Am I a bigot? by Barbara Edwards
I always regarded myself as a thoughtful, considerate person. Now I wonder. Society has changed so much. I’m out of step. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. There. I said it. I am out of the closet.
I remember the time when boys and girls not only couldn’t kiss in public, they couldn’t hold hands or hug. Today the news showed pictures of couples that I considered private business.
Am I a bigot? I don’t want to know what you do in your bedroom. I was twenty-six before I learned that anal sex was what homosexuals shared. I wanted my children to be that innocent, but the schools started teaching sex education in third grade. My kids didn’t understand or care. I did object but my objections were considered old-fashioned.
I’m still old-fashioned. A bigot in other words.
Your private life should be private. Social media is a cesspool of too much information. So it’s easier to e-mail the word then one person, big deal.
What do you do when you find out the world, or at least the corner of it you reach, finds most of that stuff boring?
Yeah, I think the picture of the baby is cute. Then I wonder about the child-molester trolling for cute kids. He has your name, address, the baby’s name and what you’re planning to do today.
Am I a bigot?
I’m tired of guarding my tongue and my words.
I have strong political views. Yet if I name a political party I’m argued with.
My religion means more than one hour in church each week, it defines my core beliefs.
I respect the Constitution.
I know in my heart that 90 percent of the people are like me. Don’t be shy. Stand up.
I repeat: stand up and be counted.
Register to vote. Be active.
Barbara Edwards Comments 
Many thanks to those of you who commented and to those of you who were too afraid. Stand up for your beliefs whatever they are. And please vote in the next election whether local, state or countrywide.
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It does seem that TMI is the rule of the day. Modesty in any form has become itself a cultural wrong.
You don’t wear short-shorts? What’s wrong with you? You’re single and don’t have sex? What’s wrong with you? You’re gay and don’t tell shout it from the rooftops? What’s wrong with you? You’re a liberal? There’s something wrong with you! You’re a conservative? There’s something wrong with you! Why aren’t you sharing post-coital selfies? You’re a prude!
Frankly, I’m tired of know what’s going on in anyone’s bedroom. I’m tired of the government and the world trying to see into other people’s bedrooms. I’m tired of being made to feel there’s something not right in me because I won’t make my private life into public entertainment.
Just look at reality TV. Is there anything about it that’s not just plain mortifying? When did mortifying become entertainment?
What happened to having just a few, select friends you could count on to be there for you and to inspire you to be better person. What in our culture is failing people that they now need to make every aspect of life into a public and humiliating spectacle?
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That’s why I don’t watch television or go to many movies.
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Same here. I try to limit my son’s access too,.
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Our postings and thoughts echo each other. Congratulations on putting to print what you held in your heart. I have found after my most recent post that I have lost a number of those ‘following’ my blog, but like everything in life we must sacrifice the few in hope of reaching the mind of others.
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Thanks for commenting, Pete. I worried about that, but posted anyway.
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Words of common sense in an era devoted to the contrary.
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Thanks, Nick. I am trying.
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Years and YEARS ago — so long ago that I cannot even recall the name of the publication, only that it was a respected one — I read an article that described factors leading to the fall of the Roman Empire, and comparing that civilization with ours in America. Of the several factors listed, the two that have stuck in my mind to this day are:
1. The overwhelming popularity of spectator sports (for the Romans this was an engineered way of distracting them from the miserableness of their daily lives, as well as from paying too close attention to the overall political mess)
2. The acceptance by the general population of homosexuality.
Today we have lots to distract us, besides our spectator sports, from the overall political mess — i.e., politicians who are no longer public servants but rather “self servants” in their quest to broaden their power bases and line their pockets… and along the way trample the people whom they claim to serve and support. While the Romans of old had to rely on word-of-mouth reporting, we have the marvels of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, which is fast collapsing into the 24-minute cycle. In this deluge we too quickly forget what is truly important and where we as individuals can and should make a difference: within our own families, by teaching our children to be respectful of others, to think for themselves, to be kind and honest and fair in their dealings with other people, and to accept the consequences of their own poor choices rather than passing blame onto others.
My personal views on homosexuality can best be distilled as “I don’t ask, and I don’t care.” There are people in my life whom I love dearly who choose to embrace this lifestyle choice. I disagree with the choice but don’t love them any less for having made it — and perhaps I even love them more for their sheer courage and wit and wisdom… but that’s rather beside the point.
Do I think that America will go the way of the Roman Empire one day because of the aforementioned factors, as well as others? I hope to God that it doesn’t.
But I do fear that it shall.
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Homosexuality is not a lifestyle choice. Is being left-handed a lifestyle choice? Do people choose to lose their hair early to suit their lifestyle? I don’t think so!
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Hi Lorraine, that issue is for another blog. I don’t care what others do in private. I just don’t want to know.
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I also want to keep private decisions private. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Lorraine. The very best part of speaking out is the polite exchange of differing opinions. And the fact that as Americans we can speak out.
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Sorry, but I am not an American. I am British, living in Australia, having worked all over the world, including the US. It is a little dangerous to assume everyone using WordPress is an American… Thanks for replying to my comment anyway 🙂
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Hi Barbara,
I’m here from a twitter link (Barbara Weibel, who I follow for travel news). I agree with you. Did you see the CNN segment, 6 minutes long, where they had reporters and a very serious anchor person “disturbed” by an ISIS flag at a gay pride parade in London. Of course, it turned out not to be an ISIS flag. It was a flag covered in “buttplugs and dildoes” and the only thing ISIS about it was the color. Isn’t it amazing that no one at CNN thinks a flag of “buttplugs and dildoes” is “unnerving.” That coarseness at a public parade is unremarkable now. http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnn-reporter-spots-isis-flag-at-london-gay-pride-parade/
Pew Research did a study of 500 news stories on gay marriage. 47% were pro gay marriage, only 9% opposed. (44% were neutral but how they define neutral is odd.) So, if anyone is wondering how public opinion changed, there it is. Only one side got to talk and advocate. That side has been aggressive, uncivil, totalitarian, intimidating. Now that Emperor Kennedy has spoken, it may be that the other side finally gets to speak in response to the demands that now you have to shut up.
All the best,
Karen
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Hi Barbara,
Thanks for having the courage to put your opinions out there. I remained somewhat sympathetic and in agreement until your third-last paragraph, but there it ended! If you saw how social media was covered in rainbows yesterday after the US Supreme Court’s decision, I’m not sure how anyone could think 90% of the population agrees with you 🙂
Old-fashioned and bigot are not the same thing. My father, who’s 84, welcomed my brother’s coming out with open arms, for which my brother has remained grateful for the thirty-something years since.
Just because you wouldn’t do something doesn’t mean no-one should. I’m not homosexual, religious, exhibitionist or conservative in my political views, yet I don’t mind if others are. It takes all sorts. Even child-molesters, sad to say.
There are many more important things to be worried about than marriage equality. Extremism at either end of the spectrum is the reason why we’re increasingly required to bite our tongue. Yes, extreme right-wing views make my blood boil, but then so do extreme left-wing views.
And I’m an advocate for the fundamental human right to die, so I can’t even put my hand on heart and say “Live and let live”. 🙂 🙂
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Thanks for sharing, Karen.
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