I'm a frequent reader of Wil Wheaton's blog. You know Wil Wheaton, he played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Now he's an author, having largely given up on his acting career.
I read his blog because it's generally entertaining. He's got a writing style that I enjoy, and his stories of fatherhood are touching and inspiring (even though my wife and I have no kids).
But he posted something yesterday which made me fume. It wasn't what he posted really, since he and I actually agree on the core issue at hand, but the way he posted it.
If you review his political posts, of which there are only a few, you can certainly get the impression that he's not a Bush fan. Yet, the beginning of his most recent political post started off with how hard it was to post it, and how he decided to damn the consequences and post it anyway because he feels he needs to stand up for his beliefs no matter what happens. His subject? The proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage, and his staunch opposition to it.
Naturally his post was greeted with about 380 comments of “Thanks for having the courage to stand up and say this Wil!” and about 5 comments (mine included) saying “WTF? An admitted Bush-hating Liberal in Hollywood coming out in support of gay rights? This is what passes for courage these days?”
Indeed. I measure courage by a different yardstick I guess. Waiting weeks into a debate to “test the wind” and then announcing to the world that you agree with the majority of your readership doesn't really spell “courage” to me.
I don't consider myself particularly courageous, but I spent a weekend on a minister's blog debating the gay marriage issue with him and his readers recently. Personally that was one of the hardest things I ever did. I was pretty much strolling into the lion's den wearing steak-scented undies.
But you know what? That wasn't courage. Courage is hundreds of firefighters going into twin skyscrapers to save the lives of perfect strangers (343 died). Courage is 2 special forces snipers volunteering to sacrifice their lives to protect a downed helicopter crew that was surrounded by thousands of pissed off Somalis (the snipers both died). Courage is thousands of military personnel that risk their lives every hour of every day to help a society stand up, after having known only oppression. Courage is standing alone in front of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square. And yes, courage is the Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces flying into Baghdad to have Thanksgiving dinner with the troops.
So I'm sorry Wil, if I find your brand of courage laughable. Risking a 10% decline in the sale of your book hardly registers on my “courage scale” when compared to the selfless acts of bravery exhibited every day by random people who put the good of others ahead of their own without a moment's hesitation.