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  •  because (none / 1)

    they represent the (slim?) majority of the citizenry that's why

    by mijberger on Tue Jan 03, 2006 at 11:12:52 AM PDT

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    •  Who cares? (none / 0)

      They don't represent a majority of smart people, I'd like to think.

      And smart people run television, write books, broadcast radio and print newspapers.

      I'm totally against legitimising their points of view by engaging them in reasoned debate. Why should we respond to people whose most intellectual argument is 'God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve' with an intelligent debate?

      Racism, to the extent it has been pushed back at all, has been done so because it's no longer socially acceptable to be a racist. Homophobia deserves the same treatment.

      Stigmatise homophobics, mock them, refuse to play their game. It's the only way we're really going to win.

      "In America fundamentalist Christians believe the world was created 6,000 years ago - in England people drink in bars that are older than that." - Steve Aylett

      by Mephistopheles on Tue Jan 03, 2006 at 12:34:38 PM PDT

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      •  while (none / 0)

        I don't necessarily disagree with your point, I don't think it is a wise tactic. Isn't it one of our sticking points on the "Left" that conservatives don't try to engage us with debate, but instead smear us, shout us down and tarnish us by making our beloved label Liberal a dirty word? Why would we want to do the same? Aren't we supposed to be better than that. Like it or not, we have to convince people, not insult them into seeing things our way. We are the grown up, we should behave like it.

        by mijberger on Tue Jan 03, 2006 at 12:50:00 PM PDT

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