Going to Carolina (in my mind): A California perspective

Yesterday North Carolinian voters passed an amendment that not only took their existing law against same-sex marriage but made it such that it's part of their state constitution. And while I had that People wonder why we won't move to the South reaction, the reality is that the same sort of proposal passed here in my home state a few years ago. It was, of course, overturned as unconstitutional, but it's not like there's any shortage of bigotry and intolerance in the seeming liberal bastion on the left coast. And somehow I find the ability to continue living here.

I've been to North Carolina multiple times. There's plenty of nice people there who have no issues with gays and lesbians. It's not fair to take this sort of political incident as justification for dismissing the state any more than it would be to write off California.

The reality is there's plenty of idiots everywhere, and we simply must choose a place to live where we're willing to put up with the ones in that vicinity. We get used to those idiots, and then only notice the different types of idiots there are in other areas, blithely overlooking how no city, no state, no country has a monopoly on stupidity.

And someone will say that it's not right to conflate opposition to same-sex marriage with being stupid. It is true that one can favor that marriage equality and still be an idiot, or to vote against it but still have intelligence. It's not an overall statement about the person: Idiocy is a behavioral designation. And I contend if you think it's the role of the government to suspend the civil rights of others out of your personal insecurities, then, yep, in that case you're an idiot.

You're not alone.

~

You think I'm an idiot. I know. And I'm not saying you're wrong.

But if you live near me then you choose to do so of your own volition.