(no subject)
Jul. 29th, 2006 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tylikI was thinking about this article, and the argument it makes against gay marriage. To whit:
"It compares gay marriage to a broken window on a city street. Civilization is exceedingly fragile. One broken window is an invitation to more broken windows, more vandalism, descending ultimately to chaos. Smart city governments thus act quickly to check even minor acts of incivility.
Marriage is our most fragile civilized institution. Since the 1960s, the ancient ideal of a child being raised by his parents has been greatly weakened."
(Strangely, to me, this argument is made after stating that an argument that states that gay marraige weakens straight marriage is silly. The above is supposed to be a stronger argument. I don't get it.)
What struck me about this is that in many ways it is the most succinct expression of something that seems to be a central conservative tenent -- that all that is good in the world is fragile, and embattled. That civilization is only the thinnest mask, for many people, over the ravening beast within. Some large number of people basicly don't want to get married, settle down, and have kids, so that the entire society must be moulded around compelling them into those roles. (The argument assumes, I think, that this is effective. And desireable.) It is terribly important that no man see the image of a breast, as breasts are always sexual, and seeing one will incite overwhelming urges. And apparently some large portion of the population would abandon their happy straight life, and become gay, were it only more socially acceptable to do so, and so that door must be kept locked. (Or maybe it's not important that one's life be happy, as long as it is straight.
And yet charity should be something given freely, and not compulsory... which makes me think that there is a supposition that there is an "elect" who trods the straight and narrow path voluntarily, as well as a vast heard of others, who must be herded upon it.
"It compares gay marriage to a broken window on a city street. Civilization is exceedingly fragile. One broken window is an invitation to more broken windows, more vandalism, descending ultimately to chaos. Smart city governments thus act quickly to check even minor acts of incivility.
Marriage is our most fragile civilized institution. Since the 1960s, the ancient ideal of a child being raised by his parents has been greatly weakened."
(Strangely, to me, this argument is made after stating that an argument that states that gay marraige weakens straight marriage is silly. The above is supposed to be a stronger argument. I don't get it.)
What struck me about this is that in many ways it is the most succinct expression of something that seems to be a central conservative tenent -- that all that is good in the world is fragile, and embattled. That civilization is only the thinnest mask, for many people, over the ravening beast within. Some large number of people basicly don't want to get married, settle down, and have kids, so that the entire society must be moulded around compelling them into those roles. (The argument assumes, I think, that this is effective. And desireable.) It is terribly important that no man see the image of a breast, as breasts are always sexual, and seeing one will incite overwhelming urges. And apparently some large portion of the population would abandon their happy straight life, and become gay, were it only more socially acceptable to do so, and so that door must be kept locked. (Or maybe it's not important that one's life be happy, as long as it is straight.
And yet charity should be something given freely, and not compulsory... which makes me think that there is a supposition that there is an "elect" who trods the straight and narrow path voluntarily, as well as a vast heard of others, who must be herded upon it.
