How to fight a winning battle

This week's chapter is called the "King of the Golden Hall."  The Golden Hall is Meduseld, the king's hall in Edoras, capital of Rohan.  The king is Theoden.  In this chapter, the true nature of the Rohirrim is finally revealed.  I mentioned earlier that it is unclear to whom Rohan has pledged it's allegiance.  Even in meeting with Eomer, things are not so clear to us.  Eomer had been banished.  Maybe he was banished for being the only person who wanted to fight orcs.  There's little telling what to expect.

Our four companions ride to Edoras to see the king.  When they arrive, they are not welcome.  The guards speak to them abruptly in Rohirrim.  "[Gandalf] answered in the same language, 'I understand your speech, yet few strangers do so.  Why do you not speak in the Common Tongue, as is the custom in the West, if you wish to be answered.' 'It is the will of Theoden King that none should enter his gates, save those who know our tongue and are our friends.'"

So things are not off to a great start.  The Rohirrim are very suspicious and already on high alert.  And although Gandalf manages to get an audience with the king, one more barrier remains.  They are asked to put their weapons aside, and that none will be allowed in front of the king armed.  There is a struggle similar to the one seen in Lothlorien.  The companions do not wish to go unarmed.  None but Gandalf have ever met Theoden, and he did not leave on such good terms.  It is no wonder they wanted to hold on to their weapons.  But Gandalf prevents any kind of argument.  "A king will have his own way in his own hall, be it folly or wisdom." So they leave their weapons behind.

A simple application to our modern times might be the parental refrain:  You live in my house, you follow my rules.  Of course, this mentality goes far beyond the struggle between generations.  There are countless scenarios in which we must follow the rules of others.  I'm not even talking about one person dictating rules - I mean social norms.  Society has determined certain things to be "the way" (either by overt decision or just by communal habit).

For example, have you ever considered how you conduct yourself in an elevator?  You look towards the door, or possibly up at the display to see what floor you're on.  You rarely look others in the eye - even if you know them and are talking to them.  And you never stand facing the back.  The reason doesn't really matter, by the way; Society has deemed it right to face the doorway, be it folly or wisdom.

I was going to draw comparisons to that Arizona bill, but it has since been vetoed by the governor. So I must change my tune a little.  That battle is over.  However, in doing my research for this topic, I came across this excellent no-nonsense New York Post article.  Please read it.  I'd also advise you to read this excellent piece from The Onion.

The main part of the NY Post article I want to emphasize is this:  "But the market has a ready solution:  There are other bakers, photographers and florists.  The wedding business is not exactly bristling with hostility to gay people.  If one baker won't make a cake for gay weddings, the baker cross town can hang a shingle welcoming all couples..."

This isn't another Jim Crow era.  Racism back then worked so well because it was so prevalent.  Entire cities were blanketed with it, and fighting racism could land you in jail.  While Fox News does an excellent job in exciting it's base and terrifying us, it represents a very small minority of the country (Their audience tends to be old and with less formal education).

The risk of you going to jail protesting homophobic laws is minimal, and the only media that is going to disparage you for doing so is the same media that was supporting those laws in the first place.  There are no surprises.  And while that demographic will be loud and rude, they are small and they will lose.  We are seeing the death throes of a movement.  Some innocents may be hurt by the thrashing, but the cause is basically already won.

"But - a king will have his own way in his own hall, be it folly or wisdom.  I can do whatever I want in my privately owned business."  This is surely the argument the other side takes. And if someone is conducting their business in a way that morally repulses you...... vote with your feet.  And vote with your wallet.  Do you think Chick-fil-a regrets for a moment the controversy over their CEO's statement?  They got such an astounding boost to business by people who......... wanted to show they also oppose gay rights.......... by eating chicken?

We must, at least according to that NYPost article, do the same.  We are in a different battle than we were in the 50s and 60s, though it is all civil rights.  The anti-gay demographic is sparsely spread out, but very focused, dots.  They are cut off from the world, existing in their little islands, connected to other islands via the internet and Fox News (And conservative talk radio).  They live, as far as information goes, in a completely different world.  They don't see themselves the oppressors - they find themselves to be oppressed!

But is that so ridiculous?  I don't think so.

Read that Onion article again.  It's brilliant, as the Onion is at its best.  This must be exactly what the other side feels about us.  And it is exactly how we feel about them.  And who are we to say "We're right so shut up and respect people," when they think that, if they do, they are literally burning in hell for all eternity.  We're ignoring a huge part of their sense of self.  We can't expect them to shed the religion that has guided them their whole lives.  That's grossly unfair and dogmatic of us.

They are isolated because they only have a few media outlets that speak to their views.  That's why we can say "Fox News & Rush Limbaugh" but they have to say "Mainstream media."  They are literally in a battle with EVERYONE ELSE.  Of course they feel overwhelmed.  But cornering a bull only enrages it...

I wish I knew the answer.  My final thoughts are this:  While a king will have his own way, these private businesses are not royal halls.  They are but chambers in a much larger hall, and that hall is America.  And America has decided, like with elevators, that there is a right thing to do, and a wrong thing to do.  Be it wisdom or folly (It's wisdom), the population has decided in favor of gay rights.

However.  However.  America is a country of dissidents and a nation of underdogs.  It's uncomfortable for anyone to be on top.  Even the richest of the rich feel under attack.  In America, you are always trying to win, but you cannot have won.  "Always be closing."  Always be fighting.  But what if you've won?  We don't know what to do with winners.  So everyone paints themselves as the underdog.

But the truth is, we're not.  We've won.  We've walloped the other side, even as they take potshots at us.  We've won.  And they live in our hall, so they must obey, be it wisdom or folly.

Except that gay rights isn't the end-all.  Gay rights isn't what America is about.  Gay rights have their place in America, and equality is a pillar of America, but neither of those things rule America.  What rules America, and we're gonna get a little real here, isn't a right to privacy or the right to free speech or a right to healthcare.  It's money.  We have decided, as a society, that money is power.  And while we may dislike it, it is true.  That's why groups need to fundraise - because without money, their purpose is already defeated.  Money rules the halls of America, be it wisdom or folly.

In that case, the best solution is to deny our opponents money and give it to our allies.  Thus we come full circle: "But the market has a ready solution:  There are other bakers, photographers and florists.  The wedding business is not exactly bristling with hostility to gay people.  If one baker won't make a cake for gay weddings, the baker cross town can hang a shingle welcoming all couples..."

We live in a society ruled by money.  And while we may not like it, we may disagree with it, we may even be repulsed by it, it is true.  A king will have his own way in his own hall, be it wisdom or folly.  Those who wish to affect change in the hall must follow those rules.  Such as it is with our society.  We can call moral imperative, we can shout about "the right side of history." But if we really want to affect change, we must play by society's rules.  Which means money.

If we outlaw something our opponents can view themselves as mavericks.  If society turns against them, they can view themselves as the last defense for traditional values.  But if we deny them money, they'll become powerless.  And if money is power, spend yours wisely.  Vote with your wallet, and spend with your conscience.