Thursday, November 13, 2008

Savage and Bush: Separated at Birth?


People are angry. They feel scared and impotent, and they're looking to someone with a louder voice than their own to do something—anything—that makes them feel more powerful. But despite the fact that there’s an obvious authentic target for this anger, that loud-voiced someone calls for action on another front. Never mind that the connections are tenuous at best. It’s going to make you feel better.


I’m referring, of course, to Dan Savage.


As our own John Saltas made clear in his column this week, there’s currently no love lost between this paper and the editor of Seattle’s alt-weekly The Stranger, who called for a boycott of all things Utah in the wake of LDS church members spending big bucks to help pass the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 in California. Other alternative newsweeklies have rushed to Savage’s defense, and to pillory this paper for deciding not to run his weekly “Savage Love” column any longer. Readers in this forum have expressed similar support for Savage and his campaign. And when gays and their straight allies see LDS church spokesmen playing the “don’t hate on us, can’t we all just get along in our differences” card, it’s understandable that they’d somehow want payback.


Here’s the problem: Savage is being a demagogue. There are millions of people justifiably outraged at Proposition 8’s stripping away of rights, but Savage is pointing these wound-up folks at the wrong target. Like our dear soon-to-be-departed president, he appears little concerned with reasoned arguments for whom the angry mob should be targeting. He hates those fucking Mormons and their fucking money, and fucking Utah is going to get the sharp end of his fucking stick. It’s shock-and-awe-fulness, and if there’s some collateral damage on those who had nothing to do with anything, well, too fucking bad. If you don't want to get the smackdown, move to another state, bitches.


Listen, Dan: We know you’re pissed. A lot of people in this state are pissed right along with you. But you’re doing exactly what progressives have rightly castigated this administration for doing over the past eight years: Making ideological decisions that appeal to the fears of your base, rather than applying common sense and logic. When you're ready to stop the economic carpet-bombing in favor of something a bit more surgical, you can re-claim the moral high ground. (Scott Renshaw)

14 comments:

  1. What Savage is attempting to do to Utah is no different than what the Mormons and their coalition did to the gay community with Prop 8: blanket every individual under the same ugly banner.

    But I suppose it's okay when he does it.

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  2. Fucking give it up. Seriously.

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  3. Wow.
    This is the only decent thing ever posted in these blogs.
    Savage is a bigoted hate-monger.
    Boycott Seattle.

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  4. "Wow.
    This is the only decent thing ever posted in these blogs.
    Savage is a bigoted hate-monger.
    Boycott Seattle."

    Yes, that's the way. Do the same thing to them that they do to you to prove you're not a bigoted hate-monger. Idiot.

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  5. Seattle will thrive with or without Utahns/Mormons coming here.

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  6. And Salt Lake City will thrive without the Seattlites, but you're welcome here regardless.

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  7. People from all over the world flock to SLC and Utah in general to enjoy world class skiing as well as some of the best terrain for our door activities found anywhere.

    Savage has no sway whatever over another individual's vacation plans, but if his ego requires it, let him think it.

    The handful of people that might actually choose soggy Washington slush over Utah's airy powder probably aren't worth visiting with anyway if they're really that vindictive.

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  8. Washington may have slushy, shit for snow, but it still has about a million other attractions. Don't get me wrong, I grew up in Utah and will always think of it as my home, but I think the world will retaliate against the LDS church in the one way they know... money. The Mormon empire is a business, and should be treated as such. loss of tax exempt status and boycotts on goods and services. The same way we'd do it to businesses like Wal-Mart and Nike.

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  9. Well, Wal-Mart and Nike are doing just fine despite boycott's and so will Utah. Boycott's don't work because people are too lazy or personally disinterested to participate. They'll tell you they're never going to buy from such and such until it's a matter of convenience.

    Who cares what Washington has for attractions? That has nothing to do with anything. Who's calling for a boycott of Washington?

    The world doesn't give a fuck about this and won't even blink - You're high if you think so. The LDS church has more money coming out of its ass than it knows what to do with. Every week, millions of people give 10% of their earnings to this religious empire. If you think you can hurt it financially, in the slightest, again, you're fucking high.

    What Mormon services do you intend to boycott? Charity? Give me a break.

    Just so you know, I am totally against the church on this one and am not even fucking close to being Mormon. I just think that those of you that actually believe you can do anything to affect the church financially are being silly.

    But whatever. I suppose you'll find out. Boycott whatever you want. The world won't stop for you.

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  10. i think that city weekly was right to drop savage from its contributors. there are a lot of people in utah who actively protested prop 8 and its sad that he doesn't realize that. and while the mormons are most definitely carrying the majority of the blame for passing this bigoted measure, since they donated the most to this campaign, that does not mean that all mormons support prop 8 or are against gay marriage. i just want to point that out. i am all for protesting on the church grounds and railing against their ignorant leaders who have issued discriminatory remarks, and yes they should lose their tax exempt status, but please, don't forget that not all of them supported this measure. we cannot dehumanize them the way they wish to dehumanize homosexuals.

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  11. So you don't like boycotts because they hurt the wrong people so you are starting a boycott to hurt the wrong people (who love Dan's column and agree LDS is full of hate?) oh... ok....

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  12. LDS elders didn't give a F*CK who they hurt or angered in CA LGBT community.
    Boycotting Utah is Boycotting the LDS Church, Salt lake City will always be the heart of the Church of Latter-day Saints, as much as Mecca is to Muslims or the Vatican is to Catholics.No matter where else LDS spreads SLC is their CENTER. Half my family are LDS in SLC and my Mother was Mormon until she converted when I was 4yo. No where else does the LDS chuch have the percentage of undilluted LDS voters as they have in Utah. If LGBTs hurt Mormons in Utah....they STAY HURT, and can never again launch attacks on OUR families or OUR constitutional RIGHTS.
    The drama DIVAs doing their poor pity the picked on Mormons ACT....is SO TIRED, you'd think ya might write a new act in 150 years.

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  13. Smug straight folks saying a boycott will never hurt UT, read the over 40 Million in loss tourism in the 1990's when CO attacked gay families.

    read and weep

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