Ever feel like criticizing someones political leanings for..

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OK, I must have misunderstood you, but I'm still entirely sure what your argument is. In your original post, were you referring to people who, without any prior political thinking, put their support behind whatever liberal cause seems to be trendy at the moment (a critique of "slacktivism", so to speak)? If so, then I'd agree with you to a certain extent that not putting any thought behind a political position beyond "it seems like a good thing to do" can potentially be a shortsighted, shallow way of engaging with such issues.

That being said, I see nothing particularly harmful in the marriage equality movement. You can question the effectiveness that people switching their Facebook profile pics to a pink-hued HRC logo will have in the gay marriage movement, but it does at least serve as yet another demonstration to the nation of just how many people support the cause to some extent, and I think, that as long as one keeps in perspective that one's individual participation in this gesture is an essentially effortless one worthy of no excessive deal of praise, then I have no problem with it, to be honest. But if your point was to make an anti-gay marriage comment, then I'm afraid we're just going to have to disagree on that that one.

I am not starkid, so I don't speak for him, but based on what he wrote, he hasn't made any argument for anything, just expressed a distaste for unthinking political correctness.


I've seen several harmful things in that movement: a presumption that anyone who disagrees in any way must hate gay people, a presumption that gay marriage is a right without any willingness to back that up with reasons instead of assumptions, a presumption that religious people are bad (or not in agreement with them, which in their minds is the same thing), and a willingness to insult people who are not in full agreement with them.

Note that I am observing things about the movement, not the moral principles they support; they are not the same thing.

I've seen a few individuals like that, but I would never characterize the whole movement like that, the same way I wouldn't try to characterize those against gay marriage by some of their less savory characters (and I don't believe I need to mention any names).

I was careful to express it as an observation of what I have seen in the movement, rather than an assertion that all of these things apply to everyone in the group, whether I've observed them or not. In particular, I didn't want to presume, when I'm ranting about other people presuming.


I appreciate that, and I wish more people were like this.

That said, I see the presumptions I listed a lot in threads on WP, and I've received more insults on this topic than any other I've ever discussed here.

Yes! Thank you.



Yep. It's becoming a sort of standard liberal reaction among some people. If you don't support affirmative action, people assume that you hate women and racial minorities. If you don't support gender identity legislation, people assume that you hate trans people.

I don't care about politics because it's just a game and we end up being the pawns.