Monday, September 1, 2008

The challenge and the 'Yes, But' people

The challenge for me at the moment is to convey simple logical principles.

In several forums and conversation it seems I've ended up becoming the spokesperson of the philosophical principles of Human/Civil Rights.

Is it really such a difficult notion to comprehend?

To fairly have and use rights you must respect that right and other rights you want to have that belong to all others.

So for me to have freedom of religion I must respect your freedom of religion too.

And for government to be for all it has to not side with one of those religions.

And the freedom of religion doesn't over-rule others rights.

So no throecracy! No imposing religious morals on others! No killing witches!

So religious objections to Gay rights and Gay marriage are themselves against freedom of religion! It's fine for the religious person to obey such a rule by choice, it's wrong for them to impose it on others!

So the only witches you can burn are ones who give informed and uncoerced consent! If you don't agree with same-sex marriage then don't marry the same sex yourself! But objecting to others doing so is wrong!

Why is this so hard for people to understand?

The same principles control transgender issues!

It's basic freedom of expression people!
It's the Right to equal treatment!
It's the Right to medical treatment!
It's the right to control over ones own body!

Existing basic rights principles cover it all already! Just a lot of folk don't want to accept that.

Because ever since the notion of equal rights was conceived there have been plenty of 'yes, but' people!

"Yes everyone is equal, But not those people!" Thats been the catch-cry, covered up in rhetoric but thats the truth at its core. Folk who want to be equal but dont want everyone to be equal. Folk who insist and ensure that there are less than equal people. So everyone isn't equal under the law, everyone isn't equally served by the government or businesses or infrastructure.

But logically not one of the yes-but people deserves the rights that they enjoy or seek to claim!

This doesn't really seem that complicated. Yet I've had to exhaustively explain it to person after person on subject after subject this week.

But seriously, if it's not rights-for-everyone-without-exception then there is no valid basis for any of them getting any!

So if you don't support everyones rights then you dont deserve yours! Gay rights, Transgender rights, any bloody rights!

So yes, those Crossdressers who don't like being associated with Gay people and Drag Queens, your still obliged to acknowledge, support and even fight for their rights!
And you HBS folk, your obliged to fight for Transgender rights! And the rest of you Transexuals need to fight for the rights of those HBS folk! And Christians need to fight for the Muslims, Muslims for the Wiccans, Wiccans for the Satanists, Satanists for the Bhuddists, Bhuddists for the Taoists and on and on in an endless chain!

You see what it all means?

If your happy to have the rights you have, if there are rights you want, then you must support defend and fight for the rights of everyone else! It's the damn pricetag for your own rights!

So pay the bill!

No-one can have 'equal' rights unless everyone gets them, fairly and equally.

Surely it should not be so hard for people to understand?

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