There’s a new slur in town, courtesy of Bill Mahr. “Ammosexual.” It seems to be catching on in social media and elsewhere.
When you need to use a slur or insult to describe your political opponents, it’s clear that the logic is draining out of your argument. Of course, gun control advocates prefer emotional arguments to logical ones, which is all the more reason why using slurs suits them.
The feeling behind using a slur to describe a person (or group of people) is to marginalize and dehumanize them. In extreme cases, it’s used to reinforce the belief that they are less than human. In wartime, soldiers (right or wrong) will often apply slurs to our enemies so we don’t see them as people, making them easier to kill.
I find it very ironic that “ammosexual” is a portmanteau of “homosexual”. Mahr and his supporters are using the same tactics against us that they claim to believe should not be used against GLBT folks.
Using slurs to describe people is wrong, no matter who it is. Trying to turn a person into a second-class citizen is wrong, no matter who it is. Mahr’s camp is taking a page from the playbook of racists and homophobes.
Owning a gun, for me, and people like me, is a “lifestyle.” I’m proud to be a member of the American Gun Culture, a unique group of people with a long and storied history.
I have trouble understanding how anti-gun people can be so vehemently opposed to my lifestyle choices that they feel I deserve the same level of insult and marginalization that racists and homophobes give their perceived enemies. To them, it’s okay to slur us, lie about our motives and beliefs, lie about our actions, and even claim we are a threat to civil society (sound familiar?)
An important part of being free is honoring your neighbor’s choices, even if you disagree with them. Intolerance is wrong, and they are wrong too.
