Two weeks ago, I wrote an article condemning lawsuits against bakeries for not selling wedding cakes to gay couples. I argued we ought to respect the religious and property rights of the bakers. People should not be forced to sell a cake for a ceremony they view as sinful. In fact, I don’t think the government has the right to force people to sell their personal property at all.
Anyway, after the release of this article, I was attacked for being an ignorant, stupid and bigoted person. The list goes on and on. In general, anyone who publicly disagrees with anything the gay rights movement supports is now open to be labeled an ignorant, stupid and bigoted person by members of society. For a movement that talks so much about tolerance, it doesn’t seem to tolerate my views. And I never even said I oppose gay marriage or civil unions. All I said was we shouldn’t force people to sell a product to anyone, but the actual content of my statement doesn’t matter to my critics; all that matters is that it went against the views of the gay rights movement, and therefore, it must be bad. I must be condemned, because anyone who doesn’t agree word-for-word with the gay rights agenda is a terrible person.
You know, there was a time in this country when we could have an intelligent debate. People took others with opposing viewpoints seriously and treated one another with respect. This age is long past. Now, as soon as I say something with which the liberals disagree, I get attacked for being a bad person. If I say I want to adjust welfare to make it more conducive to getting people back to work, I am attacked for hating poor people. Never mind that out of genuine concern for them, I refuse to support policies that hold them back. If I say I want a drug test as a prerequisite for welfare recipients, I am again accused of ill will towards the poor. Never mind that I think hard-working Americans struggling to get by shouldn’t have to give others free drug money. If I say I want there to be identification requirements to vote, I am accused of being a racist.
Now this one really gets me. You need identification to do so many things, such as driving and getting into bars. Are these requirements also racist? If I say I support deportation of illegal immigrants, I am also accused of racism. Never mind that I think a country, by definition, ought to have secure borders. And, again, when I say we shouldn’t be forced to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple, I’m a bigot.
What happened to our society? Why have we gotten to the point that instead of offering intelligent counterarguments, we mindlessly attack our opponents for being bigots? This mindset is extremely dangerous. It promotes a lack of diversity in beliefs, and this makes it easier for the people in charge to exert control over us. Part of the reason Americans have remained free for so long is due to our wide-ranging set of beliefs and society’s willingness to accept this diversity. But we’re moving away from this. Many liberals think everyone ought to agree with their views, and, if you don’t, you’re a terrible person. I caution you to beware of falling into this trap. After all, what is more important: freedom, or conformity?
Raymond Michuda is a sophomore in the College of Engineering. He can be contacted at rmichuda@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not
necessarily those of The Observer.
