Self-Righteous in New Castle, PA

From a recent Dear Abby column that I happened to come across in a small town newspaper with, quite literally, nothing else to read:

I live in a family-oriented neighborhood. My problem is my next-door neighbor flies his gay pride flag in his front yard. Because we have a lot of families with young children who do not need to be subjected to that kind of thing, I have asked him numerous times to remove it.

His response is it's a free country and he does not subject anybody to his lifestyle.

I strongly feel that in a neighborhood devoted to children's morals and the way life should be, he should not be allowed to have that flag in his front yard for everyone to see. I threatened if he didn't take it down, I'd call the police. I feel it's harming the children to see that flag flying, especially on a busy street that everyone travels on. What should I do?

-- RIGHTEOUS IN NEW CASTLE, PA.

The answer: Get a freaking life.

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He should tell his kids that their neighbor likes rainbows and they should never, never speak to him or else he might make them like rainbows, too.

What did Abby say?

Dear Abby, to her credit, said:

First of all, calm down. Your neighbor is hurting no one, and "young children" will not understand what the flag symbolizes. Unless there are codes, covenants or restrictions in your neighborhood governing the display of flags, your neighbor has a right to hoist his banner. Rather than picking a fight about something so insignificant, you should concentrate on cultivating your own garden and stop obsessing about what's going on in his.

From The Buffalo News site.
This is starting to make me wonder: do I live in a "family-oriented" neighborhood too? How would I check? Anyone know?

I'll raise a slightly different issue: it's interesting that the "Self-Rightous" letter writer understood the symbolism represented by the rainbow flag. Apparently he (or she) has too much time on his (or her) hands.

I agree with you about the lack of news content in small town newspapers. It isn't just small town newspapers, by the way. Every time we visit my parents in Ft. Myers FL, I have been appalled at the local newspaper. Which, by the way, is owned by Gannett, a rather major newspaper publisher. I suspect that the "small town newspaper" from which you got this is also owned by a major publisher. Which, of course, would make the lack of news content all the more galling.

But newspapers in the US exist to sell advertising. That's true of virtually all US media. I learned that 20 years ago in--surprise! surprise!--the Wall Street Journal. In other words, the customer is--the advertiser, not the viewer, listener or reader.

Well said. Using the letter writer's same logic, I'm going to threaten my neighbor who has a "Jesus Is The Reason" sign in her front yard.My dogs have been raised godless and I don't want them exposed to that kind of lifestyle.

Makes about as much sense, no?
Damn homophobes.

The enlightening thing about this letter to dear abby is not the raging homophobia and bigotry. That should not be news to anyone who reads. What it makes clear is the thing that is so evil and insidious about the christian right. They are not satisfied by merely living by or following the rules laid down in their own dogma. Their goal is to force all of us, no matter what our belief system is, to follow THEIR rules. The important thing is not their behavior, but ours. And they will use anything, from local governement and school boards to congress and the supreme court to find a way to control our behaviors. These are people who have a totalitarian, police-state mentality, and THAT, my friends, is what makes them dangerous...

Mikey

Completely agree with 'mikey'. Well said.

By cubic rooms (not verified) on 23 Aug 2005 #permalink

I'd only add to mikey's point that they have a weird proclivity to speak of families as if only christians have them. Essentially to hide behind their children in order to excuse their bigotry, I suspect.

(And LOL @ the horrors of rainbow loving children!)

I wonder when America will wake up to the Christianist problem. It has the potential to be as serious as Islamist movements halfway around the globe, but is far more insidious for being home grown.