American Decency Association Doesn’t Heart Google
The American Decency Association — really just a handful of wingnuts in Fremont, Michigan with a P.O. Box and an axe to grind — is urging its followers to email Google and tell them that they’re upset about the company “imposing its values” on their customers by being publicly in favor of equality:
Your company recently announced your new “Legalize Love” campaign. You stated that Google is “proud to be recognized as a leader in LGBT inclusion efforts.”
Why? Google is a company that has excelled at what it has set out to accomplish. You have made many successful products that do not discriminate against any colors, creeds, or “sexual orientations.”
Why does a successful internet company like yours – which has nothing to do with cultural standards – suddenly feel the need to impose your values on your customers who may not agree with you on such a controversial issue as homosexuality? For that matter, what gives you, a technology company, the right to tell people what’s right and wrong?
Please, just make your product and stay out of the culture war.
So I’m sure they’re going to start boycotting Chick-Fil-A because that company is imposing its values on their customers by supporting anti-equality efforts, right? Right? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Jasper of Maine (I feel safe and welcome at FTB):
July 20th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
They have an odd conception of imposition.
A company saying it’s in favor of X != Imposition
Christians passing legislation that effectively bans abortion == Imposition
Larry:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Only in the deep, dark recesses of what passes for a mind in the average fundie godbot, can a person or a corporation be considered to be imposing their values by merely expressing an opinion. Its almost as if Google is violating their rights by taking a position on something that is contrary to their own even though the position in no conceivable way, affects the fundie. Yet the fundie reserves the right to express their opinion and expect it to be taken seriously by everyone.
The cognitive dissonance is mind boggling.
fastlane:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
When the KKKristains boycott something, they are standing up for their imaginary god-given rights. When someone else does it, it’s bullying.(TM) The same applies to companies who support causes.
Hope that helps.
Brownian:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Where have I seen that line of reasoning before?
dingojack:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
But, but, but – corporations are people, for 1st amendment purposes.
(Sucks when doesn’t go your way, doesn’t it it fundies)!
:) Dingo
Kaoru Negisa:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
You know what? I hope the American Decency Association, all four of them, boycott Google. I would love to see them try.
Google is making this stand despite being a technology company because they’re run by people who recognize that there are other people in the world that matter. Nothing irritates me more than this strain of libertarian Christianity that basically says that in order to be Christian, you have to do absolutely no more than pay lip service to the plight of other people. There isn’t even the option to do more: you must speak the exact appropriate amount about love but perform no actual loving actions or you’re clearly just a liberal and Not a True Christian.
Chiroptera:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Please, just make your product and stay out of the culture war.
Huh. I wonder how strongly they’d've made this plea if Google had come out against equality?
For that matter, considering the BSA is a topic on another current thread, how strongly they made this plea to the Boy Scouts?
fastlane:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Brownian@4:
Any resemblence to actions by other groups are surely coincidental.
Or…
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Aww, fuck it. Yeah, there are a disturbing number of parallels.
YankeeCynic:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
What gives GOOGLE the right to tell people what’s right and wrong? As if being responsible for more than just fundamentalist hyperbole somehow disqualifies them from making values judgements.
YankeeCynic:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
EDIT: Dammit, judgments, not judgements.
d cwilson:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
A question someone should pose to the American “Decency” Association.
marcus:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Used their handy form to send this message. Probably won’t get very far but hopefully the ADA will read it and get an aneurism.
Subject: “Keep up the good work!”
“Your company recently announced your new “Legalize Love” campaign. You stated that Google is “proud to be recognized as a leader in LGBT inclusion efforts.” Thank you so much!
These people at ADA are a bunch of assholes!”
richardelguru:
July 20th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
marcus
just remember NOT to include the last line
Doug Little:
July 20th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Fuck these people! Someone needs some rainbows shoved up their ass.
thisisaturingtest:
July 20th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
@#11, d cwilson:
Yup, well done. I was sure that someone here would make the pretty obvious point that this ADA group is excoriating Google for doing exactly what they themselves are claiming the right to do- what is, in fact, the whole reason for their little club.
You have to wonder how anyone can be so supremely and blindly hypocritical as to ask “…what gives you… the right to tell people what’s right and wrong?” while doing it themselves. Just calling yourselves something with the word “Decency” in it doesn’t give you the right to decide what that is for everybody.
Dr X:
July 20th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
You can edit their complaint email in that link to support Google. It would pretty be funny if their little wingnut club became the carrier of many more messages of support for Google. Change the subject header, too. Thank you Google for supporting marriage equality.
Nibi:
July 20th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Well, there’s always bing. Oh, wait, Microsoft scores a perfect 100 on the Corporate Equality Index.[1]
I guess they can use Yahoo! search instead. Oops, another perfect 100.
I guess as a last resort they can always look things up at the local public library. On second thought, dammit, that’s fucking socialism.
Now I think I’m beginning to understand the wingnutter persecution complex. No matter where they turn …
[1] Cite (big-ass 100 page pdf warning):
Corporate Equality Index
Nibi:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Kaoru Negisa
I don’t believe Google is making this stand despite being a technology company, but rather because they are a technology company. Although in Google’s case I would agree that these particular values are a legitimate part of the corporate culture.
As a contrast, I work for a private corporation run by rabid, god-fearing, reds-under-your-bed, global warming denialist wingnuts. However, benefits cover unmarried partners(*). This is not because progressive values are part of the corporate culture (they are decidedly not), but rather because the skilled labor pool falls well short of demand.
(*)Of course, being a predominately male workforce, women’s reproductive rights are off the table as far as healthcare benefits are concerned.
ArtK:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
It’s an imposition for someone to tell them that other points of view exist. It makes their brains hurt.
redmann:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Marcus, I did the same thing, changing it into a statement of support. I do this whenever possible and I hope it irritates the hell out of them.
navigator:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:33 pm
Marcus I did as you suggested and sent an e-mail using the ADA link. Just want to let others know that after I hit “send”, I got a message that it was also sent to [email protected]
Now awaiting angry fundie e-mails:)
Dr X:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Marcus,
I just saw, thanks to navigator, that you got to the suggestion to use their form before I did. Excellent idea! In fact, I used it.
dan4:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
“sexual orientations.”
Why are there quotation marks surrounding those two words?
Nibi:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:41 pm
dan4
Have you tried disabling JavaScript?
skinnercitycyclist:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:06 am
Their website is a lot of fun, they apparently don’t just go after big fish such as Google, they also encourage their minions to harass local grocery clerks concerning display of hard-core porn such as “Cosmo” and “Seventeen.” In their newsletter, they have an exposé of Gay Day at Disney World which had the following gem: