Here I sit among the ghosts of livelihoods long lost. In this apartment building, ordinary, everywhere, anywhere, mothers, best friends, bitter ex-lovers. The edifice not far from here is a testament to past; built to last, it stands unused, shrouded in the fog of future’s night. Lonely tugs travel below it, bringing sleeping giants to new grounds. And though the streets thereby are dotted sporadically by festive reminders of the season, the plywood windows and metal shutters tell the true tale. 1880 the building reads, a placard on the side stubbornly states Redevelopment! Rejuvenation! but below that, For Lease. That which once vibrated life into the weathered walls of this and other workshops has left to far reaches of this world with obscure and outlandish names. Obsolete. And so to are gone the residents who once looked out from behind the plywood down to the street below. The street is still there, sure, but only furtive eyes ensconced in locked and alarmed automobiles see it and pray for green lights. And those who do not see the beauty that once was walk it, from the dollar store to the days spot where the cops won’t be. The sad sirens of forlorn firetrucks fill the air… and the fog rolls in.
Author Archives: WD
Road Trip!
Tomorrow I am off to a New Years Party at Chris’. If you are reading this and want to come, baring that we know each other, give me a call. That’s gonna kick off a small circuit of travel including family in NJ and friends in CT.
I’m looking forward to the trip specificaly because I just received my new Creative Zen Touch MP3 player… its something I’ve wanted for a while, and with me going away I think something that might just bring me some sanity in a strange place.
That said, I’ve been speaking a little with a recent returned volunteer from Uzbekistan, getting various tips about my own trip. So if anyone wants to donate an old laptop to poor future peace corps volunteer me (or sell me one cheap) please be in touch.
Here is a question: What is a 13 sided polygon called?
Tsunami
WD is making a challenge to all his readers. I’ve just donated $50 to the Red Cross through Amazon.com – My challenge to you is, as a reader of this blog, to match or exceed that contribution. Yeah, shit happens all the time, but this is particularly bad. Just think that if something terrible were to happen here, how much you’d be counting on the aid of strangers. As Americans it is our duty to help, and perhaps a forgone night out at the movies isn’t so great a price to pay.
When an Insult becomes a Crime
France has recently passed a new law making homophobic remarks hate crimes with hefty fines and jail sentences. The country already has a law banning hate speech against minorities, but with this recent addition, both anti-gay and anti-female remarks are covered. Anti-gay or sexist remarks can now net up to $60,000 in fines or a year in jail. The motivation for this legislation is that during the past year, anti-gay acts committed against persons doubled within the country. Thus the idea is that with such penalties, thugs would think twice about knocking someone up because he or she was gay.
This has, of course, provoked a lot of reactions. Those who are for it, notably the gay rights groups, say that it is about time that homophobia was placed on the same level as racism. They argue that it ensured equal treatment under the law for a minority group which heretofore was not covered.
On the other hand, many are speaking out against this law, claiming that it will stifle freedom of speech. One of the major dissatisfied parties is the Catholic Church, which worries that it will no longer be able to speak honestly on homosexuality in general and the gay marriage debate.
Perhaps more interesting, though, is the nature which different gay groups are going to work with this new law. Inter-LGBT, which appears to be a GLBT umbrella group, says that it will act only upon flagrant violations of the law. However, SOS Homophobie, a more radical group, is claiming that by simply stating that homosexuality is abnormal, the law is being violated.
This latter position worries me, and is probably a good way to understand why hate crimes legislation, abroad and in the US, is such a controversial topic. In the instance of the Matthew Shepard case, the cruel and unusual punishment he received was surely motivated by anti-gay bias. Unless statements are made that such behavior is unacceptable in civilized societies, one can only assume such incidents will continue. Thus, just as lynchings no longer (or very rarely) occur, the law ought to say that gays can not be singled out and subject to violence without severe penalties.
However, if somebody believes that homosexuality is abnormal, but commits no violence against gays, I am hard pressed to believe a crime has been committed. I may believe that women are not as smart as men, and although that may be deemed a stupid or narrow-minded view, it is not illegal. I am free to say this to women (though I would have to be prepared for a punch or slap in return,) or write about on my website. Similarly, those who believe that homosexuality is abnormal should be afforded the right to their beliefs. Again, if such an individual seeks to cure abnormal homosexuals by bashing them in the skull with a baseball bat, he should be punished.
There is a big difference between words and actions. Though words can lead to actions, this is not by any means the rule. The scary part of this law is the chilling effect it will cast upon day to day life. Are comedians no longer allowed to do routines that poke fun at homosexual behavior? What about TV evangelists who offer salvation from the sickness? Though we may disagree with the message, banning the message will not change the messenger.
The real problem here is that there are people who hate gays just because of their sexuality and seek to hurt them. Will this law mean anything to those who feel this way? Probably not. Will this law anger those who are sympathetic to gays by imposing yet another level of curtailment on their freedom of expression? Surely. It seems that in the shortsighted strategy of ridding the world of yucky people who are hateful, this law might just be putting gays in a more difficult position. The chilling effect will reach those who want to honestly debate and discuss issues such as homosexuality and gay marriage; moderate voices will fall silent while the radical ones on both sides will become ever louder.
What do you think about this ban?
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