A recent article about Caitlyn Jenner on Huffington Post received lots of responses, pro and con.The ones that were critical of Ms. Jenner were soundly condemned by those who were in complete favor of Jenner's change. These angry rebukes inspired one responder, who I assume is a Democrat, to complain that liberals are becoming as militant as conservatives in their demand that one must agree with all liberal concepts and fully endorse Caitlyn Jenner. In response to his letter, liberal writers accused him of being a bigot, a homophobe and, worst of all, a Fox viewer. I think all these accusations were totally unjust and made me more aware of the veracity of the writers accusation. They also reminded me that forcing agreement isn't just for bullies and dictators. It can also be the demand of good-hearted and well-meaning people. Later this week Tom Cruise's son, Connor, stated that while he was all for Caitlyn achieving happiness, he did not feel that she deserved the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, nor do I. Despite this sincere belief, he was immediately lambasted in the media and forced to provide an apology. I see no reason for him to apologize for a comment that was his personal belief. I also don't think that what Jenner has done was particularly courageous. Unfortunately the media have practically canonized Ms. Jenner. These incidents have made me think that we—Democrats and liberals— who are advocates of free speech and free thinking and individuality are becoming more militant in our expectations for conformity and political correctness. I hope I'm wrong.
There are so many trolls on HuffingtonPost that it can never be assumed that its commenters are Democrats. And the bit about liberals being the intolerant ones is a constant talking point of the right wing now that they've been backed into a corner on LGBT rights. So the commenter you mention could easily have been a GOP troll. We'll never know.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that troubles us about this whole situation is the possibility that any lefties could care enough about Caitlyn Jenner to reinforce that right-wing talking point in any way.
When Jenner realizes that the Democratic Party is friendlier to women than the GOP is, then maybe we'll give a damn. In the meantime, let's all enjoy the right's discomfort with her, and hope that somebody starts a campaign to have her speak at the Republican Convention.
I agree with you that it's wonderful that he's making the GOPs squirm. I don't say liberals are intolerant, but political correctness is become a requirement not a virtue. And yes a leftie can care, not about Jenner, but about the absolutely wrong person promoting a very important liberal cause.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting Jenner-related article from today's New York Times.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/opinion/sunday/what-makes-a-woman.html?ref=opinion&_r=0