Politically Correct Oprah has 'Bias' Towards Gay Marriage

In 1967 the supreme court case Loving v. Virginia (appropriate name don't you think?) once and for all got rid of ridiculous laws saying whites and blacks couldn't marry. At that time blacks made up about 11% of the population but I think we can safely assume that the percentage that wanted to marry a white person was likely considerably smaller than that. Let's take an extremely generous number and say a total of say 3% of the population actually wanted to be part of an interracial marriage . I don't know about you but I'm glad that those people can now legally get married and the ignorant bigots didn't win out.

I'll agree with you on one point. Gay marriage shouldn't be such a big issue. The media shouldn't spend such an inordinate amount of time reporting on it. The legislature shouldn't spend so much time arguing about it. Gays shouldn't be spending so much time protesting and writing letters about it. There is one thing that we, as a nation, could do to save all this time so we could redirect our attention, time and energy on to bigger issues that affect a larger percentage of the population. Legalize gay marriage .

People are funny. If they're getting a raw deal they get all pissy about it. If they see that everyone else gets the same rights but they're getting screwed they get all uptight. People who are getting screwed out of their rights are going to fight until they've got the same rights as everyone else. The only way to stop them is to give them the equal rights that the constitution promises.

You're surprised that Oprah has a bias towards gay marriage? Of course she does! Everyone is allowed to have their own bias about it. You just aren't allowed to take your bias and make it a law against other people.

Personally I don't really get an aww moment when watching weddings of people I don't know. That doesn't mean those people shouldn't get married, it just means I don't have any emotional bond with them. It certainly doesn't mean we should pass a law saying they can't get married.

Oh, and BTW, if you think you can tell for sure whether someone is gay by looking at them on TV you need to try a little harder to be non-judgemental.

I think this article speaks a singular truth that no one is willing to concede.

The statement "I know gay marriage is a hot topic, but it shouldn't be" is absolutely true. Equating the issue of gay marriage with abortion wasn't a bad call, either.

To gay people, and to straight people who hate gay people, this hill might be the one you're willing to die on. Good for you, except you're doing what political elitists expect (and want) you to do.

Here in America, politicians realize that we are willing to kill each other over moral values, as opposed to over land, money , and/or power. The more the media harangues about gay marriage, abortion, etc., the less coverage there is about stuff that should matter to us, like where our taxes are going, or why the U.S. dollar has become such a colossal joke.

I don't think the article was meant to be anti-gay. Suzanne has a point when she says we have bigger things to worry about.

Does anyone really think that congress cares about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military ? Only if it gets them re-elected. The first meeting that the President attends after every election is centered around getting re-elected. They talk about what issues to focus on and when. Why hasn't Obama repealed the "don't ask don't tell" policy yet as promised? I'm betting he'll get on it a few months before re-election comes up. Sure, he COULD do it now, but it wouldn't garner as much popularity.

Some time in the 1950s, after watching African Americans talking about voting rights on the Ed Sullivan Show, Suzy Wanka wrote an angry article as a response. Here are some excerpts from her article:

#Start quote#

"I know black voting rights is a hot topic, but it shouldn't be. We have far more fish to fry in this country. Did you know that just 10% of Americans are either black or mixed race ? Even if you factor in the folks who are reluctant to admit their race, the figure still doesn't come close to way the media represents it. The media force black voting rights down Americans' throats as if there's some huge conspiracy against black people in this country.

...

I couldn't help but be distracted by the Ed Sullivan Show. I was actually flipping channels after the end of the only show I do catch during the day -- I Love Lucy -- and stood there somewhat mesmerized. I tried really hard to be non-judgemental. I tried really hard to look at these ni... black... African Americans - one of whom is clearly 100% black and one of whom is mixed-race (just as I predicted Malcolm X was quarter white) -- like they were people just like whites. After all, that's what the media tells Americans blacks are: just like the rest of us.

They are not just like the rest of us.

...

But just because most people have a different reaction to watching black people on TV than they do watching normal white folks doesn't make them bigoted.

...

But that was Sullivan's reaction of course -- which demonstrates a clear bias towards blacks. Personally, I don't care what Ed Sullivan believes. But many people do -- which has the effect of making some people feel as if there's something wrong with them if they don't consider blacks to be human beings."

#End quote#

of this argument are missing the larger point. Why is government involved in anyone’s marriage ? Why should a taxpaying adult have to ask a bureaucracy permission (license) to marry? Abolish the government’s role in marriage period. If you feel the need to make your union legally binding, get a lawyer and write a contract.

Where DOES this site find their "experts?" This entire article makes no sense at all, nor does the comment made by the expert herself blaming the media .

I can't figure out what the point of the article is. The author seems annoyed at Oprah for being publicly happy that her two (by the way, gay) friends got married, or maybe even publicly supportive of gay marriage . Apparently she feels that gay marriage is "not an issue" and it's somehow wrong or unfair that Oprah is publicly supporting a "non-issue"? Oprah is a talk show host, not a journalist. Of course she displays emotions and expresses opinions on her show. It's not intended to be an objective reporting of facts that represent Americans .

The statistic the author uses jumps out at me right away, because it's roughly the same as the prevalence of vegetarianism in the US. About 3 percent of the US population eats no meat /fish/fowl. Should we complain every time a restaurant offers a vegetarian option, or every time a cooking show teaches how to cook a meat-free dish? Is this demonstrating a bias towards minority vegetarianism? Should it be avoided because it makes meat-eaters feel guilty that they don't also enjoy a meat-free dish?

It seems to me the real issue is that the author is dealing with some guilt issues of her own and wants to blame Oprah for making her feel guilty, rather than examining why she's feeling so guilty about her own behaviors and stances.

Wow, the author really shoes the lack of ability to step into someone else's shoes. On top of that, all of her arguments are based on a world view that is best expressed as "everything revolves around her."

- "I believe when it comes to these matters, the people -- via the states -- must decide."

Allowing a minority to have the same rights and protections as everyone else in the country should be left up to the people to decide, state by state? In other words, a woman's right to vote , if someone can own a slave, or if someone in a wheelchair should have access to ride the bus should be left up to the author, and every one else to decide. Is that really how we want our country to work?

- "We have far more fish to fry in this country."

Really? You are arguing that we shouldn't be extending equal rights and protections for all because it isn't important enough?

- "one of whom is clearly a lesbian and one of whom is clearly not (just as I predicted Ellen's former love...)"

What an ugly trait. Do you often run around saying "I told you so!" if you happen to be right? How about letting these two live their lives in peace. Perhaps wish them well and move on to more important things, like stuff that actually pertains to your life?

- "They are not just like the rest of us."

Yes they are. All you are doing is taking society and breaking it up into two groups - gay and straight - and then dramatically stating that they are not the same. This is true for any subgroup you create with society. Mormons vs. Catholics, black vs white, rich vs poor, blind vs sighted, etc. What you are proposing is that we focus on the differences between these groups when in reality, we all pretty much want the same thing. Love, safety, and stability.

Pitting groups against each other is a very dangerous game. Right now, it just happens to be that you are in the group that has the most protections, but the likelihood of that remaining so during your lifetime is slim. Old age will hit and the potential for disabilities are high in anyone's life time. Suddenly you'll find yourself in a group where everyone else is deciding for you what rights you should have. Think about that before you start playing the "us vs them" card. The more people buy into that idea, the more likely it is that this type of mindset will spread to other groups.

- "Most people have a different reaction to watching Ellen and Portia get married than they do watching a man and a woman get married doesn't make them bigoted."

No one said that was the case. I that this came from inside you. Perhaps you are feeling bigoted from your reaction? That's about you, not the rest of the world.

- "Oprah's reaction, of course -- which demonstrates a clear bias toward gay marriage ."

There's no such thing as a "bias toward gay marriage." There's only a bias towards equality for all, support of love, and the freedom for people to live their lives peacefully or a bias against giving everyone in our country the same rights and protections as everyone else.

Congrats to all the couples who came to CT to wed this summer from all across the country. And kudos to CT. And to Oprah too.

Cheers, Joe Mustich,
Justice of the Peace,
Washington, Connecticut, USA.

And let's not forget that marriage is firstly a civil matter in America, as marriage licenses are issued by and recorded in town halls not church halls, or mosques or temples.

And to the marriage police and sexually phobic, please find something else to spend your time on, as life's just to short. Find love.

PS:
Gays and non-gay Jewish Americans make up a small percentage of the population, but their contributions to America are huge, in my opinion. Ditto for African Americans, etc etc...

What was the point of this column, I'm asking myself. Was it really to espouse the view that Oprah is politically correct? If so, you spend a whole lot of time in rationalization to make this simple point.

You tell us, for example, that gay people make up such a small percentage of the overall population of the U.S. that we shouldn't feel any urgency in providing them civil rights. You tell us that gay people are "just not like the rest of us," by which you mean not like you. You tell us that Portia di Rossi and Anne Heche aren't gay because they *are* just like the rest of us and not like the one "who is clearly a lesbian"), and you tell us we're not going to see an emotional reaction to the union of two women . Seems like an awful lot of justification for a simple point like "Oprah is politically correct," doesn't it?

I wonder what other point you might have had in mind, what other message you might have intended to convey in this fluffy little opinion piece. Hmmmmm....