Did Chick-fil-A Pretend to Be a Teenage Girl on Facebook?

[garbon]

However - any change in a society that results from recognizing gay marriage is going to take a long time to play out.  It's only within the last 10 years that any country has recognized it.  Let's just say we don't know what the effects (if any) of recognizing gay marriage might be...

Can you give me some theoretical negatives?

[The Brain]

Gay evolution.

[Jacob]

I concur with BB that the effects of gay marriage is going to play out over decades.

I don't see any possible negatives that beyond ephemeral opinion-based ones that aren't within the purview of government action in a liberal (or "free" for those whom the word "liberal" is too loaded) society.

[garbon]

I concur with BB that the effects of gay marriage is going to play out over decades.

Well, of course, it is a constantly evolving situation.

But yeah I asked my question as a rational thought against would be the potential negatives that might come along with such a move. I'm trying to get my head around what those potential negatives could be.

[Barrister]

However - any change in a society that results from recognizing gay marriage is going to take a long time to play out.  It's only within the last 10 years that any country has recognized it.  Let's just say we don't know what the effects (if any) of recognizing gay marriage might be...

Can you give me some theoretical negatives?

Just a general decline in respect for the concept of marriage and the traditional family.  More short-term cohabitation, more single parents, less children generally.  Which are all trends that have already been happening - in particular in places like Scandiweenia and Quebec. 

Now I've also heard it suggested that recognizing gay marriage helps to fight those trends - that maybe it will help strengthen the notion of marriage in society.

We'll see - but not in the short term.

[The Brain]

What's the theory behind these negatives?

[Admiral Yi]

If the goal is predicated on a group of people being inferior to you because you (or your god) disapproves of them, then yes it is bigoted; whether the intentions are harmful or not.

So, if you believe gays or black people or half-Korean people or Americans or the French or women are inferior or harmful to society or offensive to god, then you are a bigot. Now, there's a difference in virulence of the bigotry of course, wanting them to "keep separate, not make a fuss so I can pretend they don't exist" is less virulent than wanting them all "re-educated and/ subjugated, and thoroughly integrated so they don't offend me anymore," which again is less virulent than wanting them all killed. But it's all bigotry.

Now, if the goal I disagree with is political but not identity based, then it's not bigotry. I can oppose building a bridge that you favour building, and neither of our positions are bigoted. Even if either or both of us are so convinced of our righteousness that we are willing to endorse murder to support our opinions, we are not bigots (though we are other kinds of bad).

How about things like drug and alcohol abuse?  Unfit parents? Inbreeding?  Polygamy?  We as a society pass negative judgements all the time.

[garbon]

Just a general decline in respect for the concept of marriage and the traditional family.  More short-term cohabitation, more single parents, less children generally.  Which are all trends that have already been happening - in particular in places like Scandiweenia and Quebec. 

Now I've also heard it suggested that recognizing gay marriage helps to fight those trends - that maybe it will help strengthen the notion of marriage in society.

Well yes I'm curious on that. More people getting married erodes respect for the concept of marriage? Isn't the concept of marriage eroding when there are people who want to get married but can't - and thus have to come up with their own concepts?  Why exactly would short-term cohabitation and single parent households get up when more couples are getting bound together?

[Admiral Yi]

Can you give me some theoretical negatives?

It would obviously suck if The Almighty pelted us with locusts and fire.

[Jacob]

How about things like drug and alcohol abuse?  Unfit parents? Inbreeding?  Polygamy?  We as a society pass negative judgements all the time.

What about them?

Are you wondering which groups of people it's okay to judge for what they are, and try to change?

I'd say we can both agree that it's okay to judge thieves and rapists, and want to do whatever we can to prevent them from doing the things that makes them thieves and rapists.

Similarly, I think we can both agree that it's not okay to judge someone for belonging to a particular cultural group while living in a particular location, and that it's not okay to to prevent them for doing so.

So the question is, do we put gay people marrying into the same category as thieves and rapists, or into the category as a black guy living in a predominantly white neighbourhood?

[Jacob]

Can you give me some theoretical negatives?

It would obviously suck if The Almighty pelted us with locusts and fire.

If The Almighty does so, then The Almighty is a bigot; as are those who give into that kind of bullying.

[garbon]

Can you give me some theoretical negatives?

It would obviously suck if The Almighty pelted us with locusts and fire.

Why would he only punish us? Why hasn't he already thrown down on other nations that have adopted such measures?

[Admiral Yi]

What about them?

Are you wondering which groups of people it's okay to judge for what they are, and try to change?

I'd say we can both agree that it's okay to judge thieves and rapists, and want to do whatever we can to prevent them from doing the things that makes them thieves and rapists.

Similarly, I think we can both agree that it's not okay to judge someone for belonging to a particular cultural group while living in a particular location, and that it's not okay to to prevent them for doing so.

So the question is, do we put gay people marrying into the same category as thieves and rapists, or into the category as a black guy living in a predominantly white neighbourhood?

OK, you seem to be making a distinction between condemning choices and condemning what a person is born with.  I can possibly live with this distinction.

[Admiral Yi]

Why would he only punish us? Why hasn't he already thrown down on other nations that have adopted such measures?

Why are you asking me?  I don't even believe in God. 

[Malthus]

Well yes I'm curious on that. More people getting married erodes respect for the concept of marriage?

Well, sure. You wouldn't want just anyone getting married. If even some gays can do it, it ruins it for the rest of us. After all, you wouldn't want to be a member of a club that let just anyone in, would you? Let in the Jews and the Blacks and the whole thing becomes pointless.