“So let the government re-define marriage to be whatever they want it to be. Let people marry their cars if they want to. Why should I care?”
Because it slowly numbs the American public to the fact that such behavior is disgusting, deviant and wrong. If someone practices this in their bedroom, without others knowing, then you’re right – it doesn’t make an iota of difference to us. But when society accepts it, to the point where government officials on the highest levels are championing the cause, it turns into a situation where suddenly this behavior is seen as another option, something that’s completely normal. And it becomes politically incorrect to say that it’s wrong – it’s basic human rights, isn’t it? Once something is seen as normal, it becomes a whole lot harder to be hard and fast against it without one being viewed bigoted and intolerant.
First it’s gay marriage – let’s say bestiality is next. If the government makes it legal for one to marry his dearly beloved hamster, is that okay? What if NAMBLA successfully lobbies to allow marriage between a man and an underage boy? Or how about incest? Why is it okay to be prejudiced against these things, but not gay marriage?
The liberals in this thread will tell me the difference between the cases, but in reality, the difference is that the public has decided that one deviant behavior is okay and normal, but the rest aren’t. And that itself is the reason that we cannot just look away when society attempts to “normalize” gay marriage.