On Jan. 19, 2012, Newt Gingrich was politely asked if he would like to answer a direct question. His answer, simply put, was honest: â┚¬Å”No.â┚¬ÂÂ
There once was a time when you could ask candidates questions and they'd give you an answer. In our current linguistic reality, all questions are redirected to prewritten talking points, and there is nothing we can really do about it. However, what can be controlledâ┚¬â€Âthe questionsâ┚¬â€Âshould.
So, how should we react to intentional avoidance in 21st-century politics? By cutting their dogmatic talking points off at the knees. We need to learn that their answers (or lack thereof) are not as important as our questions: we need to start asking the right ones.
It is time to do away with the strategy of kindly worded questions, time to put backbone behind our beliefs and take command of the greater public conversation. Enough of asking, â┚¬Å”Do you think gays have the right to marry?â┚¬Â The question should be, â┚¬Å”Do you think the government should tax gay couples more than straight couples?â┚¬Â No more inquiring about gays receiving protection at work. The question instead is, â┚¬Å”Do you think employers should have the right to fire people for being gay?â┚¬Â It's time to throw away the question, â┚¬Å”Should gays be allowed to adopt?â┚¬Â Instead, we must ask, â┚¬Å”Do you think gays are bad parents?â┚¬Â And for those who'd seek a reinstatement of DADT, time to make them answer, â┚¬Å”Do you think gays are incapable of fighting for our country?â┚¬ÂÂ
Enough tiptoeing around the issues, enough sitting back and letting our rights be taken or withheld from us, and enough of letting those who lead get away with avoiding what's really at stake here. If they refuse to consider real answers, we need to make them. If they say they have â┚¬Å”gay friends,â┚¬Â ask them, â┚¬Å”How do those friends feel about your anti-gay platform?â┚¬Â If they won't support ENDA, as them why they think gays are unfit employees. And if they say a â┚¬Å”motherâ┚¬Â and a â┚¬Å”fatherâ┚¬Â should raise children, then ask them where those abandoned children came from in the first place.
It may seem like I'm blaming the community for not standing up for themselves. In some ways, I am. But it isn't for lack of will, determination, or dedication on our part. Rather we have allowed our excessive cordiality to perpetuate this stagnation.
No more diplomatic phrasing that allows our politicians to take the coward's way out. Get up, get in their way, and start fighting their evasiveness. It's time to confront our wannabe leaders about denying gays their rightsâ┚¬â€Âto marry, be parents, have consensual sex in our homes, or fight for our country. And if they say they are NOT anti-gay, we MUST ask them â┚¬Å”Then what exactly do you think â┚¬Ëœanti-gay' means?â┚¬Â They may complain that these are unfair question, maybe if we ask them loud and often enough they will finally begin to understand what unfair really means.
