This video is promted by a letter I received about the previous Buster video:
To: margaret.spellings@ed.gov, ryanne.hodson@gmail.com
I recently saw a short intenet interview and also an episode of Fresh
Air, critisizing your decision to pull an episode of buster the bunny.
I just wanted to let you know that I support you. Don't be intimidated
just because what's right isn't popular with the media. They want to
teach young children that homosexual relationships are no different or worse than heterosexual. Homosexuality is a condition like any other.
Some may be born pre-disposed to it, others may learn it, but that
doesn't make it good or right any more than being born pre-disposed to alchoholism is good and right. We have to continue to teach our
children to make good value judgements about right and wrong, while still tollerating and having compassion to help those that make poor
choices or are born with a pre-disposition for an illness. They have a
right to express their opinions, but I shouldn't be forced to fund it
with my tax dollars. Again, thank you.
Aaron Voisine
Santa Clara, CA
8 comments:
Well Aaron, I can see your point. In kind, I'm going to think that all people who eat mexican food are suffering from an illness they can't control.
You don't like Mexican food, do you Aaron? I hope not!
Seriously, homosexuality is no different than my preference for tanned athletic women. It's just what my brain interprets as attractive. If a man loves a man, or a woman loves a woman, it's merely their preference, the way their mind works.
Putting a stigma on this is so frustrating. The sky is blue (in most places) unicorns are magical, men can love men and women can love women and it doesn't mean any more or less than any other emperical fact out there.
Jesus loves us all! (And he's fucking metal)
For the sake of argument, I’ll grant you that being attracted to people of the same gender is an illness. (but only for the sake of argument.) Assuming that as fact, (though I’m not sure it even matters) I ask you this:
Why does it bother you so much? Why do these relationships threaten you? Why do you feel compelled to change these people? Why do you insist that it is not okay for two consenting adults to do what makes them happy?
I guess I just don’t understand what the big deal is. And I would really appreciate someone giving me a thoughtful explanation.
Most people I ask can only muster an, “it just isn’t right.” Or “it’s not what god intended.” I feel like I need a more rational justification.
Is ‘live and let live’ such an unreasonable idea for you?
What if one day your kid told you he/she was gay? Would you be horribly disappointed? Why? Would you disown your own child? “I’ll have no gays living under my roof” or the more supportive but just as damaging “don’t worry, honey, we’ll get you the help you need, and fix this problem together.” That sort of thing?
I’ve known kids who have committed suicide because they didn’t want to tell their parents they were gay. Instead their parents found out in their suicide letters. Nice, huh?
Good. Go be that kind of parent. Go be that kind of adult. The kind that kids would rather die than disappoint over something so trivial. Yes, trivial. Take shows like buster off the air so that kids can grow up thinking that they are alone and outcasts. Let them think that there is no way anyone will ever understand them or love them for who they truly are. That sounds like a great idea. Really healthy. I’m sure Jesus would approve.
So, please, explain your views to me so that I might understand. Because right now I just don’t.
Sincerely,
mae
We are the only minority that is born into the camps of the enemy, and its amazing how often that is literally true.
It seems that we may have a higher than normal percentage in the families of rabid right wing conservatives. Ask Phyllis Schaffley, Randall Terry, or Alan Keyes. Or ask me. I was born into a conservative political family and saw how completely threatened they were. But it wasn't just with what I was (in their minds what I was to become), it was fear of a lot of other social and racial groups they didn't understand.
Which was always strange because some of their best friends were members of these groups. They'd tell you even if you didn't ask.
FYI: The right wing does not equal all conservatives and vice verse. If someone is conservative they are not necessarily a right winger. (BTW: I'm not either).
I think some people classify homosexuality as a disease because it's how they make sense of something that doesn't align to their worldview or in religion, their theology. It's an attempt to fit something into their thinking or beliefs -to rationalize it. However, often in the attempt to make sense of something that doesn't fit into our moral landscape, we end up demoralizing/devaluing the person.
Case in pt.: while still tollerating and having compassion to help those that make poor
choices or are born with a pre-disposition for an illness.
To Aaron V: We all are inclined to something "wrong," including you. I wouldn't necessarily say you're sick though. Maybe a bad choice of words, my friend.
Aaron
thevoiz.com
Dear Aaron,
There is one remark in your poorly-worded letter to Ms. Spelling and Ms. Hodson that I agree with:
"Homosexuality is a condition like any other."
I think I know what you mean to say here, but because you've so poorly articulated your thinly-veiled biased comments, I am taking this opportunity to interpret your comment in a more intelligent way:
Being a poor writer is a condition like any other.
Your letter contained many misspellings (such as "critisizing" "judgements" and "tollerating") as well as the improper usage of verbs (for example, you did not "see" an episode of Fresh Air). Also, your use of indefinite articles is confusing (who is the "they" that want to teach young children that homosexual relationships are no different or worse than heterosexual?) This last sentence also contains a dangling adjective, by the way.
In the future, if you feel the need to make a statement of your beliefs to satisfy your need to be heard, I suggest you sharpen your basic communication skills first so that others may more easily understand and relate to your underlying point, especially when addressing the Head of the Department of Education herself.
Sincerely,
Joy Adams
Ryanne:
I like your new post a lot. You have a naivete in your reporting which many reporters could learn from. Homosexuality is a disease? What should you care what I find erotic? The Kinsey study ought to help with that, though he was shut down a lot like Buster rabbit was shut down.
I'm still moaping... When we should have been heading to the Emmy's, we're getting flushed down the toilet, slapped on the wrist for having made 'a mistake' with Sugartime.
We new what we were doing, with the support of pedagogy experts who wrote reams of papers with research evidence showing that not only is learning about same sex parents appropriate, it is critical at that age for kids to understand family structure, to percieve a difference between supportive and abusive family environments.
Indeed, what do you think Jesus would say to Margaret Spellings...
Jean
Well said Ryan. When you boil down what these homophobes are saying, it isn't anything more than hate. It's good to hear one more voice calmly and rationally challenging that hate. People are paying attention. Rock on.
-AW
Well said Ryanne
This issue with the right/conservative/religious people gets me angry and at the same time I feel rather sorry for them. They obviously do not know anyone (other than superficially) that is gay. I don't ever recall hearing any gay person say they chose this existence and I think the sheer volume of people who have committed suicide over the fact that they were gay and couldn't "become straight" has to say something too.
We're going through the "gay marriage" debate here in Washington state and the only support the conservative religious right can point to is the bible, and not any other shred of evidence to support their position. Open Letters to the Editor of our local papers plead and beg with these religious right people to support their position without the bible, but surprise, no response.
Is it human nature that we demonize that which we don't understand? And if they were true followers of Jesus, they'd know that Jesus would be down at the gay bar shakin' his booty, passin' around the wine, and making sure that gay people know they are part of his family too. Just as he did with the prostitutes.
And this point of view was brought to you by a gay pagan, the letter "R" and the number 4.
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