CNN reports that Rick Santorum isn’t too happy about being labeled a bigot.
Presidential candidate Rick Santorum defended his position on gay marriage Tuesday while speaking to students at Pennsylvania State University, and slammed CNN’s Piers Morgan for questioning him as a “bigot” in a pre-taped interview that aired Wednesday night.
“I had Piers Morgan call me a bigot, because I believe what the Catholic Church teaches with respect to homosexuality,” Santorum said, heatedly. “So now I’m a bigot because I believe what the Bible teaches.”
Yup. See, here’s the thing: “bigotry” is when you pick a certain group of people to treat as inferiors—denying them the same rights as everyone else—simply because they are different in some way. The question of “bigot vs. not-bigot” is not a question of where you get your ideas from, it’s a question of whether or not you do what bigotry does.
It is nice that he gives the Bible and the Catholic Church full credit as the source of his bigotry though.
Interestingly, Santorum’s purported excuse for his unsavory opinions is exactly in line with the original sense of the word bigot. Here’s how Webster defined it in his 1828 dictionary:
I couldn’t agree more, Deacon. When will fundies learn that slapping a T.B.S.S. (The Bible Says So) decal on their small-minded prejudices does not make them morally correct or socially acceptable?
And who is the better leader, anyway? The man who hates and oppresses a minority because a magic book tells him to, or the man has the courage and compassion to stand up and defend their basic human rights in the face of opposition because it is the right thing to do?
The crowd of people with whom Mr. Santorum’s remarks gained him any respect is shrinking all the time. This is called progress.
Uggh, Santorum. Every time I see his name in print, I immediately bring up a Google window and type in his name. I guess that makes me a bigot! Won’t you join me? Remember to click on the link.
If low journalistic standards result in altering the public’s perception of a candidate, I would call that bigotry too. For instance, Santorum is not a ‘Presidential candidate’; he’s only a potential Republican nominee for the 2012 election. Calling him a ‘Presidential candidate’ is like calling me a ‘candidate for the Nobel Prize’ because I have publicly stated that equal rights naturally extend to all beings.
In the post above, which I’m guessing comes from here, Santorum is identified as a twelve-year Senator from PA; but does the writer mention that Santorum sat at the Senate’s candy desk for ten years and kept it stocked with Hershey’s chocolates, Peanut Chews and Hot Tamales? Now, that I’d like to hear about, CNN. But I respect your decision in not adding it; mocking appears to be beneath you.
It also appears to be beneath CNN to offer critical analysis of Santorum’s self-defense. For instance, the Catholic Church teaches the doctrine of chastity, discouraging all sexual practices outside the bond of marriage, specifically masturbation, sodomy, homosexuality; but interestingly the Church omits any mention of pedophilia! Why this fact isn’t germane to a discussion of moral authority is beyond me, especially in light of the Cloyne report, which detailed the numerous ways the Church has disavowed, concealed, ignored, and criticized reports of sexual abusive priests, from 1975-2004 and even as recently as 2009.
So, CNN. Have a nice big bowl of Santorum. You’ve earned it.
Dadgummit, I knew I’d forget to put the link in. Thanks for posting it, it made it easy for me to fix my post.
Hi! Good to see you at Freethought. Thanks for letting me post.
AP
Aww. Poor muffin.
I make sure I google Santorum at least once a day. Just for the fun of it.
Sorry Rick but shielding yourself with “It’s my religion” still makes you a bigot.
If it is in the bible it must be what you are supposed to do. Well I’m off to stone the kids for not taking out the trash.
It is funny how these guys make such hateful and poisonous comments and then go into victim mode when faced with the backlash. They resort to something like, ” Is it my fault that the tooth fairy told me that pulling out teeth is a sin? Is it? IS IT!?”.
Hey… Santorum is finally getting it!
It’s absolutely stunning how much these Conservatives hate me.
Bigot comes anyway from “by God” in ancient German. While it is used as a negative term by non-religious people to mock them, religious people should actually be proud of it!
Particularly revealing appreciate it, I reckon your trusty audience may possibly want a lot more posts of this nature carry on the great work.