Privilege

I know you are as tired of the whole Kim Davis thing as I am but it looks like it isn't going to go away anytime soon.  I only have one more thing to say about it that no one really seems to be mentioning. 

This whole thing isn't only about equality.  Not really.  It's about privilege. 

Before this situation came up, there was a lot of chatter from people who denied there is any privilege to be had. Funny enough, they are the very ones who get the most from this privilege.  These people are straight, white and usually fundamentalist. 

Don't get me wrong.  I don't care what religion a person practices or even if they practice.  The problem is when asshats like Kim Davis starts defying law and common sense by forcing her views on the public at large, then she and Mike Huckabee start yelling 'We're being oppressed!!  Christianity is under attack!!" because Davis is rightfully jailed for not following a judge's orders. 

If you want to argue what privilege has to do with this, ask yourself this: what would have happened if it wasn't Davis pushing her beliefs on everyone?  What if it were a black woman?  A black man?  What if the person refusing to give out licenses were of a faith other than Christianity?  That person would have been in jail by the end of the week, if not sooner and they'd still be there.  They would also be out of a job faster than you can say "nut" and the same people claiming oppression would be saying good riddance.
  
So yes, despite of her grandstanding and attempts to prolong her 15 minutes, Davis has received the benefits of privilege.  First of all, there is the fact that she was allowed to do all that grandstanding and prolonging.  She was - and is - allowed to stay in the office long after lawsuits were filed and as far as I know, no actions to impeach her have even been entertained.  The Governor has refused to step in.  She was given multiple chances to act differently.  She was even given the soft shoe treatment when she was let out of jail: you can go back to work but don't interfere. 

We can see how this is going to go.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

As for their argument, there is no oppression of believers, nor is Christianity under attack.  It isn't going anywhere either.  The problem stems from the fact that times have changed.  This isn't the 1950s anymore, nor is this a Christian country.

Despite what people like Kim Davis say, there is no template for what an American should be, other than that pesky edict to follow the laws of the land.  White, black, red, brown.  Gay, straight, pan- or asexual.  Christian, Pagan, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist.  It doesn't matter.  This country is more of a melting pot than ever and we're all Americans.  Our very diversity should be one of our greatest assets, not a reason to act like asshats. 

Is it ever right to lie about your path or aspects of it?

I usually don't feel the need to lie about any aspect of my path. I am not ashamed of it by any means and could care less about what anyone else thinks. Tonight was a little different. I bought some bourbon as an offering and the person I was with asked, "What are you going to do with that? Drink it or make something with it?"

In the past, I have answered honestly and it would be as if my words hit Teflon. The fact I follow a path other than Christianity simply does not and will not exist in this person's mind. Even though it can be irritating, it's something I can put up with, most of the time. After all, who am I to tell someone else what to think in the relative privacy of their own mind?

But tonight, I knew it would be more of the same and I was tired of it. So I lied. I remembered reading on a forum about some bourbon muffins someone made as an offering for a deity so that's what I said - I thought about trying some bourbon muffins (apparently, I'm a horrible liar and can't make a lie out of whole cloth. I need source material.)

Even as I was doing it, I didn't like the fact I was lying, much less what I was lying about. True, my answer wouldn't be accepted if I did tell the truth but does that matter? Not really, not in my mind.

So here's the question(s): Is it ever right to lie about your path? Am I just holding myself to too high a standard (and apparently failing)? Should I just get over myself, shut up and go watch Pepe the Prawn?