The Slurring of a Douche

i hate jay mariotti. i truly do. i think he's arrogant, unintelligent, and way over-exposed.

however, i think ozzie guillen's slurring of him -- "What a piece of [expletive] he is, [expletive] f-g" -- is utterly out of line. sad to say, though, it perfectly demonstrates the coming together of two strains of machoistic intolerance: that of the professional sports player, and that of the latin-american male.

i don't think it's controversial on my part to suggest that baseball is homophobic, or that latin-american males tend to be homophobic as well. in fact, i wasn't at all surprised that someone as outspoken as guillen would give voice to this kind of hate. he embodies the nexus of two pretty rotten strains of machismo, and it's a wonder his head hasn't exploded because of it.

there is a danger in this that liberals need to be wary of, to be frank. while i think it's morally proper that we support group identity politics -- gays and minorities -- doing so may end up coming back to bite us in the proverbial tushy. it's not enough to say, "i support african-americans and latin-americans." we have to say, "i support the rights of minorities, but only insofar as they embrace an ethic of tolerance and understanding toward gays, women, and the like." identity politics with a sprinkling of individual civil liberties.

but still, jay mariotti is a damn douche.