I have heard a couple interesting things post-election that I thought I'd share before going into my rant about Prop 8 passing thanks to a whopping 70% of black voters voting to ban gay marriage... Chew on that irony while I share some lighter things...
• Barack Obama is the first Senator since JFK to reach the White House
• Barack is the first Democrat to earn over 50% of the vote since Jimmy Carter
• Newspaper sales on Nov. 5, 2008 reached record highs... Highest number of papers sold since Sept. 12, 2001... Copies of the San Francisco Chronicle special issue have sold for as much as $51 on eBay...
• The HOPE pop-art poster that has been featured on many blogs around here was designed by Shepard Fairey, a young kid known for his guerilla marketing type of self promotion that includes several arrests for posting his art on blank buildings without permission... Obama's poster was the first one he asked for permission to do.
• The top choice for the new White House puppy is a GoldenDoodle
Now onto the Shock and Awe part of this blog...
California's Proposition 8 passed 52% to 48% effectively banning Gay Marriage in the state. But the thing that I find the most disturbing about the vote is that black voters in our state voted 7 to 3 in Favor of the prop.
Really? After all your years of Civil Rights battles - In the year the first black man is elected President - In the year that Martin Luther King Jr's dream is realized you voted to pass a proposition that denies civil rights to another minority group.
You would think that a group of people that have suffered from so much injustice in their lives would not want others to face the same fate. You would think.
I am very disappointed in the hypocrity of this... They can hide behind their religious beliefs all they want, but by casting a yes vote they have voted FOR prejudice and discrimination. And that's just sad.
If I remember my Bible correctly didn't Jesus welcome the outcasts and the unwanted? When did the churches who stand in his honor stop doing the same?
I'm sure I am going to hit a nerve with some with this post, but I am really just stunned by this... This prop was about Civil Rights, not Religion and yet the religious groups in their unending crusade to squash freedom of religion (i.e. equality and personal freedoms) have managed to once again impose their moral beliefs on a state wide level...
Let me end by saying that I am not condeming those who don't believe in same sex marriage, I think they have the unalienable right to have that opinion... But they have condemed those who do believe...
Comments
@ascaffo - "... but it is also clear that according to the bible that God is not a supporter of gay relationships." Really!?! - on whose authority? Those that assembled, translated and censored what was considered appropriate for a very specific society some 10 or more centuries back?
I do agree with your final point - it's very difficult to understand how in this day and age, there are still those that live according to the dictates of an unenlightened era.
see your point and believe it is valid one... Wow I can't believe I just said that... So here's an idea... in the future perhaps you could all just not vote at all when it comes to these issues, then you wouldn't be violating faith or civil rights... Just a thought Thank you for making a case based in logic for once, it is refreshing!!
I was sad to hear the gay marriage was banned in California.
Sure, the attacks are less open and common and socially acceptable now, but at least there's not some kind of morally authoritative Scripture out there saying that you're evil and should be killed for the color of your skin, and no one's kicking you out of the armed services on corroborated testimony of your being black.
Along with the fact that we are talking about people's rights here, and regardless what you personally think of gay people, I defy you to articulate any valid reason they can't marry each other.
Just ... throwing it out there.
Oppression is oppression, and it's ugly whoever it's directed against.
Seeing as we're all hijacking Lisa's Blog, and at the risk of sounding pedantic (mea culpa), can I just say that "hypocrity" isn't actually a word.
Thanks.
You can all free to hijack my blogs anytime
Issue: Ummmm, when it comes to gay rights, why must blacks, who only make up @ 15% of the population, bear the "fault" when a vote concerning "anti-gay" rights fail? Where are the stats on how Caucasians, Hispanics, Asian, etc. voted? Or ethnic groups who have been discriminated against in the U.S.? Any stats on how Jewish or Japanese people voted? Since when does a minority group control the political decisions of the larger society? The majority must be like minded for changes to occur. Why must black people be the "conscience" of the U.S.?
I don't think anyone should compare or try to quantify the "wrongs" perpetrated on one group versus another. The fastest way to put just about any black person on the defense is to say "it's the same issue of civil rights" or my favorite (and unrelated) - PETA caged animals argument made analogous with slavery.
I'm kind of agreeing with hari on one thing- Why should Blacks bear the resposibility of the 52% when we make up such a minute percentage of the population? In actuality, Blacks make up about 13% of the total population. What about the other people that have been oppressed? Rather than it being a racial issue, it's more of an issue of social acceptability.(Bold not meant of emphasis) You know, I was disappointed with the behavior over the weekend. Because the "Yes" vote passed, there were certain individuals that felt it necessary to vandalize property to get their point across or perhaps show their frustration. All that does is further convey the nay-sayers initial reactions. Too bad.
History provides many examples of (your label) "hypocrisy" - just because members of Group A were stepped on by Group B, doesn't mean that Group A will be just and fair with Group C. Take care
- lisagraham
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ascaffo