Thought of the Day 05.22.09

Jeff: Hey, Mark, somebody told me you were against gay marriage. Is that true?
Mark: Yes. I don’t think that gays should be considered spouses.
Jeff: That’s pretty closed-minded of you, isn’t it?
Mark: How so?
Jeff: Well, you seem completely closed to the possibility that gay relationships might be every bit as legitimate and good as straight ones. That’s being closed-minded.
Mark: So you’d like me to be more open-minded?
Jeff: Yeah, you usually are.
Mark: Like you?
Jeff: Well, yeah, like me.
Mark: Okay. But I have a question for you.
Jeff: Shoot.
Mark: Are you open to the possibility that gay relationships should not be endorsed by the government?
Jeff: No, not really.
Mark: Then aren’t you being just as closed-minded as I am?
Jeff: How’s that?
Mark: I say that gays should not get marriage licenses, which means I’m closed to the possibility that they should.
Jeff: Yeah.
Mark: And you say that they should get marriage licenses, which means you’re closed to the possibility that they shouldn’t.
Jeff: I guess so.
Mark: Well, that makes us equally closed-minded. We each have a view which is closed to its alternative. It seems a bit devious for you to say that your particular form of closed-mindedness is actually open-mindedness but that mine isn’t. How about if we both just agree that we have strong beliefs, neither of which is particularly open-minded.
Jeff: I suppose that is more accurate. Sorry for the mistake.
Mark: That’s okay. Most everybody makes it.