What is a witch hunt?

by dataguy, Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 05:54:24 AM EDT

There has been a great "disturbance in the force" of late about Barack Obama and his corruption by talking to someone who once years ago made a statement that some disagree with about homosexuality.

Now, we see this effort at enforcing and sanctifying guilt by association expanding to other candidates. Now, some are looking at all the candidates to see if they, even once, many years ago, talked to someone who talked to someone who said something, god knows what, that somebody didn't agree with about homosexuality. More importantly, there is a list of 102, or is it 214, or 343 people who also have this opinion, whatever it is. I have the list right here.

This is called a witch hunt. Witch hunts, popularized by Joe McCarthy, Robespierre, and popular always in political circles, give great power to the "witch identifier." They get to determine who is holy, and who is corrupt and evil. In this case, if you make a statement SLIGHTLY deviant from the current "truth" about homosexuality, you are a witch.

Of course, what gives the witch identification process even more power is the tool of SHIFTING DEFINITIONS. Just when you think that you are right, you get hit by the DEFINITION SHIFT, and WHOOPS you are a witch again.

We need to cease guilt by association. Mr. Obama is not a witch. Even that guy he is working with is not a witch. He just has an opinion that some disagree with.

Witch hunts can be terrible. They are a version of the circular firing squad, but a more difficult one, as one group is in charge of definitions. If we play this little witch hunt game, we invest that group with inordinate power, and that is not good for the movement as a whole. Guilt by association must be resisted, and witch hunts need to stop.

One important point: I am probably going to be called a witch by a comment. Just a note to predict this. Remember, if you see a comment saying "This diarist is a witch, and here is why." that you are seeing the expansion of the witch hunt and the shifting of definitions that I mention above. I wrote this diary fully expecting that.

Tags: guilt by association, purity trolls, witch hunt (all tags)

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The Human Right Campaign disagrees

Obama pressured on gay 'cure' preacher

By Alexander Bolton
October 24, 2007

The nation's biggest gay rights group is trying to force Sen. Barrack Obama (D-Ill.) to cancel presidential campaign event with a controversial preacher who claims he was homosexual but has been cured.

The Human Rights Campaign has expressed its strong reservations to Obama over his campaign-sponsored tour that features gospel singer Donnie McClurkin.

The influential organization, representing a powerful Democratic constituency, let Obama's campaign know that it would issue a public demand if Obama did not immediately cancel the event, said a person who had been briefed on the exchange.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obam a-pressured-on-gay-cure-preacher-2007-10 -24.html

by TomP 2007-10-24 05:57AM | 0 recs

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Well, goody, goody, goody

Witch hunts are fun! All can play...

Until they get called witches too...

by dataguy 2007-10-24 06:02AM | 0 recs

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The Human Right Campaign is wrong

by horizonr 2007-10-24 08:40AM | 0 recs

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Re: The Human Right Campaign is wrong

Yep.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/natio nworld/chi-1024mcclurkinoct24,0,1934206. story

by BlueDiamond 2007-10-24 08:41AM | 0 recs

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Re: The Human Right Campaign disagrees

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/natio nworld/chi-1024mcclurkinoct24,0,1934206. story

by BlueDiamond 2007-10-24 08:42AM | 0 recs

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That's the guilt by association argument

I don't accept it. No one is pure. We all have bad thoughts. All have sinned, and must be redeemed.

I am much more interested in Mr. Obama's ideas than in a choice of a person who, many years ago, said something that someone does not agree with.

by dataguy 2007-10-24 06:19AM | 0 recs

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Re: What is a witch hunt?

I'd like to respond to this diary but basically every word in it is a lie.

This is not about someone who Obama "talked to." It is not about someone who made one statement about homosexuality "years ago." It is not about someone whose statement was "SLIGHTLY deviant" from liberal orthodoxy concerning gays. I could go on and on.

It's fine to have different opinions about the current situation involving Obama, but you at least need to be honest about what the controversy involves. It's impossible to take this diary seriously.

by Steve M 2007-10-24 07:41AM | 0 recs

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Funny you should mention "LIES".

SNIP:

Gospel music superstar Donnie McClurkin says he was surprised to wake up Tuesday morning to a media firestorm.

"I don't believe that even from a religious point of view that Jesus ever discriminated toward anyone, nor do I," McClurkin said in an exclusive interview with the Tribune. "Most of the things that were said were totally out of context and then other things weren't true."

"My only concern is to be in place with Sen. Obama in unity and bring all the factors together for the sake of change," he said. "That's my only thing. Of course some agents have twisted it as though he [Obama] were embracing a racist or a Nazi, and that is anything but true."

"There's never been a statement made by me about curing homosexuality. People are using that in order to incite anger and to twist my whole platform on it. There's no crusade for curing it or to convert everyone. This is just for those who come to me and ask for change."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/natio nworld/chi-1024mcclurkinoct24,0,1934206. story

by BlueDiamond 2007-10-24 08:41AM | 0 recs

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Re: Funny you should mention "LIES".

I'm not sure if you're implying that I lied about something, but I found that article very interesting.

by Steve M 2007-10-24 08:56AM | 0 recs

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Re: Funny you should mention "LIES".

Yeah,

The TRUTH does that sometimes.

by BlueDiamond 2007-10-24 09:03AM | 0 recs

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Re: Funny you should mention "LIES".

The truth does what sometimes?

by Steve M 2007-10-24 09:26AM | 0 recs

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That's a standard tactic

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

There is more than a hint of charred hair in the air right now. The witch hunt is heating up. Other diaries are looking for witch scent in other campaigns.

Not only is there witch hunting going on, but very odd virulence towards Mr. Obama. Very odd, indeed.

Mr. Obama is not a witch. Not only is he not a witch, but whatever teensy weensy errors that he or possibly the 3rd level assistant for rally coordination made is NOT IMPORTANT.

Yep, this is a full blown witch hunt about a tempest in a teapot.

by dataguy 2007-10-24 10:23AM | 0 recs

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Re: That's a standard tactic

Your inability to be honest about the facts is unfortunate.

by Steve M 2007-10-24 10:37AM | 0 recs

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Sounds like you

have a list of 39 lies in my posts. 39 LIES! 39 LIES WHICH CONDEMN ME!

Easy claims just drop into your posts. I am not making statements which can be stated as "true" or "false". That is because my statements are "opinions" which are, in fact, ipso facto, not lies, but rather my opinion.

Do you have anything other that baseless inchoate general claims?

by dataguy 2007-10-24 10:56AM | 0 recs

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Re: Sounds like you

You said McClurkin "once years ago made a statement that some disagree with about homosexuality." That is, in fact, a false summary of what the controversy is about.

I'm not going to continue to go back and forth with you on this, as I think everyone can see you are seriously out of control on this one.

by Steve M 2007-10-24 11:03AM | 0 recs

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Re: What is a witch hunt?

This is not a "witch hunt." This is about Obama wanting to represent the Democratic party in the next election and McClurkin's past statements are not something it seems most Democrats approve of and Obama is having him represent him and therefore the Democratic party and therefore they have every right to protest against it.

by reasonwarrior 2007-10-24 03:39PM | 0 recs

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All we need to know now is

does he float?

Witches float. If he floats, he's a witch.

This is a witch hunt. Someone who may or may not have said something naughty, naughty, naughty, some years ago, is now connected, somehow to the Obama campaign. Now, while that makes Barack a witch, it also gives him an opportunity.

He can now have a Sista Solja moment, where he tells all you witch hunters to kiss his ass. That's what he should do.

He also needs some better policies. But we do not need witch hunts.

by dataguy 2007-10-24 03:46PM | 0 recs

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Furthermore

"most Democrats" have no idea what you are talking about. Almost nobody but "most activist nuts" have ever heard of this. I doubt that 1 in 100 Democrats have ever heard of this moronic witch hunt controversy. Do not confuse yourself with the notion that this makes a single bit of difference to "most democrats". This is an activist blogger thing, and will have no impact on the contest.

And, I would doubt that "most reasonable Democrats" would come down on your side, anywho.

by dataguy 2007-10-24 03:52PM | 0 recs

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Re: Furthermore

Well, then, no worries, right. No need to put up diaries defending it, no need to bother with explanations- just a tree falling in the forest- won't make a bit of difference, just a few "acitivists" making noise no one will listen to and most don't agree with so there's no problem- people sure are getting worked up about defending it when they shouldn't bother because the majority doesn't care.

by reasonwarrior 2007-10-24 05:13PM | 0 recs