Today's Enlightenment: What Our Stupid Ancestors Missed

We know so much more than all previous generations. We can now look down on their backward thinking, especially concerning these things we now know:

• When people disagree with you, they are intolerant.
• Marriage is optional for sexual relations. It offers no real benefit to society or individuals.
• Every sexual expression is fine, as long as it’s consensual.
• There is nothing sacred about sex. It’s just recreation.
• There is no reason to associate sex with parenthood. We can make sure of it.
• Nature is wrong to confine people to either femaleness or maleness. Now we can fix that.
• Nature is wrong to assign people to maleness of femaleness. Now we can switch it.
• Almost everything can be digitized, even friendship. 
• Algorithms should do much of our thinking.
• In-person contact is overrated. Communication is much easier when digitized.
• Life without entertainment is unbearable.
• All risk must be eliminated from childhood play; nothing is more important than children's safety.
• It is bad for children to be bored. Someone has to fix it.
• Pain is always bad and must always be avoided, if at all possible.
• There is a pill for that. Ask your doctor.
• There’s an app for that, whatever it is.
• Negative consequences for any action should be eliminated everywhere possible.
• When something bad happens to you, somebody else should have stopped it.
• We have rights because the government says we do.
• Majority rule determines what is right and what is wrong.
• We have a long list of absolute necessities, including: cars, TVs, cell phones, internet service, and air conditioning.
• The only meaning to life is what we bring to it.
• The world is an accident, but we can make the most of it.

Thoughts on Phil Robertson

Good old Phil speaks his mind.  No one should be surprised about that.  Because he is now famous, more people pay attention to what he says.

A&E listens.  The broader media listens.  Everybody wants to weigh in on Phil.

Phil merely described graphically something he does not understand about the appeal of a particular sin.  He also marvels at the illogical nature of sin in general.  His graphic description pulls the curtain back and exposes the sin, while many in media seek to romanticize it.

Phil has the right to say whatever he wishes.  A&E also has the right to dismiss him from their show.

But A&E, in pursuit of profits, seeks to offend as few people as possible.  The high value of tolerance seems to have imploded.  Phil sounds intolerant, but can't we tolerate that?  Tolerance as a core value proves empty.

Meanwhile Phil seems unfazed by the flap.  He doesn't need A&E.  Even if he did, he would not compromise his values to please them.  His values are not based on polling numbers or advertising revenue.

Through it all, he seems happy, happy, happy.