Oh, my. I may have to see if this got caught on our DVR last night so I can watch the whole thing. Jon Stewart tackles William Bennett on The Daily Show about gay marriage (my transcript):
Stewart: So why not encourage gay people to join in that family arrangement if that is what provides stability to a society?
Bennett: Well I think if gay (interrupted by applause) … gay people are members of families. Gay people are already members of families …
Stewart: What?
Bennett: They’re sons and they’re daughters..
Stewart: So that’s where the buck stops? That’s the gay ceiling?
Bennett: (Laughs along with everyone else.) Look, it’s a debate about whether you think marriage is between a man and a women.
Stewart: I disagree, I think it’s a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish.
Bennett seems to be saying that gays can be members of Officially Sanctioned Families only with their own moms and dads (and, perhaps, brothers and sisters, but let’s not go crazy here). Maybe they should live at home, too.
Yikes.
I do have to disagree with Stewart, though. We don’t generally speaking deny equal protection under the law for “a random fetish.” Indeed, the law doesn’t care if a given male/female marriage is happy, sad, fulfilled, barren, beneficent, sadistic, or whatever. But the best, brightest, happiest, most inspiring and noble and loving gay relationship is, according to Bennett, not worthy of the respect and recognition of the most twisted, destitute, abusive, or pro forma straight relationship. They should be happy, it seems, to hang out with their parents.
That, to me, is the bottom line, and what this debate is about. If some cretinous celebrity couple can do some fling wedding du jour over a weekend in support of their latest movies or careers or because they enjoy snorting cocaine at parties together, and have it recognized by the IRS and the Social Security Administration and the VA and the entire Federal Government, whereas two men who have lived together for decades, sharing finances, taking care of each other, loving each other, are told that what they have isn’t deemed as worthy of recognition and support as said People magazine cover stars … then something is gravely wrong with our society and our government’s view of the “true” meaning of marriage.
(The interview goes on from there, as Stewart ably shoots down the “polygamist slippery slope,” the “there’s a difference between this and miscegenation laws,” and the “you weaken marriage by defining it outward” arguments. Another golden Stewart line regarding the last: “Divorce is not caused because 50% of marriages end in gayness.”)
(via Les)
It is on Crooks and Liars Dave. I always look there at least once a day for all the good bits from the night before.
Well, I watched the excerpt C&L had posted (linked to above). It’s not complete, however.
Are you sure?
I mean it looked like the whole thing to me.
The beginning seemed truncated (and the C&L link text says it’s incomplete). But it’s probably close.
Still, will look on the DVR tonight. 🙂
Stewart and Colbert. Dey de men.
Did indeed have the segment on the DVR, and flagged it to be saved (in case any locals have an interest). Much better with smooth video and a larger screen …
There’s a few minutes before the start of the excerpted C&L segment where they chat about Bennett’s book and start the conversation toward the gay marriage thing.