Legalisation - condoning or accepting?

Please read this post CAREFULLY. It's NOT about homosexual marriage.

On episode 200 of the Update, a discussion copped up whether by legalising homosexual marriage is right. By now, I think we all know Shane and Brad's views on this. But this isn't what I want to discuss here.

Shane says that he does not condone homosexual marriage, but has been forced to accept it. He says that legalising it would condone it. However, Brad says that by legalising homosexual marriage you are not necessarily condoning it.

This is not a discussion about the right and wrongs of homosexual marriage, or even whether it should be legal or not. I want to discuss the premise that legalising something is condoning it. This could be regarding homosexual marriage, marijuana or any number of issues.

So I pose the question to you: does legalising something mean you condone it, or just accept it?

Note: I have attempted to summarise the argument here, but please don't pull me up if it's not exactly correct. It's the prmise in question here- not the context.


Personally, I agree with Shane on this one. As far as I'm concerned, by legalising something, you're condoning it (although I do think homosexual marriage should be legalised- but that's not the point).

Legalizing something is by definition condoning it.

Condone:
1) To disregard or overlook (something illegal, objectionable, or the like)

However I think people can legalize *** marriage while still completely hating the idea. They would simply be condoning (overlooking) it.
The word 'condone' takes on a different connotation, though. The connotation that goes along with condoning something is that you agree with or support it.

Well, sane people feel that way, but take a trip to Bible Belt, USA. The only reason same *** marriage is held back to this day is because people think it's morally wrong. There's no other motive. Of course, they will claim that they don't want same *** marriage because somehow it would scar their children forever.

"But what if my kids ask me about Billy's two dads!! Whatever would I do?? Would I have to explain that some people don't live exactly the same way that I do and that being a bigot is bad??? NOOOOOO"

One short paragraph with questions and i will end this nonsesnse....

"humans were put on this earth to populate with their partner, to take care and provide for better or worse. Now how can you do that if you are with another person of the same kind. The victims here are the children that get seperated from their dads. That is the only way (other then adoption) that same-sex marriages can have kids".

What happens if the child/ren grow up, go out with someone they like. knowing, that the other person will eventually ask to stay at their house. Or worse, ask to meet their parents??

What kind of effect will it have on the child phsycologically??


Cheers, dafin0

This isn't an argument on the pros or cons of any argument, read the first post more carefully.



Anyway, I'll clarify my view point on this;

The way I see it condoning something is taking an objective view point on a situation and accepting that there is no reason it should not be legal even when you don't particularly support it or 'accept it' as was the vocabulary we used in our little debate. I think its possible to condone something you don't personally agree with without really 'accepting' it.

Although maybe condone and accept weren't exactly the best words to use. Basically I just think you can accept that, objectively, something should be legal (I.E *** marriage, pot legalization, whatever) without personally or morally agreeing with it.

This isn't about *** marriage.

Please people read the first post.

Exactly what I think. I accept that cannabis use happens (it does happen- so you'd be stupid to deny it). But I don't condone it- I would not support it's legalisation.

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I'll use cannabis an my example here- it's easier to explain than homosexual marriage.

Okay, so as far as I can see, there are two "levels".

1) So people use cannabis. It's illegal, but it happens. So you have to accept it- if it's already there, you can't just flatly deny it.

2) But just because it happens, it doesn't mean I agree with it; it doesn't mean I condone it. And that's why I don't support it's legalisation- because doing so, as far as I'm concerned, would mean I condone it. And I don't.

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I see what you're saying here. And I agree with the context- I don't condone cannabis use, mainly because it causes so many problems- not on a moral front. In my opinion, it's illegal because the people who make the laws don't condone it. And if you feel strongly enough about something to not condone it, then by default you also justify spending money to uphold the law.

Mmm...this is kind of a trick question. Condoning is somewhat related to accepting in many respects. The way I consider it is this way. Legalization is accepting something. Things that are usually legalized are hopefully generally accepted by the majority if not all the people in one place. As you may know, homosexual marriage is a very hotly debated issue and I would argue that the majority of people do not want it. If you don't accept that, it's fine, but for general purposes, let's agree that it isn't generally accepted. Legalization, in this case, would be an undermining of the general population (as I'm talking about the United State, of course, and representatives and senators are supposed to represent the will of the people) and probably would not be accepted. I'd say legalization of something is an accepting (not exception) of something. Like it was mentioned earlier, condoning carries the connotation that something is probably overlooked even though it's not accepted. So as it stands now, legalization would be an acceptance of homosexual marriage. One interesting fact to part with all of you is this: homosexuality used to be viewed as a disorder in psychology. But as society and it's views have changed (or at least how psychologists' views have changed), homosexuality is no longer viewed as a disorder anymore. Just an interesting thought to consider.