One of my friends made the comment recently that we should leave gay rights alone and focus on more important things. I'm not sure I agree, so I will examine my thoughts further.
*Note-when I say 'we' in this blog, I mean we as a nation. Also, be aware that this is merely my thought process, based on what I *currently* know, and not how I officially stand.
If we did leave gay rights alone and focused on, say, the national debt, we could leave stranded those who want equality and to be acknowledged as a a couple. However, to focus on the national debt (actually FOCUS not PANIC about recession) would maybe lead to ways of abolishing it and fixing, NOT panicking about, our economical situation.
Yet we must have the issue resolved. So many are discriminated against that it cannot be ignored. It's become a problem (so to speak) in everyday life: in the workplace, at schools, ven in homes. And it has been stated by many that stability must be established before other work can be accomplished (like the civil rights movement; so many protested, so many places became unpredictable that the problem HAD to be addressed because it was such a prominent issue).
To play devil's advocate: There are several, more pressing issues on a larger scale that have to be taken care of. As previously mentioned, the U.S. economical situation, but also the war in Iraq. It has been fought for years now, and I'm afraid that if it is fought for too long, the end result will be like Vietnam; not much really accomplished and the support for the troops being extremely diminished.
Reading over what I just typed, it appears I am inclined to agree. Perhaps I need more time to think it over to make a more balanced decision, since there are other factors-have I been affected personally by gay rights and/or discrimination, what other opinions are out there that could influence what I think, and so forth.
Out of curiosity, what do y'all out there think? Is the fight fo gay equality truly a focal point for the country? Or should we wake up and smell the fire burning underneath us, as our money gets burned away? (I know, not so hot a metaphor. I try-er, wait, was that a pun? Dear me, I'm smokin' tonight...fine, that last one was deliberate).
It's funny to me that gay rights are even an issue, if it were up to me the topic would have never even come up, they are not asking for anything special.
I value the fact that I have many friends with completely different points of view, some would say that fixing social issues should be at the top of our priorities, while other say that economical issues should be the focus.
But what do I think? Since I'm not gay, I would say that fixing economical issues should be first, but what's the point of having money and not being able to spend it however you want to? Say by having an expensive wedding for you and your same sex partner. I guess the social issue is at the top of my list.
"The religion of one age is the literary entertainment of the next"
-Ralph Waldo Emerson.