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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A radical bigot by any other name still remains a bigot
Letters to the Editor | 2/5/08
Posted online at 2:01 AM EST on 2/5/08
To the Editor:
In "Taking Action in the 2008 Election,"
(Jan. 29 issue) a student is described as being a victim of "prejudices" because of his support for Mike Huckabee in the presidential race. The nature of these alleged "prejudices" is, however, very shallow: The only thing we are told is that the student "gets looks" when people find out about his support for Huckabee.
As someone who is gay, I find it hard to sympathize with this student. Huckabee believes (like too many of our politicians), that "homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle," which poses "a dangerous public health risk." He has said that AIDS patients ought to be quarantined, and while that was 16 years ago-when little was known about the relatively new epidemic-he has repeatedly stood by that comment, refusing to either apologize or acknowledge that he was wrong.
The student in this article denies that Huckabee is a "radical bigot" and seems perplexed by his perception as such. But it should be clear to everyone that Huckabee is indeed a "radical bigot," without question. That he has positions on other issues, or that he is not alone in expressing these bigoted views, does not change the fact that he is a bigot.
The student who supports Huckabee is free to vote for whomever he desires. But if he "gets looks" for supporting a vocal homophobe, he should not be surprised. Would no one bat an eyelash if that same student were to support a candidate who wished to bring back racial segregation? Absolutely not! People would make their disgust and displeasure known to the student.
Between Mike Huckabee and Brandeis students who give "looks," it is obvious where the true prejudice lies. But when are we going to stop allowing this truly despicable hate speech-cloaked as it is in religious terms-pass for legitimate discourse in our country? We must call it bigotry if it is bigotry. If that does not start here, then where else?
-Ben Serby '10
In "Taking Action in the 2008 Election,"
(Jan. 29 issue) a student is described as being a victim of "prejudices" because of his support for Mike Huckabee in the presidential race. The nature of these alleged "prejudices" is, however, very shallow: The only thing we are told is that the student "gets looks" when people find out about his support for Huckabee.
As someone who is gay, I find it hard to sympathize with this student. Huckabee believes (like too many of our politicians), that "homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle," which poses "a dangerous public health risk." He has said that AIDS patients ought to be quarantined, and while that was 16 years ago-when little was known about the relatively new epidemic-he has repeatedly stood by that comment, refusing to either apologize or acknowledge that he was wrong.
The student in this article denies that Huckabee is a "radical bigot" and seems perplexed by his perception as such. But it should be clear to everyone that Huckabee is indeed a "radical bigot," without question. That he has positions on other issues, or that he is not alone in expressing these bigoted views, does not change the fact that he is a bigot.
The student who supports Huckabee is free to vote for whomever he desires. But if he "gets looks" for supporting a vocal homophobe, he should not be surprised. Would no one bat an eyelash if that same student were to support a candidate who wished to bring back racial segregation? Absolutely not! People would make their disgust and displeasure known to the student.
Between Mike Huckabee and Brandeis students who give "looks," it is obvious where the true prejudice lies. But when are we going to stop allowing this truly despicable hate speech-cloaked as it is in religious terms-pass for legitimate discourse in our country? We must call it bigotry if it is bigotry. If that does not start here, then where else?
-Ben Serby '10
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