Reply #75: Is this paragraph the bottom line? [View All]

[Duncan Grant]

There are no easy answers. As a human being, I can understand where you are coming from. But as the administrator of an active discussion forum with a wide range of people -- including critics and defenders of the president -- I'm not sure I can promise you much relief, at least not within the confines of Democratic Underground and how we currently run it. Yes, I can keep the forum clear of obvious bigotry -- that's not difficult. And I believe I can provide you with a community in which, when it comes to your civil rights, everyone expresses 100% support for full equality. But people's ideas on how we get to that point will inevitably -- and legitimately -- differ, and when that debate happens all these hurt feelings rise to the surface again and it becomes very difficult to have a conversation.

I'm disappointed with this paragraph because it sounds similar to all that was said after the last dust-up in 2008. After my first read(s) of your OP, it seems we've simply come back to square one. That's just my own interpretation -- it's possible that I'm only seeing what I what to see. So, I intend to read this through many more times, have my reaction to it, wait a while longer, and then respond.

On a personal level, thank you for this:

Of course, being able to make an emotionally detached evaluation of an issue like gay rights is one of the privileges of being a white, heterosexual male (which I am). When the big picture was laid out in EarlG's email, it was easier to understand why some LGBT DUers have been so skeptical of President Obama, and why it might feel like an attack when someone disagrees with your opinion of the President. To be clear, I don't agree with all of the things that are said about him either, but at least I feel like I understand where you're coming from.