Boorish Behavior

Politics evoke passions, and cultural politics passionate passions. That shouldn’t surprise us. After all, unlike tax policy, questions about abortion, marriage, raising children, the role of religion in public life, and so forth touch on our deepest beliefs.

Which makes this story of boorish behavior by gay activists at pro-marriage rallies all too believable.

Two thoughts.

First, the National Organization for Marriage president Brian S. Brown gets kudos for carrying the cause of marriage forward in difficult circumstances.

Second, I find myself glad to be an American. Yes, the behavior of the gay activists was boorish, but anyone who knows the history of radical politics in the modern era should be grateful that the behavior was only boorish and not deadly.

Violence is too often the norm when profound social issues are at stake. Brownshirted thugs rampaged in Germany. Communist forces assassinated adversaries. People “disappeared” in Argentina. So, yes, by all means censure boorish, uncivil behavior in American politics, Left and Right. But also be thankful we don’t have a tradition of political conflict that involves putting bullets it the backs of heads.