McRibs and Being Reasonable

I hate McRibs. I think they're all levels of nasty. I hate the bun they come on. I hate the bbq sauce they slather on them. The idea of pickles with bbq sauce is abhorrent to me and all of this is before I even talk about how it's a molded piece of 'pork' in the shape of a rib . . . including the places where the bones are supposed to be. McRibs are truly some of the nastiest things ever.

I do not want to eat one. The very idea of it gives me the willies. I do not want to watch someone else eating one. I do not want to smell them. I do not want to discuss the eating of them with others. Quite frankly, I wish they didn't exist.

However, they DO exist. McRibs exist and some people love them. Some people LIVE for the various times of year they are on the menu. Fact is, McRibs appeal to them. They make them happy. And these people would like it if the McRib was on the menu all the time.

And you know what? I don't really care if they put it on the menu full time. I may not like them, but they're being on the menu doesn't really impact my life. It's not like anyone will be FORCING me to eat McRibs now.  It's not like the stable, typical, and common items I enjoy from the menu will now disappear because the McRib is offered. Other than the moments when I think too long about people eating them (which I shouldn't do because it's none of my business), McRibs being offered all the time just doesn't have anything to do with me.

This is basically what I thought about as I read about the protests in France over the legalization of gay marriage. The protests are fairly passionate over the issue. One historian even killed himself . . . he killed himself, because they made it legal for gay people to get married. Okay, I know I'm not religious, but that is seriously about as smart as me killing myself because they made McRibs a full time menu item. It seriously had that little to do with him . . . and yet, he killed himself.

At some point, we need to begin to realize that our own personal beliefs really should not be the measure of who is allowed to have rights and who isn't. Even when we feel very, very deeply about something, we should still stop and ask ourselves if we are violating someone else by allowing our ideas to hold more weight than their happiness. What kind of people would do that? What kind of society does that make us?

Let people have their McRibs. No one is saying you have to eat one. No one is saying you have to sacrifice your chicken nuggets so the McRib people can be happy. They're just eating what they like while you eat what you like. Be happy you have something to munch on and mind your own damned business.