I don't like to get political on this blog. I sometimes try not to get political on this blog. I feel like we get far too much about politically-charged topics from the media and our other Facebook friends. You really don't need to hear more about the Supreme Court's gay Marriage ruling from me. However, since it's the only thing anyone has been talking about for the past few days (yes, I know that's an exaggeration), it's the only thing I've been able to think about (another exaggeration), so I'm going to blog about it - or rather, a topic closely related to it - even though I have nothing more to say about it than what's already been said (I hope that was an exaggeration, too).
Some people find it distressing that certain words and symbols have been given new meanings. Personally, I don't mind that the definition of "gay" has been changed. I never use that word anyway, unless I'm singing Deck the Halls. But some people are upset at the change in definition, and I join them in being upset about the change of the implied meaning of the word "pride." I believe that if a person has pride, it means that there's an aspect of themselves that they appreciate and don't mind other people knowing about. A person can have pride in any aspect of themselves - not just atypical sexual attraction. For example, I take pride in being athletic. In my mind, a "pride rally" is a celebration at which everyone is openly proud of being the way they are, however they are, whether they're gay, straight, White, Black, male, female, or anything else. Those events that are being called "pride rallies" by some people are, in my opinion, "gay pride rallies," which are more specific.
I'd also like to complain about how the symbol of the rainbow has been changed by people's opinions and the media, but I'm already late in publishing this blog post, and it doesn't matter anyway.
Honestly, I don't think what words "mean" actually matters all that much. Words don't change what things really are. We could all disagree on whether a box is light or heavy, but popular opinion won't dictate its actual weight. You can call it pride. You can call it marriage. You can call me a bigot. But attaching labels to things won't change their true natures. If I truly am, or am not, a bigot, I won't be any more or less a bigot by your saying whether I am one or not. And if your marriage is valid, it isn't any less so by my saying that it isn't, or if it isn't valid, it isn't any more so by your saying that it is. Words don't matter. Words can be used to describe things, but not define them. Things are what they are, no matter what words we use for them. Truth is constant, even when the meanings of words and symbols change.
1 comment:
You know I totally agree with with you, it's like sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never define me or limit me to a mere definition of a word . Two conference talks that I have been reading and pondering over that have really helped me to "see things as they really are" and not go off the deep end because I am deeply disturbed by the turn of events in this world.
One talk is "What Manner of Men and Women Ought we to Be? by Elder Lynn G Robbins of the Seventy, and "Converted Unto the Lord by Elder David E Benar.
As I have read these talks I realize that the counsel in them is good and sound and can be used as armor, spiritual armor.
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