A diary published yesterday really hit home with me; it was about the inability on DKos to disagree with positions strongly held by some groups without being mobbed by attacks, buried under HRs, or even getting bojoed. We often hesitate even to rec a comment for fear of being put on "uprate" lists. This situation limits productive discussion and pushes DKos in the direction of sites like RedState, where anyone who expresses an "impure" thought is instantly disappeared.
While I really agreed with the diary, I felt it could have been better expressed: in particular, I thought the term "radical liberal" was inapt. I use the term "purity police", which I think is more accurate, if perhaps a bit contentious.
One commenter in the diary suggested that we who feel intimidated should just bite the bullet, express our opinions and endure the abuse for the sake of this site and our party. So, I'm going to stick my neck out and give it a try. But first I'd like to state that I am a lifelong liberal Democrat, like all in my family. In my 73 years I've voted (and I always vote) for a non-Demo candidate exactly twice.
So, as a first effort I'd like to write about an experience I had yesterday at the shopping center. Entering the center from the parking lot, I passed a couple of women wearing hijabs. I did not react outwardly in any way, but I felt a sense of disapproval, which made me pause. Why did I have this feeling? Was it wrong of me, was it bigotry? After thinking long about it, I concluded that I do disapprove and that it is not wrong of me to do so.
Feel free at this point to proceed directly to the comments section and scream in all caps for me to be Bojoed as a Muslim-hating bigot.
Or, you can read my explanation after the break. Let's see, how can I describe this?
When my wife and I retired and moved to a new town, we were nervous about making new friends at our age, but fortunately, we took up a sport called pickleball, which is popular here. Thus we have made many good friends, with whom we socialize, have parties and help each other. I love this crowd. But here's the thing: with few exceptions I have no idea about the religion and politics of these friends. Nobody had to make a rule about this. We are Americans, and we just know: if you want to socialize or do business with someone, keep religion and politics off the table.
With a few rare exceptions, religious garb is not worn in America -- even nuns rarely wear theirs anymore. When Catholics were first arriving in America in number, and they faced discrimination, imagine the situation if every Catholic had had to wear a distinctive Catholic Hat in public? If you want to come live in America, you shouldn't go around trumpeting your difference from others. We have a secular society, and I believe that secularism is vital for living together in a multicultural society.
Muslim women certainly have the right to wear the hijab. I have the right to go around wearing a hat saying ATHEIST! But it would be pretty stupid, wouldn't it? The hijab immediately injects religion into every encounter a woman wearing it has with anyone.
It is my understanding that the Quran does not mandate the hijab, and that many Muslim women do not wear it. I think we should politely explain this to Muslim women and discourage the wearing of religious garb if one wants to succeed in America.
So, can we discuss this topic objectively, or do I have to just give up and go back to the gardening and pootie diaries?