Saturday, June 27, 2020
Intolerance BP-Style
If anyone needs proof that intolerance, ignorance and hate live under our very noses, request a copy of an email written by a BP resident yesterday on the topic of our recent Pride Parade. It's public record, so the village clerk will send it to you upon request.
The letter, littered with misspelled words and nonsensical ramblings, was written to every elected official except the gay one (me), condemning the gay "lifestyle choice" and going on to basically say: What next? Allowing '”other cultures” like Mexicans, Jews, Blacks and Haitians to have parades? The author seems to be OK with Christian events like Santa’s attendance at our annual Winterfest and pagan events like Halloween at the Rec Center. Her concern is that Jews or Blacks or Mexicans may start parading in our streets now that the gays have broken the seal. Perhaps she’s not aware that our diverse community welcomes and celebrates gays and folks from a parade of nations and every color in the big gay rainbow in addition to humans that worship all manner of gods with upper- and lowercase g’s. (“God” forbid, some neighbors may not worship any god at all!)
A main gripe of this neighbor was that the gay "lifestyle choice" was paraded past her house ... which it wasn't, not that it matters. And, Biscayne Park (until this parade, it seems) was the "perfect family neighborhood with strong family values." I won't name the neighbor, but expect that person to "out" herself if she reads this.
However, I won't ignore such vile whether it's aimed at me (it was by name, very directly) because I'm gay or at other neighbors because of their ethnicity, religion or national origin. Count me in for next year’s parades for Cinco de Mayo, Haitian Mardi Gras, Martin Luther King Day, and Jewish holidays (the list of that neighbor’s specific concerns).
Headed outside now to put the rainbow flag back up directly above the BLM sign that’s been up since the BP vigil honoring George Floyd. Does anyone have flags for Haiti, Mexico, and Israel that I can borrow? My household is a bastion of acceptance. Hell, I’ll even defend the right to spew intolerance, if there’s a flag for that. Oh wait, that flag is being removed from public spaces.
PS: That email was sent to the village manager and every elected official except me. IMO, any of those recipients, all representatives of this diverse community, who don’t reply to the author and challenge the intolerance is complicit in that intolerance. These days, silence = compliance.
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Mac, not to pick nits with you, but if you know who it is, and you don't name the person (I myself am not going to the trouble to make a public records request, particularly since there seems to be a blockage in producing them), then you're part of the group who don't "reply to the author, and challenge the intolerance." Indirectly, I realize, but still... Don't be silent now. I know you're not complicit, but you're being indirectly protective. This neighbor doesn't deserve your protection. If she writes "publicly" (to almost all Commissioners), then she's gone public, and she leaves herself open for a response. As I always say to anyone, when I post here (or if you or anyone else does), we all take the risk that someone will let us know they disagree. This is the risk we agree to take. And so does our neighbor who wrote the letter.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear(er), if you're going to write about how upset you are something someone said, you should say what they say (type out the e-mail, or at least sufficient excerpts of it), and who said it ("say their name"). Otherwise, all you're doing is reporting that you're upset about prejudice against homosexuals. You can deliver that whole message in the title of the post: "I Hate People who are Anti-Gay. We Have Some Here in BP."
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to write a whole post about it, keep in mind that you have readers, and those readers would like more from you.
I asked Rox and Chuck yesterday who the person was, and they told me. I don't recognize the name. So I doubt she's on the new post circulation for this blog. So she won't out herself, at least not here. But she already outed herself by writing to most of the Commissioners (I assume you mean at their Village e-addresses), so let's move this along. If I was sure I remembered her last name correctly (is the second letter an e or an a?; I don't remember her first name), I'd reveal it here. It seems to me Rox and Chuck said she lives on 11th Pl. If I got that wrong, you can correct.
I said what I needed to say, Fred.
ReplyDeleteI know you did, Mac, and I appreciate it. But keep in mind that when you write, you have readers. Of course you have to think about what you want, but also think about what they want.
DeleteThis is sort of.... I actually am at a loss for words on this. I really don't believe in publicly shaming anyone and I do not participate in that type of behavior, but I will try to find out who it is.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying Mac and I don't agree with you Fred when you publicly "out" people. That is your choice, but not mine.
I can't really say that i'm surprised, because Biscayne Park has a long history of intolerance to many and I have personal experience with these stories from my earlier days here. I had hoped that we moved on....
I am really sorry this happened Mac because I really respect you and everything you are doing for our neighborhood.
BrambleWitch, I agree with you, except... Our neighbor outed herself, by writing to four of our Commissioners (presumably -- Mac didn't say -- at their Village e-addresses). Also, Mac reminded readers that they can find out who this neighbor is simply by making a public records request. So, the neighbor has gone public, Mac, who wasn't included in the circulation, knows who it is, and Mac has either suggested to readers, or possibly encouraged them, to find out who it is. Why is it such a big step for Mac simply to tell us? I would also have appreciated if Mac had copied the e-mail in this post. By the way, Mac hasn't explained how he, to whom this was not addressed, came to know about it. So, there's a lot of communicating going on. As I say, what's one more step, and it's all public anyway?
DeleteI will add, BrambleWitch, that there is one other important feature to this matter. Mac, who did not directly receive this e-mail, chose to complain publicly about it. (I'm assuming, from the cut-and-paste-looking presentation, that Mac might well also have posted this on Nextdoor.) The four Commissioner direct recipients of this e-mail did not publicly comment on it. Mac didn't have to comment publicly on it, either. Since it came his way, he could have reached out privately to our neighbor, and offered a chat, extended conversation, or whatever, and never made it more public than our neighbor did.
DeleteAs you say, BP, and probably most other places, have "a long history of intolerance." So, for Mac simply to say he heard that one of our neighbors is intolerant of gays, and Mac himself is offended, in itself adds nothing. In my opinion, it would have been fine -- perhaps best -- if Mac had handled this privately, between himself and our neighbor. But once he decides not to do it that way, but to alert all of us in some way, then I think he owes everyone all the information he has.