The Most Ridiculous Thing... A Rant

Today the news is full of talk about same-sex marriage. Last night Barack Obama became the first sitting President of the United States to openly say that he approves of equal rights for the LGBT community. To me, all the hype seems to do is highlight how absurd the issue actually is. It's shocking that people can be so ignorant as to think that one group of people should have different rights from another group based entirely on the gender of the person they love. I honestly don't even know how I am going to come up with a full length blog post about the issue because it seems so self-evident... But here it goes:

There are few things in life that I feel absolutely certain about. Where I will be in 5 years; what I'm having for dinner tonight; who will win the next major election. These are all things that could go a number of ways and I don't have enough evidence to confidently state what their outcomes will be. However, one thing that I am absolutely sure of, beyond any doubt, is that in 100 years the "issue" of same sex marriage will not even cross people's minds. It will be an accepted and usual part of life in the 22nd century. No weirder than getting an oil change or paying too much for gas.

We have seen issues with exactly the same components come and go and the liberal side always wins. No exceptions. Looking back on the civil rights movement of the 1960's or the Women's Suffrage Movement of the 1920's and 30's, we think of the opposition as bigoted and wrong. The simple fact is that anyone who currently opposes same sex marriage will be given the same label, when all is said and done. The march of progress is reality and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Even the most liberal minded person living in 1850 would seem vehemently conservative by today's standards. Abraham Lincoln would seem like a backwards racist if you were to meet him for a beer. With this in mind, I can't understand why anyone would even question this issue. There is no debate. All people should have equal rights under the law concerning everything from employment to marriage to home ownership. You name it. If one person gets it, everyone gets it.

I'll even go one step further and point out that, in the not too distant future, (once everyone wakes up and realizes that treating people like people is only rational thing to do) the debate is going to shift to animal rights pretty quickly. The change is already beginning. More and more articles calling for animals like dolphins, whales, and apes to have rights approaching those of people are popping up. The safe money is on the fact that in 100 or so years you won't be able to find any aquariums with large marine mammals or zoos with any of the higher primates because caging them in would be illegal. It might sound crazy today, but I for one want to unequivocally state that I support it. That way, if this blog still exists in the year 2112 my great great grandchildren won't have to wrestle with the fact that their ancestor was a mental prisoner to the Zeitgeist of his time.

Have the courage to look at things sensibly. Rights aren't something you are allowed to allocate based on how you feel about other people's choices. Live your own life and let other people do the same. If you don't, history won't remember you fondly.

Cheers,

Steve