Phoning It In
“The real distinction is between those who adapt their purposes to reality and those who seek to mold reality in the light of their purposes” – Henry Kissinger
On Wednesday December 10th the world as we know it is scheduled come to a grinding halt. At least that is the hope of some folks who have organized the “Call In Gay” day. A plan had been drawn up by some more radical gay activists to have all gay folks stay home from work and not spend any money, an economic boycott if you will, similar to the one held by Latino immigrants last summer. The date was chosen to coincide with the “International Human Rights” day. But a new less radical plan was presented to have gays stay away from work and volunteer their time at various community service organizations. This remarkable idea is the brainchild of a West Hollywood comedian/ personal trainer named Sean Hetherington and his boyfriend. I have to be honest, from this point the story almost writes itself.
The intended purpose is to show all the mean spirited straight folks just how important gay folks and the gay community are to society and the economy at large. It is also meant to convince the hate filled heterosexual community to reconsider their support of the recently voter enacted bans on gay marriage. Both the old boycott plan and the new volunteer plan are meant to have the same effect. Either way gays don’t show up for work.
It seems pretty simple on the surface. Show the world how important the gay community, their job performance and spending dollars are and people will be more likely to support their lifestyle and marital choice. Simple, but not based in reality.
I remember the non-stop news coverage of the Latino boycott. Picture after picture in the newspapers of protesting Hispanics carrying signs and waving the Mexican flag. Here’s what else I remember, the only reaction was anger shown by many Americans at the immigrants waving a foreign flag. What I don’t remember is any impact on the economy. Maybe some businesses had a blip in their operations, but I don’t recall there being any long term impact. Not because these Latino immigrants are not valuable, but rather because everybody knew they would be back. Most businesses did not go through the additional expense of looking to fill the vacant positions. The Latino’s took a day off, the news media went nuts and the rest of the country yawned. To believe that the gay community will have a greater impact and therefore impose greater public sympathy is simply not based in reality.
A few nonprofit agencies have posted opportunities for any volunteer minded gay person to spend a day collecting food or working at a homeless shelter. The nonprofits will be glad to accept the help but overall the impact will be minimal, and possibly have the exact opposite effect of what the organizers are looking for.
Volunteers are an extraordinary breed. They give of themselves for the betterment of others. Their only recompense is the good feeling they get by having done something for someone less fortunate. That will not be the case here. These volunteers are only doing it to gain something for themselves. It will not be done in the spirit of giving but rather in the self-serving spirit of getting. The important question to ask these single day volunteers is will the needy be any less needy the day after “Call In Gay day?
Economically there may be some heads that don’t get coiffed, some interiors that won’t get designed, some Congressional seats that may remain unsat upon or some Catholic masses that don’t get said. There may even be some trucks that don’t get driven as I’m guessing some lesbians will call off work too. But I have a sneaking suspicion that overall the economy will survive pretty much unscathed. And as for gay marriage, how in the hell is staying home from work supposed to change people’s minds about whether or not marriage should be between a man and a woman?
If you want to effect my opinion maybe these activists could start with the abundance of “Gay Pride” parades held all of the country. I have been to hundreds of what would be considered heterosexual parades and not one of them had floats where sex acts were being simulated. Maybe they could start with the gay community where 99% of the community members do not live a lifestyle conducive to monogamy much less marriage. The reality is that most gays don’t want to be married. This has just become a rallying call not a reality.
My guess is that “Call In Gay’ day will be far more a media event than a real event. It might turn out to be interesting though to those folks who work with somebody that they’re just not sure about. I can assure you, on Wednesday December 10th I could have double pneumonia, a migraine headache and a broken leg, but I ain’t calling in sick.
