Bob Vander Plaats, President of the Iowa conservative Christian organization The FAMiLY LEADER, is taking umbrage at random anonymous comments from online threads in a plea to raise money for the group. A recent article in The Hill (and the Iowa Independent post highlighting it) suggested that Vander Plaats is one of the “top 10 coveted endorsements for Republicans running for president,” but Matt Reisetter (Director of Development) was very irritated by some of the comments he saw:
Flattering as that might be for Bob or for our organization, what caught my eye were some of the outrageous comments posted in response to the article, as it was displayed on various blogs. Here is a small sample of what some of the “haters” are saying:
“So when people think of Iowans, this…rabid, hate-spewing turtle is what they picture as the median? Great. Just great.”Posted on The Iowa Independent by LIBERaliTY on 6/28/2011
“hahaha I hope the republicans give him all of the influence in the world. He’s nuts. put him as far out on stage as possible.”Posted on The Iowa Independent by UIgrad2010 on 6/27/2011
“So many right-wing nut-jobs read this website…”Posted on The Hill by Marc Jacobs on 06/26/2011
The FAMiLY LEADER thinks it’s hateful to be called hateful and feels that random anonymous comments (aside from perhaps “Marc Jacobs”) are an “outrageous” destructive force. This, from the group who called being gay a “public health risk” akin to second-hand smoking. Often, bullies who seek allies to vindicate their bullying are implying their tacit awareness of the negative impact they’re making.
If Reisetter and Vander Plaats are concerned with “haters” in online feedback, perhaps they should pledge to help monitor and clean up the comment threads on “It Gets Better” anti-bullying videos. Here’s a look at some comments found on them today:
“Nobody is completely “normal”. That said, there ARE standards of “normalcy” in a thriving culture. One of them is a recognition of what sex is and why it exists. Homosexuality circumvents it as much as an appetite for rotting flesh instead of fresh food circumvents the reason the appetite for food exists. And in both cases, the results are disastrous — not only for the individual involved.”Posted on “It Gets Better” — Love, Pixar by RobRoyRed42 on 07/03/2011
“And gays aren’t brave! They ask for negative responses. If someone is gay and doesn’t talk like it fine be gay cuz no one will have to know. But if your flaming and doing the talk and acts for show u deserve to be hated on”Posted on “Google Chrome: It Gets Better” by MrGetmoney303 on 07/04/2011
“Stupid nigar gays go against the bible that’s all there is to it”Posted on “President Obama: It Gets Better” by paytonhester on 07/02/2011
Which group is really being bullied? Jonathan Rauch calls out this kind of self-victimizing at The Atlantic today (see number 11):
In a country where evangelicals outnumber self-identified gays by at least 10 to 1, and where anti-gay bullying is endemic in schools, and where same-sex couples cannot marry in 45 states, and where countless gay Americans cannot even get their foreign partners into the country, much less into a hospital room — here, we’re supposed to believe that gays are the bullies? Get used to it. This is the script of culture wars to come.