults are literally being driven to suicide because of the treatment they receive at the hands of their peers. I don't think the stakes are low at all.
I was referring to Savage's rant.
I don't think anyone was harmed by it.
But saying things which drive kids to suicide is another matter entirely.

I think the anger that Dan Savage expressed was very justifiable and appropriate. The only place where I think he fell down was in the method he used to express that anger.
Savage was a savage.
His behavior is counterproductive.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I must say I get a laugh out of some of these replies by people who think criticizing the Bible constitutes bullying. That calling out people on their hypocrisy is bullying. I do think Savage could have worded his criticisms better, and the "pansy-SSSS" thing was ill thought-out.
I call it bullying. He was abusive.
I don't excuse it just because it was "ill thought-out".
Nor is it made acceptable just cuz there is worse bullying out there.
 

Antiochian

Rationalist
This is an issue where children and young adults are literally being driven to suicide because of the treatment they receive at the hands of their peers. I don't think the stakes are low at all.

I think the anger that Dan Savage expressed was very justifiable and appropriate. The only place where I think he fell down was in the method he used to express that anger.

I agree 100%.
 

HerDotness

Lady Babbleon
Considering what Savage has been through and witnessed, one can hardly blame him for failing to make sufficient nice-nice.

But, of course, what he said would have been dismissed if he'd said "all the outdated stuff in the Bible" or all the "no longer relevant stuff in the Bible."

The uproar isn't over the fact that his language was offensive but that criticizing the Bible and Christians' selective disregard of parts of it was offensive. Truthtelling hits home and the uproar ensues.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Considering what Savage has been through and witnessed, one can hardly blame him for failing to make sufficient nice-nice.
I can understand, but I don't condone.
He just hurts his cause with such hypocrisy.
Let's hope he learns from this foot-in-mouth episode.
 

dawny0826

Mother Heathen
Can't quell hatred with hatred. If his intentions were to sell an audience on an anti-bullying message, he lost credibility through his own arrogance and hypocrisy.

But, he exemplifies the reality that is free speech.
 
The silence of the establishment left has been, of course, what we would expect.

It's politically correct to attack Christianity. It is not politically correct to criticize certain protected groups. Rush Limbaugh calls some radical feminist a "****" and gets boycotted; John Derbyshire politely offers suggestions on how not to get killed by black criminals and gets fired from National Review.

Then you have Dan Savage, who has the support of Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi. I wonder if they will condemn these "savage" comments towards the faith of 1/6 of the world's population.
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
The silence of the establishment left has been, of course, what we would expect.

It's politically correct to attack Christianity. It is not politically correct to criticize certain protected groups. Rush Limbaugh calls some radical feminist a "****" and gets boycotted; John Derbyshire politely offers suggestions on how not to get killed by black criminals and gets fired from National Review.

Then you have Dan Savage, who has the support of Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi. I wonder if they will condemn these "savage" comments towards the faith of 1/6 of the world's population.

Hey, much of the voting block seems okay with denying marriage rights, denying homosexuality as a part of anti-bullying protection, and for denying protection from discrimination in the workforce.

But I guess this being a free country and all, that people are free to discriminate against queers based on one majority faith system.
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
I agree that Savage's speech was tactless and unprofessional for a high school audience, but is pointing out blatant hypocrisy necessarily anti-christian? Christian's DO typically cherry pick the bible, following only what's convenient for them, condemning homosexuality while stuffing their face with pork and shrimp, etc. If acknowledging this makes me an anti-christian, then I am an anti-christian. And the bible is filled with filth; it supports misogyny, oppression, slavery, kid killing, rape and torture/murder for petty offenses, etc. It's filled to the brim with garbage. If finding such things abhorrent makes me anti-christian, then I am an anti-christian.

However, I don't see valid criticism of prevalant behavior as being "anti-christian". If they're bothered by it, maybe they should reexamine how they're practicing their own faith instead of expecting the rest of the world to turn a blind eye to blatant hypocrisy.
 
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Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I agree that Savage's speech was tactless and unprofessional for a high school audience, but is pointing out blatant hypocrisy necessarily anti-christian?
No. It's all in the how of the pointing out.
When one seeks to be a spokesman for a cause, tis best to be like Caesar's wife....oh, wait...he's a guy....like Caesar's husband then.
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
Do I detect resentment that Fox reported the issue at all?
Is HufPo also culpable for reporting on it?
Is the moniker "Faux" intended to say their reporting of Savage debacle is somehow false?

I prefer C-SPAN for a news source because it's boring as all heck.

"Today President Obama gave a speech, and here it is in it's entirety."

Personally, that's how I perceive a 24-hour live-streaming news network looking like. No chatter (that's for us to do). No spin. Just find it, source it, present it. Simple, boring, and factual.

But that's just me. Cable news networks and corporate owned networks just don't provide simple boring facts. They strive to entertain and to make a profit.

And now, back to our regular programming about Savage's speech....
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
I wonder if they will condemn these "savage" comments towards the faith of 1/6 of the world's population.

To be fair, he didn´t condemn the faith at all. He condemned the parts of their holy book that suck hard and fugly.

Like the, you know, satanic parts, where God is represented as if he was an *******.
 
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