Shame on the BBC. Should homosexuals face execution poll. I'm kind of in shock

[Sequencellariot]

Well my very first thought was that it was an extremely inappropriate and outrageous poll, but after reading the context behind all of this I see that the point of the poll is more about the bill being debated by this Ugandan parliament. They used the shock value of the poll title to draw you in, and then gave you the context afterward. The title of the poll probably should have been more specific to the bill being debated though.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Why are we shaming the BBC? They asked an honest, tough question that many people would pussyfoot around. The shame lies in the people who responded "Yes," and the complacent homosexuals who are more concerned with staring at Zac Efron's crotch than doing any kind of outreach to shift public opinion on homosexuality.

 

[Royal Heart]

Why are we shaming the BBC? They asked an honest, tough question that many people would pussyfoot around. The shame lies in the people who responded "Yes," and the complacent homosexuals who are more concerned with staring at Zac Efron's crotch than doing any kind of outreach to shift public opinion on homosexuality.

Karen Walker has spoken!

(I agree.)

 

[gsdx]

maybe it's a British thing, then, and the way we view the BBC and its role in British society.

like i said numerous times, it's the manner in which they discussed it and the hypocrisy of publishing hateful comments.

I'm sure the BBC knew the type of comments which would come out of the controversial discussion, but they must have thought the subject important enough to publish it.

If nothing else, it has brought attention to the goings on in Uganda.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

like i said numerous times, it's the manner in which they discussed it and the hypocrisy of publishing hateful comments.

I don't think it's hypocrisy, it's free speech. I'd rather know how people feel about us and know what we're dealing with than cover my eyes/ears and pretend the hateful comments away.

As a black person and a gay person, TRUST ME, it's better to know how people really feel about you, what gets under my skin is the closeted bigots.

 

[MercuryJones]

One has to wonder if they'd publish a SHOULD JEWS BE EXECUTED story.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

One has to wonder if they'd publish a SHOULD JEWS BE EXECUTED story.

They're smarter than that, of course people would say "No" to such a poll, but the public is still largely uneducated about sexual orientation, many people see homosexuality as immoral and a choice. In the court of public opinion, gays and Jews are incomparable.

 

[MercuryJones]

They're smarter than that, of course people would say "No" to such a poll, but the public is still largely uneducated about sexual orientation, many people see homosexuality as immoral and a choice. In the court of public opinion, gays and Jews are incomparable.

And that's my problem: the double standard. The BBC makes claims about its content that seems rather flexible.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

And that's my problem: the double standard. The BBC makes claims about its content that seems rather flexible.

The poll was written with only your logic in mind, it was written for the public who, again, is torn on homosexuality. The double standard exists in society, it doesn't begin or end with a question on a news website.

 

[MercuryJones]

The poll was written with only your logic in mind, it was written for the public who, again, is torn on homosexuality. The double standard exists in society, it doesn't begin or end with a question on a news website.

Again, the poll was published by a tax funded news entity with a stated policy that it doesn't actually apply as stated.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Again, the poll was published by a tax funded news entity with a stated policy that it doesn't actually apply as stated.

*Meant to say "wasn't written..."

If you'll kindly show where they engaged in homophobia I'd be glad to mull it over.

If I ask people I know whether or not gays should be executed, is that homophobic? I just don't see the prejudice in asking for people's opinions on one of the biggest hot-button issues in recent history.

 

[MercuryJones]

Matter of opinion, Karen Walker.

I'd say it was incendiary. And as a point of comparison such a poll would not have been published about another group because it would have widely been considered racist/anti-semitic/etc.

 

[Fire]

Who the fuck cares what fringe whackheads think about the issue? The fact is, the BBC should make it clear that murder of any sort is not an option. Then they'd be doing the world a service.

Seriously. Although this one takes the cake, news sites have been making all sorts of ridiculous polls lately. Quite often they'll ask questions so speculative no respondant could possibly have enough information to make a reasonable guess ("Do you think Michael Jackson was murdered?"), or they deal with issues about which either ethics or evidence have already provided us with a clear answer ("Do you think Global Climate Change is taking place?").

In a very real sense, these polls are encouraging the uneducated and incurious to believe that their opinions, so often formed in the absence of facts, are at least as valuable as anyone elses. More to the point, because they are informal (read: unscientific), they have no statistical value. And considering that self-selected polls attract a disproportionate number of the fanatically opinionated, who, and this is especially true on the Internet, then proceed to make any real debate impossible, I would posit that they are not truly there to provide people with a place to "speak out," (besides which, the Internet is practically composed of echo-chambers for the whackjobs to spout off their crazy ideas) but were instead created and serve only to rack up hits for the website.

In other words:

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

I'd say it was incendiary.

I couldn't agree more, it was worded poorly. I doubt it'll incite anything though, people who feel that way are going to feel that way regardless of the title of a poll, same for people who support us.

And as a point of comparison such a poll would not have been published about another group because it would have widely been considered racist/anti-semitic/etc.

We've been over that, the public doesn't view homosexuals and Jews (or blacks, or midgets, or children) in the same light. If they did, there wouldn't have been any need for the poll. I think it's a legit way of guaging people's feelings about homosexuality, as well as bringing attention to TRUE homophobia, this proposition in Uganda.

 

[MercuryJones]

We've been over that, the public doesn't view homosexuals and Jews (or blacks, or midgets, or children) in the same light. If they did, there wouldn't have been any need for the poll.

But, again, I'm not talking about the public. I'm talking about BBC upholding its standards - or failing to do so, as I believe they did in this case.

(I also can't say there's a need for the poll.)

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

(I also can't say there's a need for the poll.)

Maybe that's where we disagree, I think it's extremely important to continually poll the public on such issues, we're living in the midst of a socio-political shift. One day we gain a right in this state, the next day we lose a right in that state, the next week the public votes for us to have this right, a month later the public votes against us having that right, attitudes towards homosexuality are fluctuating, especially with more attention being brought to things like this, DADT, DOMA, etc...

We may not like the results of these polls, but I think they let us know how much progress we're making (or not making).

I wonder how much the people complaining about homophobia in this poll are doing to combat it, to educate family, friends and their communities about sexual orientation. One thing I've found is that often times the angriest, most emotional response comes from the armchair.

 

[MercuryJones]

Maybe that's where we disagree

Yes - I think that is where we disagree.

Otherwise I think we're on the same gin-soaked page.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Did somebody say gin?!

 

[rareboy]

Karen.

No matter how you want to rationalize it, the original BBC poll question was wrongly worded. Period.

They recognized it and changed the intent of the poll after widespread outrage.

Case closed.

 

[heartfly77]

Sorry but I had to laugh at the comment about putting all the gays on an isolated island. First, we would be too smart and would find a way off the island. And the comment about how gays can't sustain the species, do they think that only men are gay? There are women who are gay too? If it was simply about sustaining the species, we would be able to figure that one out too.

It is disturbing that there is still so much hatred and ignorance in the world about homosexuality.