So, it all begins when alyeska makes a post wherein she comes out of the closet on a very serious issue...

That's right I am a George W. Bush supporter. I always have been. I don't generally make it well known because so many of you hate him. I don't always agree with everything he says or does but I like him and I like most of his ideas.

I'm sorry if this is upsetting to any of you, but if you really consider me a friend then it doesn't matter. I accept who you are and your beliefs, even if I don't always agree with them I only consider that a small part of who you are. This is just a part of who I am. I'll get into this more when I have the time, just thought I'd leave a little post about the icon. If some of you leave, well I'm sorry to see you go, but I can understand.

Almost immediately, fellow Fannish Republicans jump to her defence. amandageist compares it all to coming out as gay (in the comments, we get a little discussion of inaccurate and offensive icons) and morganmalfoy (who, for the record, is a slasher) explains her vote (for the record, I don't consider at least the last post incredibly wanky.)

The Democrats step in as well, of course. jlh posts on the issue.

About the political stuff. If someone said in 1964 that they felt that beating back Khrushchev was more important than the civil rights situation in the south and therefore they were voting for Goldwater, they would have been within their rights to do so. However, they shouldn't have been surprised that any Black friends they might have had would take it personally, wondering that a friend of theirs would actually put something ahead of their right to vote/go to school/even exist.

Change 1964 to 2004, Khrushchev to whatever large issue someone might agree with Bush on (terrorism, Iraq, etc.), civil rights for gay rights, and Blacks for gays, and hopefully you'll begin to understand what's been going on. It makes me very sad to see that it really is mostly those who have a personal understanding of predjudice and identity politics that are on the front lines of this. I know, because I have seen, that you don't have to be a person of color, or Jewish, or gay or lesbian yourself to have this visceral understanding of these issues, but it really seems to help, and that's too bad.

So be honest! Come right out and say, "I'm voting for Bush because I honestly feel that his stance on [insert your issue here] is more important to me and to the future of this country than his stance against gay rights."

And if you feel that way, less power to you.

And epicyclical posts as well.

Over the past few weeks/months, I've been seeing more and more political posts in my friends' LJs. And it sucks. Not because I hate politics - I don't, though I try to stay away from it on LJ. And not because I hate talking politics - I don't, though I often find it sort of boring or frustrating. It so often seems to devolve into semantics. But because it's always depressing and troubling when people you've always liked - even if you only really ever knew them in a limited/online capacity - turn out to hold a set of moral-cum-ethical-cum political beliefs that you just absolutely cannot feel are anything but immoral and really, kind of despicable.

Because then what? Do you stop being friends with them? I mean, you know, in your heart, that all your future interactions with them are going to be colored with your knowledge that they feel this way, and that you really really hate it. And being silent when hateful, or even just really wrongheaded, things are being said, feels like cowardice. But then everyone else gets upset, and people are all, "Well, you claim to be tolerant, but here you are jumping on me for disagreeing. What about my right to free speech? What about respecting all opinions as equally valid?"

And yeah, I guess there's that, and I guess I am jumping on them. And I guess I don't respect all opinions as equally valid. But then, how can you really? If you respect all opinions as equally valid, doesn't that respect become completely meaningless? At some point you have to decide what you believe in, and be willing to stand up for it, and be willing to tell other people when you think they're wrong. I don't think that's intolerance, either. I think there's a big difference between telling people you don't respect their opinion and telling them you don't think they have a right to hold that opinion, or to express it. Nor does telling them you think they're wrong have much of anything to do with the right to free speech. As someone (beats me who) once said, "The right to free speech is a right to expression, even though that expression may disparage the expressions of others." Another way of putting it is stating that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from response. You can say what you like; that doesn't mean that I have to agree with you, or keep on liking you, or be your friend. The right of free speech is held by all people and all groups in this country; the right to have what you say be respected and approved of (by me, or by anyone), is not.

Or in other words, I agree with Clio.

And then things really hit when slytherincess discovers wizardsforbush where we all learn that 'Dumbledores Army Officially Endorses George Bush'

(Disclaimer: slytherincess's post includes a comment from yours truly.)

And then Aja, MsScribe, Calliope14, Shoiryu, and Littletort* all say, almost in unison, 'OMG if you support Bush or belong to wizardsforbush get OFF my Friends list!'

And megd, creator of the icon (ETA: She didn't make the icon, sorry), is hurt that the big, bad BNFs don't care about her feelings and confused.

*ETA: littletort's friends list is a home to all, Bush supporters or no. My bad.

ETA (thank you prettyveela): Check out drworm's post on wizardsforbush.