Via Turley, a story that would be utterly laughable but for the first comment to his post. It seems that Hallmark, the company that keeps inventing holidays and celebrations so that people have to buy more greeting cards lest others feel unloved, has brought a deluge of Evangelical feces upon itself by creating a line of cards for those inclined to care deeply for others of the same gender. You can’t make this stuff up.
From MSNBC :
Most states don’t recognize gay marriage — but now Hallmark does.
The nation’s largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards — featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. “Two hearts. One promise,” one says.
The American Family Association is outraged:
Ask them to stop promoting a lifestyle that is not only unhealthy, but is also illegal in 48 states.
Hallmark Greeting Cards has announced it will begin selling same-sex wedding cards, even though same-sex marriage is legal in only two states. The purpose, they say, is to satisfy consumer demand. It appears that their purpose is also to push same-sex marriage. Last year Hallmark began offering “coming out” cards – as in “coming out of the closet” — a euphemism for announcing homosexuality.
Normally, this would be one of those goofy stories about goofy people who are so threatened by anyone or anything that doesn’t comport with their need to control the perceived “morality” of others that they are ready to go to war in the name of religious fervor. I mean, seriously, this would be a knee-slapper because it’s just so silly.
But my dismissive attitude would be sheer arrogance, since I refuse to realize that there really are people out there who actually believe that this is an issue. The first comment to Turley’s post struck a nerve:
Thank God our local store pulled them after a rash of complaints.
The store(s) is(are) also looking at carrying a different brand.
This has been going on for a period of time and this “in the face” insult was the last straw with a lot of consumers.
Hallmark, now run by a small bunch of ultra liberals, will find out you don’t continually insult 90% of your market without losing sales.
These Hallmark novices will find out the hard way that running a company while dependent on 4% of America as your customer base won’t work.
The point isn’t whether the numbers are accurate. Clearly they aren’t. The point is that there are people who truly believe this to be the case. Subsequent comments attempt to challenge the point by rational stories, challenges to latent sexuality issues and the like, but they are ineffective because the first comment, written by Martha, reflects a certainty that cannot be shaken. Martha can take comfort in knowing that this is a matter of absolute morality. She is right, and everyone who disagrees is an ultra-lib, proving her righteousness.
In the past, most notably with the civil rights movement which compares well with discrimination against homosexuality, lawmakers expected time to wear down the in-bred bigotry to some extent, with exposure to people who are “different” to ultimately prove to those inclined to hatred that we are all human beings worthy of dignity and respect. I’ve been waiting since 1964 for this to flesh out. It’s better, but there’s a long way to go.
To those who find it inconceivable that anyone else would care that much about how two other people relate to each other, consider this: As we struggle to overcome the debacle of the past 8 years, brought upon us by a voting block of very substantial magnitude, largely driven by religious leaders who have the power, and the will, to push their flock to act upon their moral outrage in a war to impose their righteousness upon others, they are still alive. They are still out there. They are still a menace to rational society.
Perhaps, 100 years from now there will be broader acceptance of some diversity, maybe even a grudging tolerance. Why they care so much may never be clear to those of us who don’t, but this is so firmly planted that it’s not going to be easily uprooted.
In the meantime, our presidential candidates met with a religious leader with a very large church to answer his questions, to appeal to his flock. Think about the ramifications of this, presidential candidates answered the call of the Mullah to seek his approval.
I think this Hallmark situation is absurd. But I can’t think of it as funny.
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Well, would you find it funny that the same web form that the American Family Association makes available for the outraged to express their outrage is also being used by other folks to thank Hallmark for making such cards available?
It’s an obvious idea, and I’d love to take credit for it, but it’s straight outta fark:
The irony of turnabout certainly warms my heart, but it doesn’t dispel the existence of this mass of self-righteous people who believe it is their duty to force their beliefs on others.
So yes, it’s funny, but not even close to sufficient.
I have long held the belief that at least 90% of the problems in the world would go away if people would just mind their own business.
Of course, then the American Family Association wouldn’t have anything to do.
“I refuse to realize that there really are people out there who actually believe that this is an issue.”
I think I know what you mean. What’s so personally frustrating about these people is that I can’t understand their position at all. They seem like parodies of of themselves. That can’t really be the case, but my inability to understand them makes it impossible for me to engage them. I’m pretty much limited to the rhetorical equivalent of pointing and jeering, which doesn’t feel very productive.
But what would I write about?
Exactly. I know they’re there, yet I find it so hard to accept that anyone really believes this drivel. It takes a great deal of effort not to be arrogant and dismissive, since it’s all so ridiculous.
The real problem with any of these self-righteous groups who hold their beliefs with absolute certainty is not that they bitch and moan on the internet about silly issues such as this, but that some of them actually go out and perform hate attacks and assaults. THAT aspect of it is not funny at all, and won’t stop until understanding and tolerance is more widespread. Wasn’t the Constitution designed with a “live and let live” orientation?
The violent crazies don’t bother me too much because I think they are small in number and easily intimidated by law enforcement (unless, of course, they are law enforcement). The legislative crazies, on the other hand, can really get out of hand.
Do you remember a couple years ago when there was a boycott starte against The Onion for having the audacity to print an article about a woman who used abortion as birth control.
They were all set to go after this online news organization for circulating stories that glorified abortion until someone told them it was, well, the Onion, a satirical “news” site.
The response was funnier than the article and made its point.