Reply #6: I'm not worried about the OP. I'm worried about creating a new angle for RW freaks. [View All]

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If the mafia is controlling our bars, then we should most certainly address it and the OP certainly seems to know what he's talking about. I only want to make sure we're really careful how we talk about it so that it doesn't easily become a manufactured RW talking point. As a union member, I've seen organized labor be treated as if it were synonymous with organized crime simply because the mafia, for a period in history, was able to hijack the aims of working people via a few corrupt bosses. We're already blamed for everything else under the sun, so I just want us to be very specific in how we discuss the problem, so that we don't give the RW another bizarro talking point. Of course, I think it would be a hard sell, though, for RWers to connect the mob and "teh gay". They sort of hero-worship the mafia as an uber-hetero construction (just a little too workin' class for their tastes...) I don't think conjoining "gay" and "mafia" would fit in easily with either of their stereotypes.

But just in case...