Sorry, no. There isn't some moral equivalency here where everyone is entitled to their opinion and we should respect them for it.

Both of those people are white, straight and comfortably middle class. It's easy to get along then.

The republicans of today are a joke. This is a party where Rick fucking Santorum is still an elected official! Where Donald Trump is almost certainly going to be their presidential nominee and he's not even the worst of them (fuck you Ted Cruz).

It's really simple.

If you're against gay marriage, you're not "promoting family values", you're a homophobic neanderthal.
If you support banning muslims from your country, you're not "securing your borders", you're a bigoted asshole.
If you think forcing women to go through vaginal ultrasounds to get an abortion is ok, you're not "pro-life", you're a misogynist.
And if you really think that climate change isn't happening... then you're a fucking idiot.

There isn't a middle ground here. The fact that these issues are even up for debate is depressing as hell.

Nope, the Great Ted hath Spoken:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gey-ZG95Q4g

There are no chicks with dicks only guys with tits

I just happened to be thinking about the sites history yesterday, and it occurred to me that there's definitely an interesting book in here somewhere. At the very least a TED talk (@dag).

Now let's all imagine that same interview, but with Donald Trump.

Or Ted Cruz.

"Element? I don't believe in that science mumbo jumbo, God only created four elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Now, let me get back to the important business of nuking anyone who disagrees with me even slightly."

Your video, Ted Cruz -- Honest Election Campaign, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Is this really where TED talks have fallen to? A guy trolling a spammer?

Congratulations! Your video, ted talks-james veitch-replying to spam email, has reached the #1 spot in the current Top 15 New Videos listing. This is a very difficult thing to accomplish but you managed to pull it off. For your contribution you have been awarded 2 Power Points.

This achievement has earned you your "Golden One" Level 21 Badge!

Your video, ted talks-james veitch-replying to spam email, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

http://www.ted.com/talks/james_veitch_this_is_what_happens_when_you_reply_to_spam_email

If it were a public figure or an elected official, I wouldn't have a problem at all with them being fired.

I'm not sure if that TED talk example fits exactly. She was a PR manager right? For someone in the PR biz, that was just monumentally stupid thing to say and someone in PR should know better so I find it hard to have sympathy for someone in that case.

But yeah, it's a blurry line to be sure. For me it's a very potent example of why direct democracy isn't always great and why it's a good thing that we elect individuals to make decisions for us to counter the mob with pitchforks mentality that large groups of people tend to have.

Could you imagine if we put EVERYTHING to a popular vote? Sure some things might become more progressive, but then crap like this would happen. Imagine if the decision to use the nuclear bomb was up to direct popular vote. Our planet would be an irradiated wasteland many times over.

I more or less agree with you, but if the company had not fired him the anger would have been redirected towards them until he was.

I find the current popular trend of online vigilantism in the name of social justice disturbing. Jon Ronson gives an excellent TED talk on the phenomenon.
I really must get around to reading his book.

I can't help but think of Gil Fulbright while this Ted Cruz video is playing...

Is this our future? No more public gatherings? All it takes is a phone call and an abandoned suitcase. They don't even have to blow themselves up any more.

Sidenotes:

1. I learned there is a thing called a "friendly." Football is such a shared thing, you don't even have to say the noun. The adjective is enough.

2. Silly story -- I live in a small town that for years had only one prefix on the phone numbers. 385. Folks wouldn't even give the entire phone number. If your number was 385-1234, you'd just say 1234. The town grew, fax machines came into vogue, and they had to add a prefix 379 to handle the increased need for phone numbers.

But old habits die hard, yeah? I'm a 385-1234. The new assistant police chief got 379-1234. Guess who got his phone calls all the time? Because people were on autopilot when dialing?

Folks would leave a message on my answering machine and I would pass it on. After all, I knew his phone number.

My favorite message for a long time was this: "Hi Connor. This is Jim. Ted tells me you have the key to City Hall." Such a small town, I knew the occupations and last names of everyone named in that message. Still cracks me up.

My most favorite message, though, is the last one I ever got. "Connor, just wanted you to know that the bomb squad has been called. An abandoned suitcase has been found at the Post Office." Well! Talk about breaking news! I passed on the message, per usual.

There must have been bloody hell raised at the police station about such sensitive info being left on the wrong answering machine, because I never got another wrong number about official police business.

I love how stories build.

This is the plot of a Better Off Ted episode!

loved it. thanks to both of you. haven't had time to peruse TED as much in a while.

and i'm also a calligrapher, though sadly only in english.

so if anyone who liked this clip wants, i can toss you a genuine hardcopy mailed to you (or ms paint emailed to you) dope ass calligraphized version of any favorite quotation.