Word: morale
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...like Juan's; but very few of these tragedies are told as loudly or purposefully as Matthew Shepard's was. National and local media have not amplified Shepard's death because it was exceptionally grisly, but because it offered the opportunity to proclaim him a casualty of America's moral backwardness and intolerance...
...widespread willingness to frame the debate in this manner belies a dangerous trend in America's deliberation regarding the moral status of homosexuality. This fissure, if allowed to widen, will make it utterly impossible for each side of the debate to reach common ground. There are several arguments against the moral acceptability of homosexuality which, whether convincing or not, deserve attention...
...most common condemnation of homosexuality stems from religious faith. This argument holds that the Bible is the sole moral authority; the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, so homosexuality is immoral--to posit anything to the contrary would smack of blasphemy...
...prominent rejoinder to this stance is that religious beliefs have no place in public life--or, at least, they ought not to be imposed on others through legislation. It is difficult to disregard, however, the fact that many Americans consider the Bible an infallible moral guide. For these people, religion informs all decisions--even those relating to politics. To require a public life devoid of religious belief, then, is to effect a dangerously bifurcated citizenry, wanting but unable to communicate what is most dear and fundamental to them in their deliberations regarding the public good...
Much has been made of poll results indicating that 60 percent of Americans find homosexuality morally unacceptable. In response, the media and intellectual elite stake out the supposed moral high ground, proclaiming the other side unworthy of attention. The effect is not unlike a version of King-of-the-Mountain, only instead of conquering challengers, those at the peak shame competitors with ugly epithets. Thus, the intelligentsia use words such as "bigot" and "homosexuality morally repugnant. It is not surprising, then, that so few opponents of homosexuality are eager to step into public debate...