Teacher: Now Tommy, you know your father is not a stripper in a gay sex bar.
Tommy: Yeah, but I hate to admit he’s a Wall Street lobbyist.
- Phil N. DeBlanc
I’ve been accused from time to time (and not without justification) of focusing on the negative. Part of it is just that it’s so much easier. Let’s face it; when it comes to idiots, zealots, and problems, it’s a target-rich environment. That said, even I have to admit that being a one-trick pony can get old now and again. With that in mind, then, I’m going to do something a bit different: I’m going to focus on some people I think deserve to be celebrated. You may, or may not, agree with me, but just indulge me, willya? Thanks…. ;-)
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Ellen DeGeneres: I’ve never met her, of course, but her public persona is someone who’s funny, kind, and respectful. Yeah, she’s gay; so what?? There are far too many haters far too concerned with what she does behind closed doors. The latest example of haters hating is “One Million Moms”, which most likely is a half-dozen bigots kvetching over coffee and donuts about how much they hate something they can’t be bothered to understand. “One Million Moms” is demanding that JC Penney can DeGeneres as their spokesperson.
If it was me being targeted, I’d probably tell the haters into which orifice they could deposit their hate. DeGeneres, who’s clearly a better person than I am, chose to use humor to take down the fools. How can you not respect someone who can kindly and respectfully suggest that the haters go fornicate with themselves?
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Deon Davis: The mother of a gay son, Ms. Davis has her own response to “One Million Moms.” She’s calling out the haters and telling them that teaching their children to hate is very likely doing them harm.
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Scarlett Johansson: Though not overly political, Johansson is taking Rick Santorum to task for the sweater vests he frequently wears. Santorum looks like an extra on the set of American Dad, and he has the fashion sense of Ron Burgundy. I realize that style is not a prerequisite for becoming the leader of the free world, but you have to wonder about a guy who should be handed a pipe and a pair of slippers when he steps to the podium to give a speech.
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Ron Johnson: The CEO of JC Penney, Johnson has made it clear that his company has no intention of firing Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. Would that more CEOs could see their way clear to displaying the decency, conviction, and the will to do the right thing that Johnson does. He seems to understand, in a way that “One Million Moms” never will, that being gay has nothing to do with being a good and decent person.
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Rachel Maddow: Maddow is an unapologetic Liberal who also happens to be a card-carrying member of Teh Gayz. So what? Who cares? Sadly, far too many Conservatives do. Many on the Right have impugned her dignity, questioned her integrity, and lobbed all manner of personal insults at her because of her sexual orientation. The Right hates Maddow because she calls them out frequently and factually, which drives them nuts, ‘cuz they have no comeback. When you can’t win on the merits of your argument, personal insults are about all you have left.
In spite of the frequent incivility directed at her for her sexual orientiation, her name, and her education, Maddow refuses to respond in kind. Though I have little doubt that she could destroy the haters if she chose to, Maddow manages to remain above the fray, a decent and very rare thing these days.
Perhaps she knows that it makes the haters crazy when you refuse to play their game by their rules on their turf.
