Thoughts of a Prince

Lol'd

That's pretty despicable. Absolutely should be fired.

That's pretty despicable. Absolutely should be fired.

Definitly

He's right, just for the wrong reasons...

Maybe they should add that question to the job interview -- "and do you think that any sub-set of students should kill themselves?"

A couple of things:

1) It's easy to hold up the odd crazy and claim that Christians as a whole are like this. While obviously there are a lot of Christians who believe that homosexuality is wrong, I don't believe that all or even most of them hate homosexuals (by the way, I'm a Christian myself, but I'm not particularly anti-homosexuality. I personally haven't decided whether it's right or wrong.) This is just an obvious attempt to raise sympathy for homosexuals by claiming that this sort of abuse is widespread, which it isn't (at least, not from my observations from living in New Zealand. Perhaps it's different in America.)

2) This guy Clint McCance is not actually suggesting that homosexuals go and top themselves. From what I could make out from his terrible English, he would only wear purple for people who had already killed themselves. My problem is his obvious hatred for homosexuals and utter intolerance towards them. Clearly he's not living according to the Christian message of love and kindness towards others. Even from the perspective of people that believe homosexuality is a sin, they themselves have done stuff that's wrong, and are therefore just as guilty as a gay or lesbian person. Just because someone is LGBT should not mean that we stop being kind towards them.

(of course, I'm guilty of the same thing. I hate my enemies and I'm not as kind as I should be. But it's still wrong, and I like to think I'm nothing like this guy.)

I think you might have missed his point, Kalasin. "I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die."

@ Kalasin

1) No one in the comments mentioned Christianity and in the article, only McCance himself invokes Christianity, so I'm not sure where you are getting this comment from. Also, homophobia IS DEFINITELY rampant here in the States. the LGBT community is used as a punching bag in political elections constantly (a Colorado candidate just related homosexuality to alcoholism), and there was the whole thing about seven kids killing themselves because of anti-gay bullying within a few weeks (and those were just the ones that made national news, there were certainly other that we aren't aware of).

2) Technically, true. But if you look at a response in that screen capture I posted, he says "I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die," which isn't much better. Also, said he would only wear purple if we all killed ourselves which, though isn't saying he wants us all to commit suicide, is a hair's breadth away from that.

@ Kalasin

1) No one in the comments mentioned Christianity and in the article, only McCance himself invokes Christianity, so I'm not sure where you are getting this comment from. Also, homophobia IS DEFINITELY rampant here in the States. the LGBT community is used as a punching bag in political elections constantly (a Colorado candidate just related homosexuality to alcoholism), and there was the whole thing about seven kids killing themselves because of anti-gay bullying within a few weeks (and those were just the ones that made national news, there were certainly other that we aren't aware of).

Oh, it's nothing you said exactly, but rather that people often assume that Christians as a whole (or a large proportion of us) are like this as a result of people like this guy. He's only making us look bad and frankly it's embarrassing. I assumed that your point was that this was a part of broader discrimination in America, not simply to comment on one isolated incident.

And I suppose it depends what part of America you go to. I won't comment, because I don't live there, but at least the impression I get is that in particular states it's actually fashionable to be gay.

2) Technically, true. But if you look at a response in that screen capture I posted, he says "I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die," which isn't much better.

Ah, my mistake. This is what comes from skimming the thing.

Also, said he would only wear purple if we all killed ourselves which, though isn't saying he wants us all to commit suicide, is a hair's breadth away from that.

I don't think that's what he's saying in that particular statement, but the bit you quoted, where he said that "I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die", makes that a moot point.

Oh, it's nothing you said exactly, but rather that people often assume that Christians as a whole (or a large proportion of us) are like this as a result of people like this guy. He's only making us look bad and frankly it's embarrassing. I assumed that your point was that this was a part of broader discrimination in America, not simply to comment on one isolated incident.

And I suppose it depends what part of America you go to. I won't comment, because I don't live there, but at least the impression I get is that in particular states it's actually fashionable to be gay.

There is, in fact, a broader discrimination in America that this is a part of, mostly by Christians in rural areas. And there are parts of the country where guys like McCance are the rule, rather than the exception. From my experiences and experiences of other gays I've known, there is no where in the country where it's fashionable to be gay. Even in New York City, one of the most socially liberal cities in the country, I've experienced my share of discrimination - and I've gotten off lucky compared to a number of people I know.

Don't take this as me trying to play some sort of victim card here or anything, but frankly you're so wrong about the way things are here that it's offensive.

There is, in fact, a broader discrimination in America that this is a part of, mostly by Christians in rural areas. And there are parts of the country where guys like McCance are the rule, rather than the exception. From my experiences and experiences of other gays I've known, there is no where in the country where it's fashionable to be gay. Even in New York City, one of the most socially liberal cities in the country, I've experienced my share of discrimination - and I've gotten off lucky compared to a number of people I know.

Don't take this as me trying to play some sort of victim card here or anything, but frankly you're so wrong about the way things are here that it's offensive.

I'm not trying to defend discrimination against gays, and frankly *I* find your implication that I should be more careful about what I say offensive when I'm trying to be rational and have a level-headed discussion about my perception of your country, which I explicitly said was the perception of an outsider, and therefore to be treated with a degree of scepticism. Grow a thicker skin.

With that, I'll bow out of this thread. Homosexuality is always a touchy subject anyway.

While I really don't agree with wearing purple to school/work because of the suicides of a few gays, this guy is nuts. All he really had to do was contact his boss privately and say it was against his moral values to wear purple in memoriam of a few homosexuals. Instead, he posted it on facebook for all his friends and friends of friends to see, and ended up offending a large number of people. Unnecessary.

Yeah, he'll probably lose his job.

While I really don't agree with wearing purple to school/work because of the suicides of a few gays, this guy is nuts. All he really had to do was contact his boss privately and say it was against his moral values to wear purple in memoriam of a few homosexuals. Instead, he posted it on facebook for all his friends and friends of friends to see, and ended up offending a large number of people. Unnecessary.

Yeah, he'll probably lose his job.

"a few gays"

haha yeah just a few gays. not even a big deal really. only a couple of those homos.

"a few gays"

haha yeah just a few gays. not even a big deal really. only a couple of those homos.

I suppose you'd also be willing to wear black in memoriam of the emos who commit suicide too.

I suppose you'd also be willing to wear black in memoriam of the emos who commit suicide too.

Emos and gays aren't really comparable unless you're one of Those People that think being gay is a choice (in which case you are a sheltered brat)

Woah woah woah, it's not time to throw sand yet...

Yes, I am one of "Those People" who know that there is no proven gay gene and that it is indeed a choice.

Do I discriminate against them for that choice? No. Do I support people bullying them for that choice? No. Would I buy another shirt and wear it for a day for some people who committed suicide? No.

Sorry if I offended anybody here. Didn't know it was that easy.

This is what happens when you take the tired, the weak and the huddled masses. From the outside looking in everyone in America from the president down to the homeless seem to be religious fanatics akin to the Taliban. Replace Christian with Taliban and women with gays. They are two sides of the same coin.

Hate is the national pastime from witches and communists to Muslims, gays & Cuba no one hates like the Americans.

Yes, I am one of "Those People" who know that there is no proven gay gene and that it is indeed a choice.

Sorry, I don't take biology lessons from people until they finish high school.

PS:

Sorry if I offended anybody here. Didn't know it was that easy.

"Sorry if" is never a real apology. Especially with such a brilliant follow up sentence.

Well then, Voytek, you're denying facts proven by much more than high school students. And for the record, it was a genuine apology. And I honestly didn't know posting a very unassuming post in a blog would stir up the emotions of somebody. Gosh, I'm naive.

Anyways, perhaps I should use a different anology, assuming there is some lack of choice that you seem to imply.

There are fat kids, skinny kids, short kids, stupid kids, and even smart kids who get bullied and commit suicide all the time. Do they have a choice about who they are? No. Does it happen? Yes. Do you see people making crusades wearing shirts saying "being fat is cool"? No. Look, just like you, I condemn bullying - of any sort. However, I believe there is a reason schools have authority figures in place who can not only counsel a bully victim but also put sanctions in place in order to punish the offenders and hopefully alleviate the situation. Past that, there are legal authorities who can get involved, because bullying is nearly synonymous with harassment, which is an offense.

The world we live in is tough, Voytek. Thankfully in democratic societies such as the USA, there is a way to get help. This help is pointless, though, if it's never used. In conclusion, if you want to make a difference, instead of spending 15 dollars on a T-shirt that you'll wear once and never wear again, lobby your school district or other local representative to initiate an anti-bullying campaign in your local schools. My school has anti-bullying posters all over the place, and even had an event this year speaking out against cyber bullying. Do your local schools do this? I guarantee it'll be worth the effort.

A few things.

1: Sexual orientation is not a choice, and the idea that it is defies all logic. I'm actually in the process of writing something about this (which may not end up a blog post here, but we shall see).

2: There really is no place where being gay is "fashionable," though in some larger cities (i.e. San Francisco, New York, etc.), there are what may be called gay enclaves (like Castro in San Francisco or West Hollywood in Los Angeles). However, there was recently a gay bashing in the Bronx (i.e. a New York city borough) that made national headlines. We are not particularly safe anywhere because of other people's prejudices.

3: Emos and gay people really are not comparable at all, so that is a poor analogy.

4: The unfortunate thing is that this guy probably will not lose his job. No one really has the authority to fire him except for voters on November second (i.e. in less than a week) and he is running unopposed.

5:

While I really don't agree with wearing purple to school/work because of the suicides of a few gays...

There are no words in any language of mankind to accurately describe how offensive and heartless this statement is, so I will not even try to find them.

Anyways, perhaps I should use a different anology, assuming there is some lack of choice that you seem to imply.

There are fat kids, skinny kids, short kids, stupid kids, and even smart kids who get bullied and commit suicide all the time. Do they have a choice about who they are? No. Does it happen? Yes. Do you see people making crusades wearing shirts saying "being fat is cool"? No. Look, just like you, I condemn bullying - of any sort. However, I believe there is a reason schools have authority figures in place who can not only counsel a bully victim but also put sanctions in place in order to punish the offenders and hopefully alleviate the situation. Past that, there are legal authorities who can get involved, because bullying is nearly synonymous with harassment, which is an offense.

So because no-one has decided to champion every marginalized group, then it's not a good idea to champion one of them? That's like saying that breast cancer awareness campaigns were unnecessary because there wasn't already a prostate cancer awareness campaign. Hey guess what, because of the success of the breast cancer awareness campaigns, we've got Movember coming up next month.

And hey, it's unfortunate, but the authority structures set up are not infallible. Just because one avenue for help exists doesn't mean there's anything wrong with providing extra help is a bad thing.

(Also the "gay gene" is a straw man. Genetics is not singularly responsible for behavior.)

The world we live in is tough, Voytek. Thankfully in democratic societies such as the USA, there is a way to get help. This help is pointless, though, if it's never used. In conclusion, if you want to make a difference, instead of spending 15 dollars on a T-shirt that you'll wear once and never wear again, lobby your school district or other local representative to initiate an anti-bullying campaign in your local schools. My school has anti-bullying posters all over the place, and even had an event this year speaking out against cyber bullying. Do your local schools do this? I guarantee it'll be worth the effort.

Why does it have to be an "either/or" situation? Why not go spend the 15 bucks on a t-shirt and do some lobbying?

Really, though, I have to ask: What's it to you? Do you believe that people have a limited amount of compassion, and are going to waste it by wearing purple shirts?

Bullying is sinful, regardless of the target.

As for this school board member, he's doin' it wrong. He obviously doesn't get that anything done with that kind of malice is also sinful, and needs to brush up on his theology.

Besides, such outbursts are unbecoming of someone who is supposed to be in charge of school children. He should be sacked on that alone.

For the record, insulting each other in the course of an argument does no one (especially the person doing the insulting) any favours. Let's keep the discussion at a civil level.

Why are they try heroizing suicide. Man people are stupid.