"It's Just That I'm Incapable Of Thinking For Myself"

"It's just the way I was raised." It's a common phrase tossed around by the bigoted-opinion-holding masses who feel that it's OK to discriminate, whether it be against sexual orientation, race, or gender. The theory goes that they were raised to hate gays or Jews or women, so there's just nothing they can do about their opinions. They are stuck with them, and you have to forgive them for their stupidity and not challenged them on those evil beliefs.

That's about as intelligent an argument as someone saying they were taught to hunt while young, so you have to accept that they enjoy killing people. That's just the way they were raised. They are helpless to challenge their own beliefs, a victim of their upbringing, and we must embrace them for it.

That phrase is on my top 5 list of Things To Clearly Identify An Idiot. If you mean to tell me that you are completely incapable of challenging things you learned as a child, then I have to write off your opinion on every subject. If you truly can't separate childhood lessons from reality, then you obviously still believe in Santa Claus and the Eater Bunny, and anyone that rationally believes and accepts a fat man breaking into their house once a year is a good thing can't be someone worth talking to.

What? Too harsh? No, I don't think so. That line of reasoning is often offered up by people to justify their irrational hate. It also means that they know their hate is wrong, which is why they are offering up their parents as having the ultimate responsibility for their ignorance. So not only do they believe that magical rabbits that shit eggs exist, but they also feel it's perfectly OK to throw their parents under the bus. Man, these people are sounding more and more awesome by the minute!

It's OK to hold a belief that matches your parents. But it's not OK to hold that belief because you simply haven't considered other possibilities. We are all affected, both positively and negatively, by our upbringing, but we are not always a product of it. We have the ability to examine what has brought us to where we are in life and change or perfect that course. Those of us that do will go on to make a difference in this world.

My family gave me a lot of my traits and characteristics. But I've tried to analyze why I hold the beliefs that I've held, and if I ever come back with something similar to "it's the way I was raised," I take some time to consider it further. The next time that belief is questioned, I won't have a ridiculously ignorant answer. I'll either have a defense of that position or a new position all together. But to sit back and be complacent in life to only hold on to things we were taught as children… that is just plain sad.

This message brought to you by the ignorant ramblings of a Miss America contestant. May you and Anita Bryant live a happy, co-existing quasi-lesbian life style together.