From "Ask Marilyn" in Parade magazine, April 7, 2002: "...The following point was made to me recently: 'Gay people cannot be normal. If everyone were gay starting tomorrow, the human race would die out, so being gay cannot be nature's intended way.' I'm having trouble finding a logical counter-argument. Do you know one?" -- Gordon, Herndon, Va.
"Yes. The original argument is defective. Substitute the word 'male' for 'gay,' and you'll see the flaw: 'Male people cannot be normal. If everyone were male starting tomorrow, the human race would die out, so being male cannot be nature's intended way.' Or you could substitute the word 'female.' In either case, the argument makes no sense: Being male or female is perfectly normal." --Marilyn Vos Savant
Actually, the argument isn't defective at all. Gay refers to sexuality and behaviour, whereas male is a gender (in fact, as far as X and Y chromosome sex-differentiation is concerned...the only gender in fact, hahah). So you're applying an argument regarding one group to another completely irrelevent group. A strategy that will always fail because sexuality and gender are different things.
ReplyDeleteEating burger king is unhealthy. If everyone ate burger king forever, they would all get fat and die.
Eating meat is unhealthy. If everyone ate meat forever, they would all get fat and die.
Do you see your error? The argument doesn't work because meat as a food group, and burger king as a food product are different. Just as gender and sexual behaviour is different.
The original argument is sound.