The Boypower Conference: Surprisingly Antigay
What a great couple of months for ignorance in Syracuse. Following closely on the heels of Ann Coulter's visit to Syracuse University, Bill O'Reilly was here last night as the invited speaker at a Boy Scouts fundraiser dinner.
I stopped supporting the Boy Scouts years ago, after the local council decided they'd rather maintain their homophobic policies than maintain their offices and meeting areas at Syracuse University. I was a Boy Scout, and frankly I enjoyed the experience, but I'm simply not going to support an organization that embraces ignorance, much less one that seeks to pass ignorance down to the next generation of men. So I'm not going to reach a boil over the group inviting someone as polarizing as O'Reilly to speak at their fundraiser dinner. I've pretty much written off the Boy Scouts, and if membership numbers are any indication, so have a lot of others. (Evidently, they've been artificially padding their numbers for years to maintain funding levels.)
I can and will criticize O'Reilly for turning a speaking engagement at the Boy Scouts into a vehicle for his usual brand of vitriolic partisan ignorance. The Boy Scouts is an organization dedicated to building the character of young men. While they obviously maintain conservative values, they are ostensibly not a political organization. This must have been difficult to discern last night while O'Reilly attacked liberals, the ACLU, academics, and war critics.
Bill said that he's tired of 'traditionalists' like himself being labeled as bigots. Interesting.
Maybe Bill isn't labeled a bigot because he's a 'traditionalist.' Maybe he's labeled a bigot because he's bigoted.
What kind of word is 'traditionalist,' anyway? What does that mean? It sounds like a word for conservatives to use to avoid using the word conservative. I'm not going to deny that America has proud traditions that one can stand behind, but we also have traditions of slavery, racism, prejudice and imperialism - you know, traditions that conservatives... excuse me, traditionalists want to bring back. You'll excuse me if I don't consider the term to be a strong marketing move.
Bill told the crowd of 2,000 that they were on his side, along with people who believe that the U.S. is "fundamentally a good country." Making up the opposing, 'bad' side are the ACLU, liberal newspapers, and "secular progressives" who believe that the nation is flawed and should be more tolerant and generous. Evidently, you can't believe that America is a fundamentally good nation without believing that it is a perfect, flawless nation. What Bill doesn't quite grasp is that a lot of us see America as a good nation led by people who, like everyone, are capable of mistakes and can be flawed. It's great that a group of young boys will start to polarize all political views before they even get a chance to think critically. Bravo, Boy Scouts.
Of course, Bill also played the local pandering card, telling the crowd that Syracuse University 'folded' because the Boy Scouts represents traditionalist values. Actually, Syracuse University has a solid antidiscrimination policy that includes discrimination against sexual identity, the Boy Scouts refused to follow it, and so they were told they would not be welcomed on campus. It had nothing to do with 'values.' It had to do with blatant discrimination. If the BSA wishes to discriminate, that's their choice, but they shouldn't expect to be welcomed for it. If they don't approve of the University's antidiscrimination policy, they shouldn't support the university with their presence. Of course, with the 'traditionalists,' a set of values is something you follow when it's convenient. They should be allowed to maintain their bigoted, discriminatory policies, but when the University upholds its values, it becomes the villain. "That's all the ACLU," Bill assured the crowd, despite the ACLU having nothing to do with the decision.
I wonder how many fathers sat through Bill O'Reilly's talk, recognizing the ignorance and maybe even feeling alienated by a ranting right-wing blowhard given an open microphone at a fundraiser for a character-building organization for boys, and just shook their heads quietly. There were plenty of wing-nuts involved in the Boy Scouts back when I went through, but there were many more rational adults who simply liked the structured character building the Boy Scouts offered. I imagine it hasn't changed that much. But these people put down $250 to have dinner with this asshole. That's $250 a person to support this kind of small-minded ignorance. How many other causes did they donate that much money towards in the last year? Probably not very many, if at all. I hold them ultimately responsible for not having the courage to remove themselves and their support for an organization that is supposed to build character, but uses their annual dinner as nothing more than an attempt to recruit a new generation of nationalist, easily-led men who fail to educate themselves on important issues and simply buy into the crap that people like O'Reilly sell. And I do mean sell... these young men may be the ones providing market share to Fox News ten years from now. O'Reilly and Fox News aren't selflessly giving their time and resources. They're investing it, with the hopes of a huge payout in the future. Way to go, dads.
Political views aside, was Bill a good choice for the character-building Boy Scouts? Well, he mentioned that the "real mess" that exists in Iraq isn't the fault of the United States. "We have to depend on the Iraqis," he said. Would Iraq be in this 'real mess' if America hadn't invaded and occupied it? No? Then, Bill, it is America's fault and America's responsibility. I consider taking responsibility to be a cornerstone to a strong character, but Bill evidently thinks these young boys should support our country marching into another nation, deposing the government, and then dropping all responsibility for the situation that ensues. Great character building, Bill.
Bill finished his talk by giving the audience some tips on how to settle out of court with a woman that one has harassed with raunchy, unsolicited telephone sex.
No, no, just kidding. That would have been inappropriate.
I stopped supporting the Boy Scouts years ago, after the local council decided they'd rather maintain their homophobic policies than maintain their offices and meeting areas at Syracuse University. I was a Boy Scout, and frankly I enjoyed the experience, but I'm simply not going to support an organization that embraces ignorance, much less one that seeks to pass ignorance down to the next generation of men. So I'm not going to reach a boil over the group inviting someone as polarizing as O'Reilly to speak at their fundraiser dinner. I've pretty much written off the Boy Scouts, and if membership numbers are any indication, so have a lot of others. (Evidently, they've been artificially padding their numbers for years to maintain funding levels.)
I can and will criticize O'Reilly for turning a speaking engagement at the Boy Scouts into a vehicle for his usual brand of vitriolic partisan ignorance. The Boy Scouts is an organization dedicated to building the character of young men. While they obviously maintain conservative values, they are ostensibly not a political organization. This must have been difficult to discern last night while O'Reilly attacked liberals, the ACLU, academics, and war critics.
Bill said that he's tired of 'traditionalists' like himself being labeled as bigots. Interesting.
That's my advice to all homosexuals, whether they're in the Boy Scouts, or in the Army or in high school: Shut up, don't tell anybody what you do, your life will be a lot easier.
We'd save lives because Mexican wetbacks, whatever you want to call them, the coyotes--they're not going to do what they're doing now, all right, so people aren't going to die in the desert.
I don't have any respect by and large for the Iraqi people at all. I have no respect for them. I think that they're a prehistoric group.
-Bill O'Reilly
Maybe Bill isn't labeled a bigot because he's a 'traditionalist.' Maybe he's labeled a bigot because he's bigoted.
What kind of word is 'traditionalist,' anyway? What does that mean? It sounds like a word for conservatives to use to avoid using the word conservative. I'm not going to deny that America has proud traditions that one can stand behind, but we also have traditions of slavery, racism, prejudice and imperialism - you know, traditions that conservatives... excuse me, traditionalists want to bring back. You'll excuse me if I don't consider the term to be a strong marketing move.
Bill told the crowd of 2,000 that they were on his side, along with people who believe that the U.S. is "fundamentally a good country." Making up the opposing, 'bad' side are the ACLU, liberal newspapers, and "secular progressives" who believe that the nation is flawed and should be more tolerant and generous. Evidently, you can't believe that America is a fundamentally good nation without believing that it is a perfect, flawless nation. What Bill doesn't quite grasp is that a lot of us see America as a good nation led by people who, like everyone, are capable of mistakes and can be flawed. It's great that a group of young boys will start to polarize all political views before they even get a chance to think critically. Bravo, Boy Scouts.
Of course, Bill also played the local pandering card, telling the crowd that Syracuse University 'folded' because the Boy Scouts represents traditionalist values. Actually, Syracuse University has a solid antidiscrimination policy that includes discrimination against sexual identity, the Boy Scouts refused to follow it, and so they were told they would not be welcomed on campus. It had nothing to do with 'values.' It had to do with blatant discrimination. If the BSA wishes to discriminate, that's their choice, but they shouldn't expect to be welcomed for it. If they don't approve of the University's antidiscrimination policy, they shouldn't support the university with their presence. Of course, with the 'traditionalists,' a set of values is something you follow when it's convenient. They should be allowed to maintain their bigoted, discriminatory policies, but when the University upholds its values, it becomes the villain. "That's all the ACLU," Bill assured the crowd, despite the ACLU having nothing to do with the decision.
I wonder how many fathers sat through Bill O'Reilly's talk, recognizing the ignorance and maybe even feeling alienated by a ranting right-wing blowhard given an open microphone at a fundraiser for a character-building organization for boys, and just shook their heads quietly. There were plenty of wing-nuts involved in the Boy Scouts back when I went through, but there were many more rational adults who simply liked the structured character building the Boy Scouts offered. I imagine it hasn't changed that much. But these people put down $250 to have dinner with this asshole. That's $250 a person to support this kind of small-minded ignorance. How many other causes did they donate that much money towards in the last year? Probably not very many, if at all. I hold them ultimately responsible for not having the courage to remove themselves and their support for an organization that is supposed to build character, but uses their annual dinner as nothing more than an attempt to recruit a new generation of nationalist, easily-led men who fail to educate themselves on important issues and simply buy into the crap that people like O'Reilly sell. And I do mean sell... these young men may be the ones providing market share to Fox News ten years from now. O'Reilly and Fox News aren't selflessly giving their time and resources. They're investing it, with the hopes of a huge payout in the future. Way to go, dads.
Political views aside, was Bill a good choice for the character-building Boy Scouts? Well, he mentioned that the "real mess" that exists in Iraq isn't the fault of the United States. "We have to depend on the Iraqis," he said. Would Iraq be in this 'real mess' if America hadn't invaded and occupied it? No? Then, Bill, it is America's fault and America's responsibility. I consider taking responsibility to be a cornerstone to a strong character, but Bill evidently thinks these young boys should support our country marching into another nation, deposing the government, and then dropping all responsibility for the situation that ensues. Great character building, Bill.
Bill finished his talk by giving the audience some tips on how to settle out of court with a woman that one has harassed with raunchy, unsolicited telephone sex.
No, no, just kidding. That would have been inappropriate.
posted by Zafrod at 11:44 AM
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