Battle of the Bullies?

Everyone agrees that bullying on a large scale is really fascism. Pushing an agenda with such force that the general populace has to submit to it is certainly against American ideals. There are degrees, to be sure, but America is sensitive to the least of it.

Last week's resignation of Brenden Eich at Mozilla brought about a furious reaction to bullying (fascism) ... on both sides of the cultures war.

Andrew Sullivan:
Will he now be forced to walk through the streets in shame? Why not the stocks? The whole episode disgusts me – as it should disgust anyone interested in a tolerant and diverse society. If this is the gay rights movement today – hounding our opponents with a fanaticism more like the religious right than anyone else – then count me out. If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us.

The New Yorker:
The real mystery here, then, is not why Eich stepped down but why he ever got hired in the first place. His unquestioned technical ability notwithstanding, this was a candidate who divided the board, who had already been controversial, and whose promotion was guaranteed to generate reams of bad publicity.

Slate:
Simply put, if conservatives are frustrated by the treatment of Eich for his role in Proposition 8, then they should be outraged by the treatment of ordinary people at the hands of the people who employ them.

LA Times
The "witch hunt" theory of Eich's ouster holds that his personal views shouldn't matter: If he's gone because of his donation to Prop. 8, why not purge every corporate employee anywhere who did the same? This argument is exemplified by Slate's William Saletan, who calls disapproval of support for Proposition 8 a "new standard" and writes, "perhaps we should put down the pitchforks."

The term homo-fascism has been thrust into the mainstream dialogue (actually, not a dialogue, but a shouting fest). And with an error-ridden fury that is hard to believe:

homofascism (Urban Dictionary)
Homosexual activists are vehemently promoting homosexuality throughout the media, academia, and politics as spelled out in their manifesto titled After The Ball. "Sensitivity" classes in schools are required to children as young as kindergarden where they brainwash a child within minutes into believing homosexuality is the same as trying a new food. This is pure Pavlonian style brainwashing, indoctrination, and ideological subversion. All states that legalize same sex "marriage" require schools to have these classes, and parents who opt their kids out can potential get thrown in jail and pay fines.

Not used in the melee (yet), is the term Christofascism.

Christofascism (Urban Dictionary)
Evangelical, semi-theocratical movement or temperment of Americans who stand against abortion, sexual education, homosexuality, science, anti-Zionism, and the separation of church and state. 

Not as vindictive as the prior definition, but just as definitive of certain viewpoints.

The saga of Brendan Eich has broadened to conservative free speech in general it seems, but with the passage of Mississippi new religious freedom bill, enabling small businesses and individuals to discriminate on the grounds of religious conscience, the Christian Right and Christofascism are the subjects of focus.

Who Is The Bigger Bully?

There little doubt that gay rights advocates have been flexing their collective political muscle lately, with so many states now granting (or about to grant) same-sex marriages. Some see the flexing as abuse of power, while others simply see it as a natural reaction to years of being bullied - on the playground and in the workplace - by predominantly Christian Right forces. Nobody wants to be labeled a bigot any more than they want to be labeled a sinner. Yet Andrew Sullivan's concern is legitimate: more than a condemnation, it is a warning not to become as bloodthirsty as the enemy. (He may be wrong, however, to consider it a free speech issue as Michael Hiltzik of the LA Times points out). 

What full analysis of the situation seems to point out in the long run, is that Brendan Eich was not a victim of dreaded homofascism, but Christofascism itself: supporting a Christofascist enterprise (e.g. Prop 8) has come to mean to both sides that you support the Christian Right wholeheartedly. In a sense, Eich was a victim of his own ideology (indeed, he still holds same-sex marriage to be wrong) probably thrust upon him by the Christian Right in a Christofascist manner. 

Christofascism is definitely the big bully - a bully gay rights advocates would be wise not to emulate.