Thursday, November 13, 2008

Keith Olbermann on Prop. 8

Powerful stuff.

10 comments:

Aly C. said...

I completely agree with many aspects of the argument that Keith Olbermann proposed in this video. I cannot understand why so many people voted for prop 8. It just seems so fundamentally un-American to deny any one the right to marry who they choose. Why do people really care so much? If two people want to get married then they should have every right to. Marriage really only effects the two people who chose to take part in it, nobody else. I realize that one of the main reasons that people voted for prop 8 is religion. I do not believe that any religion would purposefully deny happiness to any two people, regardless of sexual orientation. Religions often preach to “do onto others as you would like done onto you." Would you want to be denied the right to marry the person you loved?

Unknown said...

Wow. That was a powerful speech. I hope it can change some opinions! I really want an explanation of any reason, besides blind religion, to vote yes on 8. I have yet to hear one. If anyone knows one, even if they don't agree with it, I would really love to hear it. I just can't find a reason!

Jeff Yeh said...

"Do on to others as you would have them do on to you."

Powerful. Very Powerful.
Amazing speech. It really sucked me in and I couldn't agree more with many of his arguments.

There's too much homophobia in our nation and I think it's just wrong. Olbermann's comparisons of the Yes on prop 8 to to slavery was a very powerful argument and there seem to be so many parallels. Many years from now, we as a nation will hopefully be able to look back on this time with a bit of shame.

What are we gonna outlaw next? Birth control pills and condoms? They impede procreation and is thus seen as sinful in some churches..! And are we going to reinstate slavery now? How far will people go with the religious arguments? One can't just preach certain points of the Bible while completely ignoring other parts!

Even though I am not personally effected by whether or not gay marriage is legal, I know people and have a close friend who definitely are. Why deny marriage? Why deny equal rights? Are we not all humans regardless of our orientations?

But it's not like I'd hate people who believed otherwise. I grew up with one parent supporting gay marriage and the other strongly against it, but that doesn't mean I would love one more so than the other. Each individual is entitled to their own [(maybe slightly flawed)] opinions. After all, we can't go around advocating equality if we also refuse to hear the other side's [(potentially weak)] arguments.

Teaching gay marriage in schools? Crumbling of society's morality? The yes on 8 argument involved a little too much fear mongering and not enough reason.

Moeka Takagi said...

That was definitely a very strong speech. I also often recognize the similarities between discrimination against gay people and past discrimination against African Americans. Religion can easily make things controversial and gay marriage is no exception. Although I'd like to tell people who are against gay marriage that they should really be more open minded, I find myself in an awkward position because it is really difficult to argue against religion. Religion makes up one's beliefs on issues and these beliefs cannot be easily changed by even the most logical arguments.

Yet, I hope that the next generation will have more people willing to accept gay marriage. The fact that this issue is out in the open gives children now more exposure; this will hopefully make them more understanding of others.

Rick said...

Wow, that was extraordinary.

Many kudos to this man for presenting such an honest and heartfelt speech.

We really are on the verge of another momentous push as a nation for civil rights and equality. I think Mr. Silton put it best when he said that this is a fight for respect and equal treatment in society. What it comes down to isn't religion or even gay vs. straight, the issue here is that some people are not ready to accept homosexuals as equals.

It will be interesting to see the push and pull on this issue over the next few months. I can't imagine this issue is going to calm down any time soon.

Kimiya Bahmanyar said...

Thank you Keith. You are right. "Yes on 8" voters are wrong. This much we know, if we know history.

Here is a simple, self-evident truth: marriage equality will happen. The innate equality under the law of all couples will be recognized in the U.S.--eventually. Meanwhile, couples of the same gender will continue to marry and to create families, as they already are right now and always have, and--eventually--these marriages will gain legal recognition in the U.S. We know this. Even the "Yes on 8" people know this. They see the popular opinion slowly changing in favor of marriage equality, and if their eyes are open, they can see their eventual defeat. History proves that in all cases, Americans who fight for equal rights eventually win them, or at least make great strides towards the goal.
We do not have the right as a human beings to tell another human being who they can love and who they can't, but apparently there are a lot of people out there who think they can do just that. It's called discrimination, the same kind of discrimination that wouldn't let women vote. Wouldn't let blacks be free to own property or vote. Yet, here we are in 2008 voting to change State Constitutions to actually discriminate against yet another class of people. You would think after all the screwed up decisions this country has made in the past we wouldn't be repeating history as we are now. How shameful is that. C'mon America, we ARE better than that.
~Kimiya Bahmanyar

carmenceh said...

That segment was amazing. The arguments Olbermann gave were completely true, and completely logical, especially his argument about redefining marriage. Before watching this, I never really thought about how many times America HAS redefined marriage. America is known for being the "melting pot" and takes much pride in that fact, yet by voting "yes" on 8, people take that pride away. I understand that religion is really important to some people, but how does gay marriage affect them at all? It's not like they'll know every time a gay couple gets married, or attend a gay marriage ceremony, so really, what is it to those people for prop 8? Honestly, I really want to know what exactly it is that religions say about not allowing same sex marriage. What exactly is it that the religious texts or proverbs say that says two people of the same sex can't be married or be in a relationship?

Anonymous said...

Religion has really gone too far. This country was built on secular ideals, and is now being hijacked ideologically by fundamentalists. Its stuff like prop 8 passing that makes me want to completely eradicate organized religion..

Anonymous said...

@ Carmence: They don't care, they refer to a obscure sentence saying that it is a sin for a man to lie with a man, But later that chapter it says that disobedient children should be stoned. You don't see fundamentalists killing their children or hating black people because Ham was black inside and therefore evil. They pick and choose areas of the bible to literally interpret to suit their needs.

Elijah Merchan said...

I really like Keith Olbermann. All of these little special comment speeches he makes seem very well thought out and intelligent.

This comment made complete sense. What is the reason people vote on 8? There are many. Unfortunately, 98% of them are completely ridiculous in my opinion. I can understand it when someone really supports prop 8 due to religious reasons and what not, but there are too many clueless voters that take their stance out of what seems to be peer pressure. On election day my mom told me about how she encountered my neighbor while walking the dogs standing outside of the voting area in a business suit holding a yes on prop 8 sign. She confronted him and proceeded to ask him just why he chose to support prop 8. He gave her completely illogical and ridiculous reasons as to why he supported it. It just goes to show that a lot of ignorant voters just need to be educated.

For me personally, I would have never supported prop 8, but I believe that if someone has a legitimate reason to vote yes, for whatever it may be, they shouldn't really be criticized. It is the misinformed and pressured population of yes voters that anger me.