過橋抽板

"過橋抽板" is an idiom that literally translates to: "Cross bridge and remove plank". It means to abandon others after you are safe.

It would be similar to the first guy letting go of the plank after crossing the gap.

You should probably have guessed where I'm going with this by now.

I'm angered and saddened that women and blacks aren't more empathetic towards the LGBT faction. After having suffered through their own civil rights wars I would think those two demographics would identify more with this next oppressed minority. But no. Instead there's this vibe of "No skin off my nose. 執生! ~~~\( ^ヮ^)/"

And blacks. A lot of the news coverage regarding the black American response to Obama's declaration has been about how he's going to lose some of their support over this. I'm appalled but not surprised. It's true. Some people hate gays so much they will even go so far as to vote against Obama or abstain because of this. Just this.  
Economic policies? Social policies? Foreign agenda? Whatever. Gays? Wherever they are, I won't be. *harumph*

By the way, the brokenness of an entrenched two-party system should be very clear to you here.

I also heard talk about the role their pastors will play on that black response. On the other hand, I didn't hear corresponding talk about religion and the general white response. Church still holds a pretty important place in the general black community-mind in a way it no longer does among whites here.

When I heard that I pictured myself sitting across a chessboard with Christian god. I said, "So, we meet again." I believe I've said it before but I'll say it again: Religion is my enemy. Once again I find it standing in the way of Progress.
I can imagine that in later years the Church as a whole will somehow find it within itself to see gays as equal human beings, just like it managed to with blacks once upon a time. Slavery used to be a-okay in their Book. Never forget that.

Tradition: The Stupidest Reason

As the title states, I believe tradition to be the stupidest reason to do anything ever. It can and does serve as mindless justification for just about anything.

I've pondered the matter, as I do, and the only argument I can think of in favor of using this "reason" is that somebody worked out that a certain way of doing things was best, and that must be why it's tradition, right? That's weak.
Fortunately, I have you guys! I'm really looking for some intellectual discussion from you all on this one. I'm stumped. Part of me is hoping there's a stronger argument in favor that I'm just not coming up with at the moment. On the other hand, I wouldn't be disappointed to learn that you find it as logically tenuous as I do when given proper scrutiny.

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I was reading an article on the debate to legalize marijuana and one of the No's had this as his 'reasoning':

"If marijuana was going to be legalized they'd already have done it by now."

Dafuq you say?

Well, shit, son, with that kind of logic I guess we can extrapolate your views on a couple of other things, too.

If gay marriage was going to be legalized they'd already have done it by now.
If women were going to be given suffrage they'd already have it by now.
If the Middle-East was going to have peace they would have it by now.
If black people were going to be given equal rights they'd already have it by now.
If we were going to abolish slavery we'd already have done it by now.

Change happens at a point.
Think about that.
There is always a day when the people go to sleep and awaken to a different world. Looking back on history, reading it like a contiguous series of events, it's easy to fall under the impression that events flowed visibly from one to the next with the 'conclusion' in sight like a movie or book. We forget that today will be in a history book someday.
"Slavery is an evil" becoming an accepted truth all across the civilized world? No one saw that coming sitting on their porches on their plantations.

"This is how things have always been" is quintessentially self-serving, isn't it?

Think

Well, this isn't one of the drafts but it was too good to let slip. Thanks to Mark for bringing it to my attention.

All Hope Is Not Lost, Penny Pigtails #1

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
I may use more colorful language in this blog from this point on. By that I mean profanity. True, I haven't been stingy with it thus far but I just want you forewarned to the increased levels of it in the days to come. There's a quote by some clever wag floating around saying something to the effect of "the use of course language betrays a feeble intellect" (Delivered in a posh and condescending accent). Well, that's witty and all but entirely rhetorical and unfounded on real life. I've known many foul-mouthed intellectuals and a good number of well-spoken fools. I have no doubts you all have made acquaintances of your own shares, eh?
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 Now on to the post topic.

We live in some interesting times, people. No, no, I'm not even referring to so-called "important" stuff like politics and shit. I'm talking about the polarity between Awesome and Suck that defines American society today. I will elaborate.

#1. As a whole, the U.S. has become more secular. Say what you want about how the Founding Fathers created a nation with a separation between church and state. It didn't happen. In the letter, sure, maybe. In practice, no. You can see evidence attesting to that fact on our currency, in the various rituals both legal (...and nothing but the truth so help you God?) and political (one nation, under God, indivisible) and, of course, looking at the population that lives here. Christianity still has a nominally solid hold on America but I am pleased to say that most people only pay lip service to their professed faith.
d-(^__________^)-b
You only have to observe a person in the course of their daily life to discover this. What drives a person? What concerns weigh on his/her mind? Thankfully, these days religion features in fewer of these answers. I attribute this to a generally wealthier (yes, even now) and more public institutionally educated society. Most people these days don't learn their "Readin', 'Ritin' and 'Rithmetic" in a one room schoolhouse on which the townspeople keep an eye to ensure their children aren't being taught witchcraft and devil worship. For better or worse, the typical contemporary's motivations tend toward the selfish. That's good! Fewer and fewer people let sexually repressed male virgins priests dictate how they should live their lives.
Furthermore, tolerance is well on the rise, especially my generation and up (or is it down?). Younger. My generation and younger. At least, it grows where the bigoted parents don't find it in time. I once encountered a white cab driver who told me all about how he had done his part to keep the "great Amurrican nayshun" clean by marrying a white woman and having a pure-blood white child. Otherwise, he remained perfectly civil and polite. (A well-spoken fool, no?) I think he truly meant it when he said he'd "done his part" as he betrayed no palpable malice towards my yellowness. I suppose his love of green overcame it, maybe? After helping me with my bags he assured me that his son would grow up indoctrinated with his ideals. Then he bid me good night and left.
Ok, that story had to do with race not religion but extrapolate the message yourself.

Do remember that I speak in generalities. I live here. Before you respond to me with all kinds of anecdotal evidence of fanaticism, excerpts from Fox News broadcasts, etc., recall that I'm an anti-religious Chinese male in America. I know plenty about societal prejudice.

Now if only I was, I dunno, an unattractive (<-this is important) female Jewish Middle Eastern Muslim Nazi Communist who grew up in the ghetto THEN I'd be an expert, eh? Eh? hahahahaha

Once again, I find I'm going to have to split this post for the sake of digestibility.