Supporters of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) have been pressuring media outlets
to pull an ad attacking his position that people who are gay should not
be allowed to teach in public schools. Now, the senator’s attorney,
Cleta Mitchell, has successfully convinced WCBD Channel 2 in Charleston to pull the ad, inherently proving its very message.The supposed controversy is a claim that the ad portrays DeMint as being anti-Semitic, though notably no one in Charleston’s Jewish community actually complained about the ad. It juxtaposes a fake headline about DeMint opposing letting Jews be teachers against a real one about opposing letting people who are gay be teachers. WCBD wanted the ad to be edited to clarify that the fake headline was fake — even though the narration clearly distinguishes between the two — but the ad’s sponsor, the Alliance for Full Acceptance, refused to change it. Watch the ad in question:
The only aspect of this story sadder than the faux outrage and manipulated use of anti-Semitism is the ironic way the response exemplifies the point of the ad. DeMint’s beliefs about gay people are horribly offensive, essentially suggesting that they are all an inherent threat to children. If he were to say that about any other group, be it Jews, people of color, people with disabilities, or people with hazel eyes, he would be instantly decried. Instead, his anti-gay positions continue to be minimized as his supporters invent a different attack on him as a means to defend him and his biases. Hopefully this manufactured controversy helps more people understand DeMint’s reprehensible beliefs and think twice about whether or not gays and lesbians have actually achieved respect in society.
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