Re:Same-Sex Marriage Is a Right, Supreme Court Rules
by andreyf on Friday June 26, 2015 @02:33PM
(#9786769)
Good points. "Few hearts and minds" is more accurate.
> Some argue that desegregation alienated more hearts and minds than it helped, but I've yet to see any evidence.
It's a question that isn't easy to answer empirically, but it's not outside of the realm of possibility that we would today have a less segregated of a society if segregation had come been eradicated in each community separately and via local and state laws rather than federal action.
All that aside, I think legal equality is a worthy cause and a great victory on its own. I hope we do not forget about social equality and cultural integration as worthy causes, as well.
As a counterpoint: Since the civil rights era, the welfare and integration of the black-skinned Americans has improved dramatically. Some argue that desegregation alienated more hearts and minds than it helped, but I've yet to see any evidence. Certainly American opinions about blacks also have changed dramatically. (But I agree that we do have a long way to go.)
> No hearts and no minds are changed as a result of the supreme court rulings, just the code powering the justice system ...
I'm not sure no hearts and minds were changed -- I suspect many will reconsider, having seen the decision of a respected institution and the direction of society -- but I agree that you can't do that by court order. But there is a very substantive change: Gay Americans now can get married!