A relatively insignificant politician, Pennsylvania State Sen. John Eichelberger (R), doesn’t like gay people. Actually, that’s a bit of an understatement. John Eichelberger doesn’t think that gay people should have the right to exist. Really.
During a radio debate a few weeks back, Eichelberger claimed that same sex marriage is dysfucntional and would lead to polygamy and the “marrying of younger people,” which I take to mean pederasty. Not surprisingly, he is sponsoring a Constitutional amendment to redefine marriage as specifically between a man and a woman. But what Eichelberger said about how gay men and women should be treated was more surprising, as it was a step farther than even the most vehement anti-gay activists will go in public.
We’re allowing them to exist, and do what every American can do. We’re just not rewarding them with any special designation.
“Allowing them to exist?” Like you’re going to one day stop allowing them to exist and just wipe them out? Hey, you there, yes, you, the guy making out with that dude there, stop that right now. You heard me. Get your hand out of his pants and place it under this attractive, Christian woman’s blouse. Come on…that’s just stupid.
In fact, if we’re allowing any group of people to exist, it’s bigots and social absolutists like Eichelberger. We pay attention to them, feeding their desperate need to be noticed and lending credence to their views and opinions. We have them on talk shows and radio programs to spout their hate-speech against minorities and gays and lesbians, exposing innumberable others to their points of view, and at least a few of those viewers and listeners use them to allow their inner hatreds out.
If we just stop paying attention to people like Eichelberger, they’ll go away. Remember that Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode when the giant advertising statues come to life and start ravaging the town? To get them to go away, Lisa teams up with an old jingle writer to pen a song called “Just Don’t Look,” pointing out that they’re just advertising symbols and that if you don’t pay attention, they’ll die. Well, that’s a pretty good lesson for this instance, as well. If you just don’t look at these people, they’ll slowly fade into the background and, eventually, die off.
People of my generation are among the most permissive and accepting of alternative lifestyles and alternative races and religions (if they believe in religion at all) yet, but we’re hampered in bringing about change in our society by the Baby Boomers and their ilk who still have enough of a hold on positions of power to influence public opinion. We’re inching closer and closer to the tipping point where the country will truly ours to mold into something better and more tolerant.
Until then, we need to stop paying attention to Eichelberger and other agents of intolerance and hate. We need to “just don’t look.” We need to stop allowing THEM to exist in our public lives, or else we’ll never move forward and start focusing on things that matter, instead of worrying about who our neighbors are sleeping with or getting married to.
To stop those monsters 1-2-3,
Here’s a fresh new way that’s trouble-free,
It’s got Paul Anka’s guarantee…
Guarantee void in Tennessee.
Just don’t look! Just don’t look!
Just don’t look! Just don’t look!
Just don’t look! Just don’t look!
