Hypocrisy 101

I'm always astounded by the intellectual dishonesty that comes so often from the Bible beating crowd - especially where the topics of sexual identity and abortion are concerned.

Consider this story about an anti abortion campaign up at the University of Calgary for a moment. This is one of the classic "lots of pictures of bloody bits" campaigns that the "pro-lifers" like to bandy about. Frankly, I find them pretty repulsive as a general rule - mostly because they are an attempt to persuade me of their idealized positions by shocking me into some kind of submission. However, in an open, public space (and the University is one such space), the owner of that space does have a right to insist on a certain amount decorum and respect for others. Sure enough, the University has asked for such considerations, and the immediate cry is that of CENSORSHIP.

Well, first of all, nobody's saying that they cannot express themselves, but rather that there are some boundaries on that expression which respect the rights of others as well. The University didn't say they couldn't put up their display, but they did stipulate that the group was expected to do so in a manner that would be less disruptive to the rest of campus. Contrary to the meme being perpetuated by the bible-beating crowd, this is not censorship.

Or, as I discussed back here, there seems to be little problem for them claiming censorship when they toss out their distorted, discredited opinions of GLBT people.

Meanwhile, it's not uncommon for them to feel completely justified in whining loudly about Pride Flags on a few lamp standards; firing people for being transsexual or complaining loudly and incessantly about GLBT demands to be treated as legal and social equals in society.

Now, let's talk about double standards here. The claim is that they are being "censored" when asked to conduct themselves with a certain amount of dignity and decorum that respects the dignity of others who may not share the same views.

Worse, what are these clowns demanding? Nothing less than absolute obedience to their particular idea of "moral conduct". The consequences of failure to comply with these? Violence.

So, it's censorship the moment they are asked to conduct themselves with some decorum, and yet on the other hand, it's just fine to talk about violence against GLBT people as if it's "a good thing" or worse. It's unacceptable to them for anyone to question their interpretation of scripture, or to dare claim that a pregnant woman is perfectly capable of making a moral decision on her own - without having pictures from the operating room trash waved in their face.