Comments on: Tom Hanks backtracks on un-American comments about gay marriage opponents

By: Flapjack

Flapjack — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:19:54 +0000

I think some people here are confusing ethics and principles with American nationality. You can state with some certainty that the average American is not a Mormon. I wouldn't say they were. However it doesn't follow any kind of logic that Mormons are therefore Unamerican, especially as there isn't a huge Mormon following anywhere else in the world. Please don't make me have to resort to Venn diagrams to prove this point.

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By: Sam86

Sam86 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:41:33 +0000

Jay,
I find it absurd that you would generalize about an entire nation (regardless of it being your own nation). So, I assume that you are the one and only American with a rational thought process and the ability to think for oneself. I guess there are some really stupid Americans out there.

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By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:13:29 +0000

As an American(not by choice), I know that Americans are idiots and Hypocrites. The Mormon church is a cult, and should be treated as such. And yes, they are very unAmerican. If America was founded on religious freedom, then them pushing their religious beliefs is very unAmerican.

Tom Hanks should not have said what he said lightly, but he was right about the Mormon Church, they ARE UNAMERICAN!

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By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:20:33 +0000

you all are right…since your not American you can't understand what a huge insult it is. No reason to comment because you dont get it. To be clear…The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (There is no such entity as the "Mormon Church) did not give money to defeat Prop 8. It encouraged its members to and then let them use their free will to do what they may.

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By: Flapjack

Flapjack — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:59:16 +0000

Unamerican is a meaningless phrase, especially when linked to value. I'm English, but you don't find me talking about things I don't agree with or stand for as "Un-English". That's jingoistic hogwash. Every country has some good and some bad aspects, and both extremes are as well documented in the USA as they are in any other country.
America produced Martin Luther King and it also produced Charlie Manson. Both are equally American as far as I'm aware. If you live there as an American citizen, that's good enough for most people.
Rather than getting into farcical debates about how American anything is, why not simply say whether you're for it or against it. No bullshit required.

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By: Simon Murphy

Simon Murphy — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:24:16 +0000

Americans seem to think that to describe something as unAmerican is a huge insult. Well it is also unAmerican to be against the death penalty. It used to be unAmerican to oppose slavery. And opposition to the facism of organised religion also seems to be unAmerican. In light of the long American history of religious intolerance and extremism; Mormon stance on gay marriage was very, very American. Considering the absurd position religion seems to occupy in the minds otherwise intelligent people it would seem in fact that support for gay marriage is actually 'unAmerican'.

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By: Har Davids

Har Davids — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:45 +0000

I'm not Amercian, so I would like to know what 'being un-American' migth mean. Is/was American: invading other countries without any good reason to do so, the death-penalty, slavery? It sounds almost like a (racial) slur. And why this need to backtrack?

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