It is sad that public discourse about controversial matters frequently devolves into closed minded verbalizations of formulaic exposition designed to “win the day” rather than to advance the common good of society. Recent examples of this lack of civility include; rancorous exchanges over the questionable ‘doctrine’ of global warming, public discourse over the status of individuals who reside in American Communities without legal standing, questionable economic decisions motivated by political expedience or publicly aggressive entitlement mentality; and same sex marriage. Rational and reasonable arguments can be made from differing perspectives on any of these matters. However, the polarization within American Society seems to increase day by day. Perhaps, this is so because matters such as these ‘get the blood boiling’ by their very nature. It might be the case that there are members of our culture who raise the temperature of the discourse in order to protect inherited traditions. It might also be the case that some of those who turn up the heat have a clear economic interest in doing so.
We Americans proudly express our dedication to individual freedom. Of course we differentiate between licentiousness and liberty. But we seem to be culturally confused. While we applaud expanding individual rights (such as the right to marry across racial lines – only legitimized in the U.S. since the 1960’s!) we seem to generate anger and repressive hate toward those of the same sex who seek to formalize their relationships through legally sanctioned marriage. While we claim First Amendment Privilege for words and deeds which are far in excess of the intent of the authors of The Constitution we seek to severely define what might be considered legitimate human rights under our traditions of responsibly pursued expressions of personal freedom. Our culture began as a great experiment. At times we have behaved terribly toward one another. But we always seek to return to our core value of freedom and the common good. Perhaps, we would better serve our fellow citizens and ourselves were we to open our minds and hearts to the possibility that unconventional expressions of traditional values might strengthen the fabric of our culture. The ratification of another’s liberty to engage in traditional modalities might, in fact, protect society from the licentiousness we say we fear. Stable, sanctioned marriage is a laudable goal.
Entire volumes have been written about the development of marriage in Western Societies. Reading any of these, leads one to conclude that the legal, social and cultural parameters of marriage have and still are in a state of dynamic evolution. The matter of same sex marriage is one which may occupy our attention for some time to come. I would, however, choose to err on the side of an open hearted support of responsibly expressed same sex marriage than a restrictive perspective based upon sometimes honored tradition, or worse, upon prejudice, bigotry and self-righteous, mean-spirited narrow mindedness.
Prop 8 Life 