North Carolina hosted dueling rallies yesterday afternoon over a proposed law that would ban not just marriage, but even basic civil rights like hospital visitation.
Meanwhile, the group Faith in America has been organizing opposition to the law. They’ve rounded up gay-affirming faith leaders, which is very helpful in combating that stereotype of “gays versus God.”
But, geez, couldn’t they also have rounded up a PR professional? Take a look at their billboards and newspaper ads: they don’t look all that different from those crazy “the world will end on May 22” ads. And the messages are downright baffling.
One billboard asks, “Do N.C. lawmakers EMBRACE religion-based BIGOTRY?” Uh, gee, maybe. We dunno. What are you even talking about? If we were driving by and didn’t know anything about this issue, we’d assume that they are referring to bigotry against a religious group. And also, that their caps-lock key is broken.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“Religion-Based BIGOTRY is SHAMEFUL/yesterday – today – tomorrow,” says another. To which the average North Carolinian might nod their head in agreement, “yes, quite, very shameful,” without it even occurring to them that it has anything to do with homosexuals.
Why pussyfoot around? Why not post up a big picture of a priest with the words “Banning marriage is shameful” or “Tell Raleigh to reject anti-gay laws”?
TheRealAdam
The very essence of religion *is* bigotry, so of course the billboards will fly over those Southerners’ heads.
Chad
So the answer to bigotry, according to the first comment, is to be bigoted against people of faith and people who live in the south. The way to fight hypocritical assholes isn’t for us to be hypocritical assholes ourselves.
TheRealAdam
@Chad: My comment had nothing to do with people from the South – that is just where the signs are located. And I never said anything about hating people of faith.
Tallskin
People of faith are idiots by definition
Just because a billion delusional loons worship a non existent sky pixie doesn’t make them sane because of sheer numbers.
A loon is a loon.
And usually their lunacy is accompanied by a nasty bigotry exhibited towards other people.
And pointing and laughing at loons who worship a non existent sky pixie is not bigotry.
Definition: bigot |?b?g?t|
noun
a person who is bigoted : religious bigots. See note at zealot .
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (denoting a superstitious religious hypocrite): from French, of unknown origin.
greenluv1322
Hey guys I live in NC so although I am not a religious person at all I think these billboards are a step in the right direction. The issue of gay marriage is not one that the average North Carolina citizen thinks about on a daily basis. So it’s okay to start with something about “faith.”
You have to fight fire with fire sometimes so if marketing to “fair-minded” religious folks is what it takes…well that’s what it takes.
Cam
@Chad: said…
“So the answer to bigotry, according to the first comment, is to be bigoted against people of faith and people who live in the south. The way to fight hypocritical assholes isn’t for us to be hypocritical assholes ourselves.”
__________________________
No, but it’s also false to compare the two. WE aren’t being the same as them. If somebody runs up and starts hitting you in the face, YOU aren’t the same as them if you push them away and hit them back.
These people are attacking gays, and passing laws trying to take away any vestige of our rights, and yet somehow WE are the bad guys for calling them ignorant bigots? Sorry, but the days of sitting back and hating ourselves so much that we are grateful for any acknowledgement are over. This isn’t about making people love us, it’s about confronting the hate and bigotry.
Joseph
As a Proud North Carolinian I have to say our legislature is screwed up enough that this won’t pass.
schlukitz
@Cam:
+1000, Cam!
drumbeats
Might I also point out that in the ad in the bottom picture, someone from far away or driving by quickly would see only the capslock and get “EMBRACE BIGOTRY” as the message…