It's not that I think stupidity should be punishable by death. I just think we should take the warning labels off of everything and let the problem take care of itself.
About me: 38 (ish), gay, libertarian. Somewhere. Out there... What the heck is The Daily Slap? E-Mail Me Please note: I love receiving e-mails from anyone, as long as you're not a snotty prick. If you're a snotty prick, feel free to send an e-mail, but plan on being mocked on my site. Thanks! --Rob
Yes, you read that right. There's a kerfuffle in Telluride. (And before you say anything, I just love the word "kerfuffle", so I use it when I can - and when I remember. But that's not the point of this post so let me get back to that.)
I think I speak for many homeowners in our community when I tell you how unspeakably offensive this decision is.
Her letter went on to raise the typical conservative objection to such events, promoting "tolerance", while denouncing "promotion".
Her pontification apparently raised some concerns among families planning trips to Telluride, worried about their children being exposed to dangerous lifestyles. In response to what he says was a growing number of requests for information, Al Heirich, operator of The Official Cyber Guide to Telluride posted information for families about ski week, ostensibly to allow them to make an informed decision about whether or not the events are in keeping with their own values. Telluride Ski Resort responded to his informational posting by denouncing it as discriminatory and demanded that he remove all links to their site from his.
The resort's demand prompted the right-wing reactionaries over at WorldNetDaily to weigh in. (Note: I used to visit WorldNetDaily on a semi-regular basis, but they have become so shrill of late that I can no longer stand it.)
In his defense, Al Heirich points out that he maintains other warning pages for families, in particular one focusing on College Ski Week, and a banner at the top of the page loudly proclaims "The Official Cyber Guide to Telluride has no opinion on the issue of homosexuality". He also has posted his personal feelings on the event, saying
Frankly, I don't care if it's Gays, Blacks, Jews, Hippies or angry white men. In the past, we have been able to welcome them all without the need for labels or special weeks.
As for me, I don't know where I stand on this issue. Well, I know where I stand on the Susan Knight part of this issue - she's a moron. As for Al Heirich, I'm conflicted. Don't get me wrong, I'm firmly of the opinion that he should post whatever he wants to on his website - and that Telluride Ski Resort can ask him to remove links to them if they so choose. But does his posting such information feed into the nonsense we so often hear from conservatives about "dangerous lifestyles"? If he's so adamant that labels don't matter, why is he buying in by posting it in the first place? His contention that it's in response to numerous requests for information only goes so far.
Where I really lose internal traction, though, is on his "no labels" position. Even though I'm frequently on board for gay ski week - usually in Aspen, this will be my first trip to Telluride - I believe that doing away with labels, no matter what the label, would serve us well.
UPDATE: 365gay.comweighs in with - inevitable, I suppose - shrieking and hand flapping. Really, people. Is this an accurate summary of the story?