Killing Dissent

In 2016 Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in a show of protest against the nation that gave him the privilege to be a rich, black, American football player. And the crowd went wild. Some excoriated him and others applauded. Eventually most players knelt because to fail to do so went against the "Black Lives Matter" movement and that was certainly not safe. The outliers then became those few players who refused to kneel. Protest, you see, is a fickle mistress.

Today, of course, it's a different sort of beast. When professional hockey player Ivan Provorov refused to wear a Pride rainbow during warmups because he was Russian Orthodox and chose to stay true to his religion, the outrage was palpable. He said, "I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices," but he was labeled homophobic because if you respect everyone, you will thoroughly agree with everyone, apparently. The crowd called for his removal from the game or even from the team. Refusing to wear a Pride logo, they said, was a slur against homosexuals. Because dissent these days against the LGBT+ crowd is punishable ... by death, at least of a certain kind. Apparently "inclusivity" excludes those who don't firmly embrace the current sexual revolution.

They try to tell us that they're born that way. Science disagrees. They try to tell us that gender is just a social construct. Science disagrees. They try to tell us that it's "natural" and "normal." Science (and statistics) disagrees. And then they try to tell us that we must not only "live and let live," but surrender our own convictions and embrace theirs. That's the only fair and right thing to do. And our culture nods and obeys. "We determine what is normal and moral. You agree ... or else." Filed under "exclusive inclusivity."

Back in the day when "same-sex marriage" was in the balance -- a matter of question rather than certainty -- one of the most common things they said was, "What difference does it make to you if we do this?" They have their answer. It will cost livelihoods and reputation, even actual money (ask Jack Phillips, et. al.). It will cost reasonable thinking, tolerance, and inclusion. For those who do not knuckle under to the current sexual revolution, it could be very costly. And that's just because the current sexual revolution is so tolerant, nonjudgmental, and inclusive ... enough to "burn your house down" so to speak if you don't go along with them. (We all hope that "burn your house down" is metaphorical and not actual.)