Provided here is a “translation tool” of sorts, to help understand terms employed by the Religious/Political Right in editorials and sermons. These terms are also used quite often in the political arena.
Normal: Anyone who is white, heterosexual, married (or engaged to be), attends church at least once a week, and a registered Republican voter. The opposite terms “abnormal”, “repugnant”, “evil”, and of course “offensive” are usually used nearby as a companion in the same paragraph or comment with this word. Blacks and Hispanics can sometimes be included in this category, but only if they completely adhere to strict guidelines, and stay in the background as much as possible.
Law-abiding: This “hijacked” term has been twisted to mean “those who adhere only to “God’s law”, in an attempt to misguide the uneducated into believing there’s a difference between “god’s law” and “civil” laws. For instance, several states and/or municipalities have “Consenting Adult” laws, which state that any two adults of legal consent age, regardless of sex, may engage in sexual activities in the privacy of their own home. To the Religious/Political Right, this is not one of God’s laws, and therefore if you recognize the concept of “Consenting Adult” you are not a “law-abiding” citizen. The same goes for a lawful legal abortion, etc. etc. ad nauseam.
Patriot: Only those who strictly worship the Flag, the Bible, and any denomination of the Baptist Church as a holy trinity. Anyone who does not do so is branded “unpatriotic”. Example: the “Patriot Act” has nothing to do with being patriotic, in the literal sense of the word.
Homosexual: This term is used frequently to stress the “sex’ in homosexual, because the only difference between a homosexual and a heterosexual is who they sleep with at night. The idea behind using the word “homosexual” is to emphasize the myth that gays are nothing more than sexual beings, to the exclusion of all else, as if this is the only thing they think about night and day. This increases the “icky” factor, causing normal god-fearing people to shield their children and themselves from such beasts. Usually in the same sentence or article you’ll find such terms as “predator”, “recruits or recruiter”, “pedophile” or “degenerate” to bolster the claim that gays are only dangerous sexual beings. The term “gay” is to be avoided at all cost.
Special Rights: This a term describes a set of basic human essentials that the Religious/Political Right reserves only and wholly for itself. By using the term “special” it convinces regular folks that gays want rights that “normal God fearing” Christians don’t or can’t have, and that they covet exclusively for themselves! In actuality the “special” rights that the “Religious/Political Right” would have you believe that gays want are the following:
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Nancy
Hope you got a good deal of teflon spray, Jet: you're gonna need it when the righties cotton on to this one. And on Good Friday yet - fie on you! ;)
2 - Jet in Columbus
#1 Nancy.
Thanks, I stocked up at Wal-mart when I bought my copy of "Brokeback Mountain".
I intentionally wrote this to make people wince at the end of each paragraph, to get an intelligent (that's the hope anyway) discussion going.
To be honest, I started writing this last week, finished it this morning, and momentarily forgot about it being Good Friday and wouldn't have intended it to come out today, if I had.
I think I'll go hide in the hole the Easter Bunny's not using this Sunday.
Thanks for the worry, sweetie...
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
Not bad, but the late '90s just called -- they want their fresh material back.
4 - Dave Nalle
I'm just happy that Jet has started using paragraphs...
But a couple of specific points need to be addressed.
First off, the direct linking of the religious and political right is erroneous. The division is very clear in the GOP these days and we all know that any alliance between the two is an alliance of convenience not principle.
Blacks and Hispanics can sometimes be included in this category, but only if they completely adhere to strict guidelines, and stay in the background as much as possible.
A common kneejerk comment from the left, which is belied by the fact that the GOP is running more black candidates for major office in 2006 than either party has ever run before. The new face of the Republican Party is increasingly dark-skinned.
Example: the "Patriot Act" has nothing to do with being patriotic, in the literal sense of the word.
I just have to point out that the Patriot Act was approved by a large majority of Democrats in Congress and that they continued to support it when it came up for renewal. In fact, the main efforts to limit the powers of the act came from Republicans, not Democrats.
Dave
5 - Jet in Columbus
Matthew, okay, guilty as charged, are you saying the problem isn't more pressing today?
Give me a break I just woke up! You mean this isn't the nightmare Reagan 80s????
6 - Arch Conservative
Ok here's the flip side of the coin......word's in the liberal dictionary
Bigot: Anyone who does not believe that minorities deserve special treament in all aspects of today's American culture or in any other way does not hold liberal views regarding race issus
Offensive: Anything that runs contrary to liberal beliefs and/or leftist agenda. Derogatory and/or hateful speech directed toward religious people or conservative people does not qualify as offensive but rather "progressive."
Free Speech: The right for liberals to speak thier minds while telling conservatives they must shut up.
Morality: An illusion that seeks impart the idea that certain behaviors are in fact right or wrong when concerning cultrally accepted norms. There is no such thing as right or wrong there is only the ubiquitous subjectivity of life.
Racist: Similiar to bigot. Anyone who does not take the leftist liberal view of race relations all of the time.
Religion: Organized mythology followed by knuckley dragging neanderthals who are mentally, socially, and culturally inferior to enlightened progressive latte drinking athesit, secularists.
Evil: Anything that would attempt to pass judegmention using the aforementioned term "morality" which as all good porgressives know, is only an illusion.
7 - SteveS
Jet, on the other 'current' thread about gay marriage as well as other topics, you can see the forthcoming book being promoted by Ann Coulter is equating liberalism with godlessness.
WHile this might have started in the 90's, the conservative redefining of words definitely continues to this day and so is still relevant.
I am going to tend to agree with Dave, in that the religious right is no longer synonymous with the political right. The FAR politicial right, yes, but the moderate right is working to put a distance between themselves (and thank God, it's only about 8 years too late).
8 - SteveS
Equality: The liberal version gets it's own post, the conservative version is buried in the comments.
9 - Matthew T. Sussman
Also, lines at the BMV are still long, men still leave the toilet seat up, and the only thing in hockey that's black is still the puck. Guffaw!
10 - Dave Nalle
You forgot:
Nazi - What you call anyone you disagree with in order to shut them up and marginalize their opinions.
Fascist - See Nazi.
Hitler - Who you compare people to in order to shut them up and marginalize their opinions.
Dave
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
Ambrose Bierce just channeled Darren Daulton who wanted me to say he's really pissed at all of you.
12 - Jet in Columbus
Dave #4. OOOOOOO got me right in the gut, good deflection though.
Hmmmm let's see.
My paragraphs, yes, since I've been so amaturish at it lately, one of your other editors gave me some constructive critisismsmsms.
Blacks and Hispanics are increasingly being pushed to the single thin front of all those great Republican Party publicity shots, but you and I both know that the men running the show are the white guys grinning in the 8 or 9 solid rows just behind them.
Regardless of WHO passed the Patriot Act (very good deflection from the point, bravo) the fact remains that the patriot act has nothing to do with being patriotic.
And while we're on the subject, sir, it was passed by a Republican controlled congress and a Republican President, that in the opening hours of the war, convinced america that any Senator or Representitive would be branded a Saddam lover and a traitor if they didn't go along with the herd mentality.
...but of course that's only my opinion
13 - Dave Nalle
I am going to tend to agree with Dave, in that the religious right is no longer synonymous with the political right. The FAR politicial right, yes, but the moderate right is working to put a distance between themselves (and thank God, it's only about 8 years too late).
Well, they snuck up on us, Steve. When the religious right started to infiltrate the party it was run mostly by pro-business liberal northern elitists and their idea of religious conservatives was based on a post-puritan New England model which was very different from the version found in the bible belt, so they didn't quite see what they were getting into by allying with religious types who were much more extreme and crazy than the type they were familiar with. They had always thought that the really religiously extreme groups were naturally aligned with the Democrats who had the doctrinaire Catholics and the extreme religions which appealed to the poor classes in the south. For them religious conservatism was always associated with the lower classes and something they really didn't understand. It's taken some time to see it for what it is and to come to terms with how incompatible it is with the basic political goals of the GOP.
Dave
14 - Jet in Columbus
#11... Who?
15 - Jet in Columbus
#6 Ahhhhhh Arch conman, I knew I could count on you. There you have it folks!
Nancy, can you spare a can of that spray?
16 - Jet in Columbus
Steve #7&8... Amen
17 - Jet in Columbus
#10. Dave I don't seem to remember using those in my original rant. Hmmm, I'll have to add them to my thesaurus.
Thanks for keeping an eye on Arch, he can be forgetful sometimes in his zeal.
18 - Jet in Columbus
Dave, regarding #13.
And you were critisizing me about my paragraphs?????????
19 - Dave Nalle
Addenda to #10:
Neocon - What you call people when they invoke Godwn's Law after you call them a Nazi.
And Jet...
U.S. A P.A.T.R.I.O.T. is just an acronym for “United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." It's just a coincidence that the title happens to spell USA Patriot. Really.
Dave
20 - Jet in Columbus
Dave 13, unless I counted wrong there's only two sentences in that thing!
21 - Jet in Columbus
Dave 13, seriously now. The Religious right took possession of the Republican party when Reagan sold it to them in order to be elected in 1980.
Them and the NRA
22 - Jet in Columbus
Dave #19. I'm going to have to think a while to come up with a snappy retort to that, be patient!
23 - SteveS
Well, they snuck up on us, Steve.
You should know a person completely, before you get into bed with them.
It's taken some time to see it for what it is and to come to terms with how incompatible it is with the basic political goals of the GOP.
These last 8 years have given me grey hairs. The tide better be turning.
24 - Dave Nalle
Jet, your paragraph problem is the opposite of mine. You tend to make very short paragraphs. I tend to make needlessly long ones.
And as for the NRA, they belong in both parties and always have. I can dig up a picture of almost every major democratic political figure pretending he's a hunter.
Dave
25 - SteveS
The Religious right took possession of the Republican party when Reagan sold it to them in order to be elected in 1980.
well, Jet I think one of the basic principles of conservatism is it's snail-like pace.