Civil Rights

I watched a documentary about Emmett Till, a 14-year old black child killed in Mississippi in 1955, and viewed as one of the events that sparked the Civil Rights movement. I have talked to various people over the years about civil rights and equality, and their experiences during the 1950s through the present time. I am often reminded of how lucky I am that I can look at such horrific acts of violence and discrimination, and have absolutely no clue as to how people perpetrating these crimes could be so ignorant. I just don't understand looking at someone and feeling they are worthless, or worse yet, feeling they should die so brutally for something seemingly harmless such as whistling at a woman, and, oh yeah, being black. It's just disgusting.

But the documentary also made me think, have we really come very far? How many more prejudices to we have to attack before people have equal protection under the law? Will same-sex marriages being legalized in California actually be detrimental in the next election, banding the conservative christian right together even stronger, and drawing them out to vote to "protect" families, and keep gays from creating families? And why do people care so much about something that likely will not impact them? In all reality, to how many gays will Jesus Camp attending, mega-church supporting, fear-instilling christian warriors really be exposed?

Along the same lines, what about polygamy? I should really hop off my soapbox and turn the mirror back on myself. Being non-religious and an atheist, albeit moralistic at the same time, should my strong feelings about the importance of monogamy be forced on multiple consenting adults who wish to be married to one another (or should that read "married among each other"?)? I'm not referring to the infamous cults that force underage children into marriage with anybody, let alone someone old enough to be their parent or grandparent, so much as people, who as adults, have fallen in love and chosen to live with more than two adults in a relationship all with each other. And if polygamy were legal, would that lead to the demise of those cults, or make them stronger? Hmmm...