But that wasn't their reason for existing. You have to use logic to argue that "you know, hating gay people makes you like AL-QAIDA. Or the TALIBAN. Or, THE NAZIS." Logic has this unfortunate problem of never actually working on stupid people. ;p They're not out there in front of you, attacking what you love with their "God Hates Fags" signs. The Westboro Baptists are specifically anti-gay, and they hold anti-gay protests against American toleration of gay people, and it's those protests that people object to, since they're at dead soldiers' funerals. See the difference? Their extremism is focused on being anti-gay. It makes other people think and say, "no, I'm not THAT anti-gay," which at least introduces moderation rather than hard-lining. Al-Qaida has the disadvantage of being Muslims, which delegitimizes their views regardless of what they are (of the Islamophobes who vilify Al-Qaida, which ones actually know what Al-Qaida stands for other than "terrorism" and "hating our way of life"? The people who understand Al-Qaida
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You don't think our (relatively) accepting attitude towards homosexuality is a salient part of "our way of life" that al-Qaida hates? Of course it is. I suspect that conservatives even probably know that. [Disclaimer: Muslim and Arab attitudes towards homosexuality aren't by any means black and white. But as far as I know, al-Qaida's are
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About Al-Qaida, yes, I agree with you, but "we" hate them because of 9-11 and because "they hate our way of life", which is a lot less direct and specific than because "they hate gays". If you asked the random Islamophobe on the street about Al-Qaida's views, they'll say that they "hate America's way of life" rather than "they are violently disillusioned by American imperialism and are also social fundamentalists opposed to modern things like religious tolerance, female education, democracy, etc., etc., homosexuality, etc., etc." Westboro Baptists are singularly focused on hating gays, in the public perception. Ask someone on the street who knows them -- and, if they come to your small town, you probably know them -- and they'll say "they hate gays and they're crazy". This is evidenced by the fact that, time and again, you read about enormous counter-protests and total shaming. These guys are REALLY disliked. And, if you hate gays as well, they make you look silly. ;p "Ah, you hate gays! Just like those Westboro Baptists!" "
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