Not once, but twice, yesterday, I spotted memes questioning President Barack Obama’s taking the time to reach out to Jason Collins – the first openly-gay major sport male athlete in the U.S. Both involved the recently-released Tim Tebow – American Christianity’s golden boy. More below the fold, friends ...
Both involved the recently-released Tim Tebow – American Christianity’s golden boy. One, traced back to the Facebook page of “100% Fed Up” (dedicated to the memory of – wait for it – Andrew Breitbart), features the photo of Tim Tebow from his final senior game at the University of Florida, with the following statement…
While Obama and Mooch are breathlessly congratulating NBA player Jason Collins for announcing to the world that he is gay… we’re just wondering…does anyone remember them coming out to congratulate Tim Tebow for taking such a courageous pro-life stance? We didn’t think so. Doesn’t fit their narrative… Give them a Trayvon Martin or Sandra Fluke story and watch their race to the megaphone to make a statement of support. So very presidential of them…NOT.
I won’t pretend to know who “mooch” is, but I got the gist of the rest. What a false equivalence. When’s anyone ever been “pro-life-bashed?” Or been taunted by school mates for being pro-life? Any pro-lifes been beaten to a pup and left for dead, tied to a fence in the wild like Matthew Shepherd was?
I said as much on a Facebook thread when I saw a former co-worker of mine share this absurd meme. Which drew the ire of someone else…
What matters, is that it doesn’t matter if he is gay or not. Quite frankly it’s none of my business, or anyone elses. I guess everyone who comes out of the closet, should expect a call from of our president. It’s just ridiculas (sp) that such a big deal has been made over it.
My reply?
“If you aren’t gay and/or haven’t been in the spotlight WITH that secret, you know not what you speak of. Period”
I love how folks wanna blow off someone coming out like it’s “no big deal.” Well of course it isn’t … to a lifelong heterosexual. They aren’t gay. They wouldn’t BEGIN to know the stomach-churning from years of pent-up expressions; the secretive nature, the fear of derision (or worse). No, it’s a big deal that it’s NOT a “big deal” anymore, so forgive those of us who are just now starting to breathe a sigh of relief that our society’s come that far.
It SHOULDN’T be a big deal; this woman is right about that. It’s ridiculous, however, that people DO still make such a “big deal” out of it. Like if parents of the 6-8 year old kids I coached youth baseball/t-ball for years back in Louisiana ever got wind. Or I don’t know, say 10-15 years ago when I was doing morning radio smack dab in the buckle of the Bible Belt on a pop station. All sorts of lurid rumors about TV anchors and one mayor in particular having a fling … ALL the rage in that town, then. If I’d let it be known (or worse, folks just found out on their own), it’d have been a “big deal” to folks, then.
I’m sorry, it IS a big deal that’s it NOT a “big deal” anymore. Forgive those of us affected for taking maybe a DAY of joy in that; I’m 39 years old and have a pretty good sense of my situation since I was maybe 8-9 or at the latest 10. Days like Monday, when Collins revealed himself to be gay .. they don’t come around nearly as often as the days I hear a “queer” joke do.
It was a phone call; and maybe not even in an official capacity for all we know. Just one famous guy giving another (now) famous guy a pat on the back for having the courage to come out.
There was no press conference called for it; there was no Rose Garden ceremony. Just a phone call. If you’re upset with the attention it’s gotten, blame the channels you tune to or the newspapers or websites you read. Understand this: the President was ASKED about Jason Collins, by a member of the media. He didn’t bring it up and it wasn’t on the agenda for discussion at a press briefing. That he said anything or even acknowledged that he reached out to Jason took no time away from his other tasks in office.
Here’s another thought: has anyone asked if Jason Collins was pro-choice, and boy, what if he were? What a conundrum, eh? You’re asking “what’s it matter?” Exactly; why are these two topics of discussion so ridiculously merged with this meme to begin with?
By all means, though; belittle the courage it took for a male pro athlete to come out. Why can’t people just be happy for others, just ONCE? Why’s every little issue have to be a left-right issue? I just see some sour-grapes nit-picking going on; for those grousing in such a nature: careful! Your bigotry’s showing. Otherwise, you’d be happy for us, wouldn’t ya?
There was another meme, floating around yesterday, as well, comically posted by “Christian, Conservative, Patriot and Not Afraid.” These brilliant minds re-posted a parody tweet from “Timmy Tebow,” (aka not the real Tim Tebow twitter account, goons) and ran with it. Maybe they knew it wasn’t the real Tim Tebow, but I’m guessing they did. Well a former high school classmate of mine re-posted it, fully believing it was. Immediately, a like-minded friend of hers replies:
And our dumbass president calls to congratulate him! The gay guy not the Christian!! WTF?????
Never one pass up the opportunity engage in a good old-fashioned Facebook “flame war,” I indulged. My reply:
There’s no fear in reprisal when you come out as Christian. Tim Tebow CERTAINLY wasn’t the first Christian athlete (how many give thanks to God as if God somehow had a hand in the outcome of a game), nor are Christians ostracized and/or demonized for BEING Christian. They certainly wouldn’t have ever feared getting their teeth knocked in, in the locker room, by some bigot.
It didn’t take long to hear back.
I have nothing against gay people as I am in the food business and work around them regularly. I however do think that it was totally unnecessary for our president to call and congratulate someone for sharing their sexuality. Maybe if he spent more time worrying about what goes on with our country and less time worrying about what is on TMZ we would all be in a better place! He is an idiot!
I replied that it wasn’t as if Obama had called a press conference specifically to discuss Collins’ announcement (it was brought up by a reporter, but that wasn’t the premise of the press conference); that there was no Rose Garden ceremony honoring Collins, then I mentioned the “Timmy Tebow” Twitter account was a parody account … a joke. Like Stephen Colbert’s pretending to be an outraged conservative pundit each night on Comedy Central.
Here’s the intellect I was dealing with:
That’s the problem. People like you think this is funny! Let me guess? Democrat!
I divulged that I, too, was gay, and understood quite well that it takes a LOT of intestinal fortitude to come out so publicly. I added that it takes no such gumption to admit you’re Christian in a predominantly Christian country. So, remember how this woman mentioned having no problem with gay people and having gay co-workers and such? Cue the response:
That explains it!! I have lots of gay friends! But no dumbass gay friends! LOL! … There is nothing wrong with being gay so don’t use it as a crutch! That is the Democrat coming out in you. Put on your big girl panties like us Republicans do and grow up! That’s your life choice! Be proud and don’t demonize us because of your life choice. Own it like us small business owners are owning our position as this presidential administration screws us. Quit making it about being gay. That’s what I DO NOT like about DEMOCRATS! The blame game! Rise up, shut up and do your damn JOB! Quit hiding behind gay Ron!
That’s right; miss “gay friendly” thinks I need to put on my (ahem) “big girl panties.” Thinks I’m using my homosexuality as a “crutch,” and then later a shield to hide behind. Speechless. For a few minutes, anyhow.
My literally HAVING some perspective isn’t leaning on it, (name redacted). It’s called “point of reference.”
At that point, this self-professed “Christian” woman who’d previously called me a “dumbass” said she would pray for me and was “checking out on this BS.”
Was it the “perfect storm” of Collins’ coming out trumping Tim Tebow’s getting his pink slip from the New York Jets on all the major news and sports media outlets that got these folks in a tizzy or what? I’m left with this conclusion: “Tebow Nation” reminds me a lot of what I call the “Chick Fil-A Christians” in that they worship an upstanding individual with a ton of great personal traits, but they do little to honor the individual they admire when they act like anything but the example said individual set.
Reposted from my blog, The Blue Dawg.