The right wing and conservative religious world is in an uproar. Dan Savage called “bullshit” on their bullshit, and they’ve collapsed onto their fainting couches, and are fanning themselves furiously.
“He’s a bully and a hypocrite!”, they say, for daring to challenge them on the tenets of their faith, the inconsistencies of it’s application in their own lives, and directing a term at them, in passing, more commonly heard spoken by real bullies tormenting gay men and boys: “pansy assed”.
Dan Savage
The religious right wing clearly have no clue what bullying is really all about.
A speaker, known for his “straight”, sometimes “salty”, talk, at a public forum, is not bullying you when he says your religious beliefs are bullshit. He doesn’t have you cornered against a locker, trapped behind the auto shop building, or head down in the commode in the bathroom stall. He isn’t threatening you with physical harm, not even the promised threat of “getting you later” after school.
The right wing thinks all these kind of interactions are not bullying, especially if religiously motivated, but a speaker at high school assembly, who points out logical and factual inconsistencies in the way you behave is the bully and a hypocrite?
Bullshit.
Here’s the part of the talk that has generated all the “concern”, and charges of hypocrisy:
This was a large crowd, in a high school auditorium. Some reports have said a dozen students got up and left, others report dozens. Either number is a rather small proportion of the entire audience, and it’s clear that the students who left en-mass had planned to do so.
The first to get up and start walking out did so only seconds into his comments on the Bible. They didn’t have time to actually hear what he was going to say about the subject, they simply heard “Bible”, and that apparently was their cue to start moving. There was no time to listen to what Savage was saying, to come to the realization that they found it offensive, and then decide to get up and leave.
The “outrage” was pre-planned, and staged.
Dan Savage’s position on the Bible and Christianity are no secret. Anyone with a smart phone or computer (and that’s probably 99% of those students, not to mention those with MTV) has access to what he’s said in the past, and if they found his thoughts about the subject offensive, then why were they even in the auditorium to begin with?
These kind of assemblies are not something students cannot opt out of, if they don’t want to hear the speaker. This was not a surprise to anyone. The outraged and offended “doth protest too much”.
To call Savage’s talk a “rant“, and label him a hypocrite is, to me, the mindset of someone who wants all those pesky LGBTQ activists to “sit down and be quiet, for heavens sake!” They stir stuff up, and give those “good” gays a bad name. Heaven forbid their straight friends think they might support those radicals, or maybe they’re even one of them themselves! Agitators make it more difficult for the “good” gays to prove to the rest of the world that they really are “just like them”. Don’t rock the boat, don’t challenge the status quo, don’t stand up and say things that upset people. And whatever you do, don’t ever challenge their religion!
Dan Savage apologized for the “pansy-assed” comment, and in the spirit of forgiveness so allegedly prevalent in Christianity, we can dispense with any further commentary on that, even though * I * don’t think an apology was warranted. Savage did, after reflection, and made it publicly. End of that fainting spell.
I find it interesting how often people who stand up and fight for what they believe in, and for the rights of others, are labeled “angry” and “bitter.” They make their points, sometimes forcefully, and their entire presentation is dismissed as the “ranting” of an “angry” and “bitter” hypocrite. The message is ignored, and instead an attempt is made to focus attention on the speaker, and discredit him (or her). No challenge to the points made, no correction of anything possibly factually incorrect, no explanations of why the speaker is wrong. Instead, the messenger is held up as unworthy and to be shunned, the message ignored.
Apparently, only perfect human beings, those who never make a mistake, or never match a low blow with one of their own (or at least a low blow in the perception of those on the receiving end of one), or say a “bad word” are allowed to be the spokesmen or leaders for a movement. Real human beings need not apply.
Oliver Twist got himself into a real bind, when he got roped into stepping up and meekly saying “Please, Sir, I want more.” He was immediately assaulted, and those in control were in an uproar. He didn’t get more. Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t get action on civil rights by politely speaking from his pulpit, asking the white power structure, “Please, Sir. I want more.” He had to take action to the streets, and forcefully challenge the status quo. Dan Savage has consistently challenged the religious and political powers-that-be on their entrenched homophobia. He’s an excellent role model and leader in the battle for LGBTQ civil rights. He’s clearly shown “It Gets Better”, and that one (or in his case, two) people can make a big difference.
The real hypocrites are those who claim they are against bullying while working to prevent anti-bullying laws, and who claim any attempt to protect children from harassment based on perceived sexual orientation is somehow an infringement on their religious rights. The real hypocrites are the ones who say they love you, but reserve to themselves the right to scream “you’re an abomination!” in your face. If you dare call “bullshit” on them, they feign outrage, and scream “BULLY!!” at you. If you return fire with the same ammunition, they intone “HYPOCRITE!!”.
Dan Savage a hypocrite?
Not even close.
Filed under: Views & Voices
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what
its an election year- everyone will be attacking everyone. PERIOD- use your brains and follow your heart.
LGBTQ community and women in general are those who are marked by the conservatives during this election year. We all need to put our big boy pants on and be prepared for the attacks! But in no way should we remain silent!
He is a hypocrite, just not on this issue, when he has on many occasions used transphobic slurs like shemale, tranny, and so on then standing on a pedestal criticizing others for their homophobia, it is hypocritical. I do think his latest speech was terrific and well done, he’s just got some growing to do in other areas….
Keep going forward Dan. The truth makes some uncomfortable.
Intelligent discourse is hard in a media environment of he/she who shouts loudest. But trying – as hard as one can – to play the ball not the player should always be the golden rule.
As an atheist, I don’t disagree with what he said. However, a high school auditorium isn’t exactly the right time and place for that kind of anti-Christian preaching.
I don’y disagree with anythign he said, but it was’t what he said, it was where it was said. Not to mention calling them pansy ass? An insult that is steeped in misogyny and homophobia? Perpetuating that sort of behaviour is hypocritical of him.
Not to mention his biphobic and transphobic behaviour in the past. Yes, I do not have much use for this man, and I am tired of him of being someone who’s suppose to represent the best interests of the community.
I am conflicted with this. I understand his point but his speech was as eloquent as any by Beck. These kids arent being persuaded to learn new views about ketchup but the religion they have been indoctrinated into. Had he approached them with evidence and calm righteousness then the walkout would have been obliquely rude but as it is I dont think anyone in that room handled their shit correctly. I mean half of the argument is that language is used against us and he used it right back. Not cool, bro.
I’m loving reading these comments.
Dan Savage has been to cruel to trans and bi people in the past for me to care about anything he says.
Where there is only one kind of racism, homophobia ad sexism, the bad kind that is, there are two kinds of anti-christianism: Being against the christians as a people and identity, including their right to exist, their right to meet and discuss their beliefs and not be abused for it; in other words the bad kind. Then there’s being against the christian ideology on ideological grounds, which isn’t good or bad, it just is. Christians will argue their ideology to the world, which means their ideology is fair game for intellectual criticism. I don’t see why that is so hard to understand. Of course there is some cross over between the two such as atheists who start by criticizing aspects of the faith intellectually, and then go on to make ad hominum attacks using the previous argument as leverage. I would Say Dan is pretty well into the neutral-anti-christian territory though. He called the “bible people” pansy assed, not because they disagreed with him but because they were clearly too wimpy to listen to any criticism of their world view, and that IS pansy assed no matter what you believe. I listen to christian proceletizers when their polite and I have time, i try t understnad them. I do this even though there is probably nothing further from how i see the world. Dan grew up catholic s he had no choice but to listen to what catholics believed. Dan had no choice to walk away. But those people just walked the hell out, thinking they were making such a stand. And, mind you, they did it before he had even said “pansy assed.” Up until then he’d been relatively respectful. so yeah, pansy assed about sums it up.
I guess LGBTQNation forgot about the B and T in their name.
Anti gay marriage laws are sherea law i Say no to any laws that violate the 1st amendment and that means no freedom from religion just freedom of religion
Dan Savage ALWAYS tells it like it is. Some people just can handle the truth, I guess.
Haha he is a hypocrite. Though, Like someone has already stated for others things. He can dish out name calling yet he doesn’t want to take it.
I think they do know what it’s all about, if your not on their side They don’t care
@Paul Saint It’s not about people not being able to “handle” him. It’s about him being arrogant. First of all, talking about the Bible in a public school assembly in almost any circumstance is inappropriate. Secondly, his speech was about BULLYING, and for him to stand there and talk so sanctimoniously gives his cause no credit whatsoever. I’m an atheist. I don’t believe for a second that we should give the bible any credence. But his speech shouldn’t have been about the bible to begin with, and he shouldn’t go around acting like an arrogant-ass anyways.
Jeremy you are missing the point of the speach and why he was there. It was about journalism and being edgy. And he was, as he states, defending himself/us from religious bigots who want to force their religious constraints on us. All power to Dan Savage I say!
jeremy you are clueless.. you are the arogant ass in thsi discussion… go back to your little universe and live happily ignorant ever after.. Dan was spot on with his comments
i’d do him….
He speaks the truth! Get over it….oh and get over the bible 2….it is bullshit.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150770681235915&set=o.157750900979288&type=1&theater
Dan Savage continues to do for the lgbtq community (especially our youth); when ever he’s attacked I know it comes from hate. If JC arrived tomorrow he be a Dan Fan.