Linda Holmes of NPR is not very
comfortable with opinions that differ from hers.
There are people in this world who are against banning books and to a very large degree, I agree with them. I value free speech more than just about anyone else, so it heartens me when people say or write that ideas should not be suppressed. However, I find that some people like freedom of speech in theory only.
After writing about Chastity Bono's decision to become transgendered. I decided to spend some time reading articles on the subject. I found a large number that supported Chastity's decisions and since I disagree, I decided to post my arguments in the comments sections. Do the moderators of these websites value a diversity of opinions? While some of these sites allowed my comments to stand, I found that on other websites my comments disappeared. I thought that these authors liked freedom of speech, I thought that they liked diversity.
I was a bit surprised that Linda Holmes, who writes for NPR, wanted to remove my comments since she has specifically written about why books should not be banned. Perhaps Linda only likes diversity when everyone agrees with her. You might ask yourself whether the comments I wrote were inappropriate. Fortunately, I composed them using Microsoft Word, so they are still available. I have included them below and you can decide whether they were too offensive. I guess that the average NPR reader has eyes that are too delicate to read the word "genital".
(My comments are below)
People say that we should be tolerant. Should we tolerate stealing? Should we tolerate spousal abuse? Should we tolerate dieting to the point of death (anorexia)? Healthy people say no to these things and healthy people should not tolerate the genital mutilation that Chastity Bono practices and advocates.
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I love the way people use the word "hate". What it really means is that these are the people who disagree with them. Some people say that anyone who disagrees with them is "sinful", while other people say that anyone who disagrees with them is "hateful" or a "hater". Name calling is such a poor way to make a point. In my opinion, people who speak out against the transgender agenda are believers in health and wholeness. Someone like Chastity Bono who mutilates their genitals has harmed themselves mentally and physically. Their agenda is to be feared in the same way that healthy people fear anorexia or alcoholism. We would not want someone on television saying that binge drinking is a normal thing that should be accepted and healthy people do not want someone saying that genital mutilation should be accepted.
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Let's talk about Christianity. I am a Christian and I also teach that evolution is fact, I believe that the earth is about 3.5 billion years old, and I believe that the bible is filled with a lot of metaphor. In short, I am not a fundamentalist.
So, what would Jesus say to Chastity Bono? He would say to her, "woman, God loves you; sin no more". Anyone who knows Christian belief knows the phrase, 'love the sinner, hate the sin'. We all fall short of what we should be, which means that we are all sinners. That being said, one of the greatest sins is to say that bad things are really good.
Chastity Bono may be a nice person, she may turn out to be a great dancer, she may be charming or witty. As with all people, her life is a miracle and a story of great interest, BUT, her actions in recent years are unhealthy and diminish us all. All healthy people recoil from what she advocates.
Jesus would tell Chastity that he loves her, but that her actions are a tragedy and that to encourage other people to see them as right makes the world a darker place.
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(comment from another poster) "These stupid redneck bigots have no right to tell other people what to do with their lives."
Hmmm, what was it that we were saying about hatred? Besides, name calling does not make someone look intelligent. This sort of reasoning is usually found in elementary schools.
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Americans say that they are against genital mutilation and so they should be against Chastity Bono mutilating her own genitals.
Just as all healthy people are against girls starving themselves through anorexia or people drinking too much alcohol, they should also be against Chastity's self destructive spiral that has resulted in the scarring of her body and her mental health.
Chastity was such a sweet and precious child, it breaks my heart to see that the lost the struggle with her inner demons.
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I am amazed how people casually throw around the word "hateful". Is it hateful to speak out against alcoholism? Is it hateful to speak out against anorexia? Is it hateful to speak out against Chastity Bono mutilating her genitals?
I remember when Chastity was a sweet little girl and people tell me that she has grown into a kind woman. It makes me so sad that her self hatred has compelled her to strike out against herself. The tragedy is that her body will never again be right and whole, but I hope that her spirit can find peace once again.
