Friday, February 23, 2018

Accepting people

Should a person have to accept another person’s love life in order to accept them as a person? For example, if someone sleeps around, and I don’t think they ought to be sleeping around, does that mean that I reject who they are? Many people assume that if a person does not approve of gay sexual activity, they cannot accept a gay person as a person. But why think this? 

7 comments:

Kevin said...

I don't think it's just restricted to one's love life. Every group makes this same claim, or a specialized version, any time someone disagrees. A city wants to put up displays from religions other than the nativity? Persecution. Background checks on gun purchases? Wants to take all guns away. Pro-life? Hates women. Pro-police? Racist. And on and on and on it goes. Every group has a victim complex and uses such rhetoric for political gain. Someone can not want to participate in a gay wedding without hating a single gay person, but reality and rhetoric only have a coincidental correlation at best.

I think a surprising number of people can't differentiate between disagreement and bigotry. Politicians and other leaders know this, which is why it's so easy to whip up rabid frenzies of hatred every time anyone says anything.

bmiller said...

@Legion,

I agree.

I think it is the natural outcome of a philosophy that has given up on reason as something other than something to coerce others to bend to one's will. I have an opinion of how we got here, but here we are.

For the most part, society has moved on from the point where we were willing to allow that our opponents have reasonable positions. It seems that various groups have recognized this reality, that society can only react emotionally rather than reasonably, and have adapted tactics accordingly.

To the point of OP, once we find someone to be outraged at, why not consider him as undeserving of any respect or rights what-so-ever? If we only use our will and emotions to guide our thought and actions why should we expect *reasonable* outcomes?

SteveK said...

"accept them as a person"
"I reject who they are"

Identity politics. I reject the idea that I'm am rejecting YOU just because I don't approve of something that you do.

This nonsensical idea cuts both ways. If you don't accept that I don't accept you, then you are rejecting who I am. It's utter lunacy.

Starhopper said...

I look on "gay rights" the same way I think about rap. Listen to it if you must. I will not think the less of you as a person, no matter what I might think of your taste in music. But PLEASE do not play it within my hearing.

bmiller said...

@Starhopper,

But PLEASE do not play it within my hearing.

You are not allowed to say that. You must *celebrate* it or else.

One Brow said...

Acceptance and approval are different things. The first indicates a basic respect only.

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

Morriston refutes Craig over deriving Personal God from Kalam:my answer