Thursday, August 17, 2017

I hope the silent majority is gathering itself for action . . .


Remember:
  • Memories Pizza in Indiana?  When its owner declined to cater gay weddings, and the store shut down under a monumental wave of hatred and backlash, a fundraiser collected over $800,000 for the owners.
  • Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Oregon?  Forced by a hostile state agency to pay damages to a lesbian couple for whom the Christian owners refused to bake a wedding cake, the case is now before the Oregon Supreme Court - and likely to head to the Supreme Court in Washington if it doesn't achieve resolution in state courts.  Supporters have so far raised over half a million dollars for the owners' legal expenses.
  • The Chick-Fil-A same-sex marriage controversy?  In a massive show of support, the company's sales reached a new record in the face of propaganda against it from the LGBT community.

Those are only the better-known examples of what happens when the left-wing, progressive community underestimated the strength of feeling among ordinary Americans - and the revulsion against their over-the-top attacks on anyone they regard as unsympathetic to their cause.  The same thing is visible in reaction to the neo-Nazi displays in Charlottesville last weekend.  Naked political propaganda is meeting rejection, and high time, too.

That phenomenon has just been on display again, this time in Santa Monica, California.

A left wing attempt to boycott a performance of the Santa Monica Symphony due to a guest appearance by conservative radio host Dennis Prager backfired on Wednesday night; the event was a sellout.

. . .

Liberals began to call for a boycott of the symphony due to Prager's presence, with the mayor of Santa Monica and a city councilman saying they wouldn't attend.

Musicians in the symphony even refused to perform, two of them penned an open letter saying "Dennis Prager is a right wing radio host who promotes horribly bigoted positions.

Prager is not a trained conductor and there is no musical rationale for his participation. Please urge your friends not to attend this concert, which helps normalize bigotry in our community."

But Prager's supporters showed up in big numbers, and the event was a sellout.

"I think it's a beautiful thing, it's the unintended consequence of stupidity," said Steve Kahn. "It may not have been sold out, but because the attention has now been given on a national platform, people who may have been less inclined to show up, who were either fans of classical al music or fans of freedom of speech, or fans of Dennis, have now decided to come support the concert and support Dennis."

"The people who ginned up the controversy show themselves in the foot," said Endre Balogh, a violinist. "When people mix politics and music for specious reasons, then they get what they get."

There's more at the link.

I'm sincerely hoping that the same effect will be visible in public reaction to the over-the-top displays of vitriol and violence by all sides in Charlottesville last weekend.  I have a feeling that the silent majority is rather larger than people might imagine, and angry enough right now to become a lot less silent.  I hope so, at any rate - because such nonsense must be challenged.  We cannot allow thugs - of either the left or the right wing of US politics - to rule our streets.  They have got to be stopped;  and if the law won't do it, we must.  How, precisely, that is to happen, remains to be seen . . . but I have a feeling that, if idiots carry on behaving like idiots, we may not have to wait very long.

Peter

11 comments:

Pootie Tang said...

I'm okay with the title of 'silent majority', but I would prefer my own title 'last adults left in the room'.

Andrew said...

I am afraid it's getting awfully close to Martini time.

As in the very British meaning.

Involves sloshing. Lots of sloshing.

Roger said...

The thing that worries me is the the faschisti, lefties all, will come up against and incite violence upon a legally armed citizen or citizens.
If you think the fecal material is hitting the fan now - - - - - Oh boy will it be flying then. I just hope that it won't be me.

B said...

The pizza place didn't decline, they were interviewed and said in that interview that they WOULD decline to cater a gay wedding.

HMS Defiant said...

I like to think we live in nuclear free zones. Our most hating enemies want to nuke us. The left has bastioned itself in the cities and seaports. They're going to regret that.

Phssthpok said...

"When people mix politics and music for specious reasons, then they get what they get."

Requisite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDSN1F72QU4

SiGraybeard said...

Thanks, Phssthpok - haven't heard that in ages.

Tal Hartsfeld said...

Anymore I'm neutral and numb to events like those in Charlottesville and Barcelona.
We've all seen this same script before: Cain vs. Abel; the Hatfields vs the McCoys; the Protestants vs. the Catholics in Northern Ireland; even on the big screen in Star Wars.
It's the same-old same-old. People are just lousy at handling and dealing with anyone or anything different to how they think things should be, that's all. The world seems doomed to continue being ruled over by the diametrical.

Anonymous said...

If there were really a silent majority with set of values opposed to such behavior, the very fact of them being in majority would preclude the behavior that is occurring. The fact that it is occurring, and in greater intensity and frequency is evidence that if there is a plurality opposed, they are cowed and intimidated, and will go along to get along.

Anonymous said...

I guess different people see different things within the same article. What caught my eye was ~another~ lie from the Left:

> Prager is not a trained conductor and there is no musical rationale for his participation.

Dennis Prager has been conducting symphonies for years, SFIK, always as a "guest conductor" - meaning he is not a ~professional~ conductor. From such after performance reviews as I've seen, he is still a ~very good~ conductor.

Remember that; the SJWs will tell ANY lie in an attempt to get their way. Don't count on the veracity of anything any one of them says.

Ed_Mc
(more than meets the eye)

Anonymous said...

Re: Roger said...

The thing that worries me is the the faschisti, lefties all, will come up against and incite violence upon a legally armed citizen or citizens.


This brought to mind an incident that happened in a nearby Walmart a few tears ago. A person of doubtful sanity was bragging to whoever was near about how he loved "messing with" people who were carrying. This was about the time that AZ went to "Constitutional Carry". As he put it, "what could he do about it, shoot me?"

Be aware, he is probably just one of legions of such folk, who would deliberately provoke a peaceful citizen, just to score points.

Ed_Mc