With the recent law passed in California banning previously approved gay-marriage, there are many swirling emotions about our countries democratic progress. With no personal ties to gay-marriage newcaster, Keith Olbermann, expressed his views in a recent broadcast.
His argument was founded in effective logos, pathos, and ethos. He relates the emotions of gays being unable to marry with the same emotions a heterogeneous couple who is anti-gay would feel by making the bold statement "what if they said you could not marry." This comparison shows that differences apparent, all humans are alike in their wants to marry and feel kinship with a fellow being, man or women. He makes a historical parallel between gays' present days right to marriage and the legality of marriage between slaves over 160 years ago. Since slaves were not considered citizens they could not legally name their companion wife or husband or be a legal father or daughter. With the same oppression of civil rights against a group of "misunderstood" human beings, it is hard to see how we have progressed democratically in the last 160 years.
Olbermann furthers his argument with ethos by questioning the motives of anti gays. He wonders why people would want to spread hate and meaningless division into our world when two people just want to be able to share their happiness together and "spread the ember of love'. He quotes "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" for only when the precious emotions of love are spread will that enable our world to move forward."contradicting Olbermann believes progress comes with love.
As Olbermann believes the world progresses through love, will our democratic system progress the same way? Are Olbermann's emotions the plausible and possible ingredient to democratic progress? No one knows the truth but "the wise man and those who are nonconformist are misunderstood in their time." Emerson believed that the great minds of an era are not understood till their being disappears from society. Similarly Olbermann may be a man who is misunderstood by anti-gays along with those who advocated for blacks to have rights were misunderstood but by striving to be non-conformistand "saying what they had to say, not waht they ought and not make believing" all were more in tune to their own internal self-reliant drums which brings them more to peace. If non conformist do not voice their opinios and fight for what they believe in history would never be made. So now we must asses how in our current society we are not trying hard enough to believe the voices that say something unexpected. Akin to the individual voice of Edward Murrow during the Red Scare, Olbermann ends with the same words of angst, hope, and determination, "good night and good luck".
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