Which, of course, will drive the “Yes on 8″ types into the place (in counter-protest)…

Ah – the virtual violence of the digital mob. Quite possibly the least that one can do to make one feel like they’re doing something.

@wilberfan – Doubtful, since most Yes on 8 types don’t even know what these InterTubes are. Yelp, I’d wager, skews pretty young, hip, and homo-friendly.

@ AArtVark- No way- signing a digital petition is WAY more pointless.

I’ll go ya one more wilberfan: there are certain “No on 8″ types such as cough — myself! — cough who are being driven into the place because they’re getting so sick and tired of all the misdirected bullying.

I’ve never crossed a picket line in my life but I’m getting damn close to breaching this one at a dead run.

I voted NO on Prop 8 as I believe in equality for all.
However – I’m REALLY getting sick to death of things like the bullying of the El Coyote owner.

If you disagree with a business persons political or ethical point of view then fine – don’t spend your money at their business. However – going online and filling out LOTS of 1 star reviews to maliciously damage their income reeks of sour grapes and immaturity.

If Prop 8 had been defeated and all the YES voters took to the streets and started to bully “Vote No” restaurant owners I can only imagine the accusations of hatred and bigotry that would have been thrown at them.

This is NOT the way to change the hearts and minds of the public – I can understand you are all upset and hurt – I was disappointed it passed too – but really – take all this energy and use it to help educate people, send out a positive message and try to be the better human being by showing some tolerance for those that may not have shown it to you.

I’m a long time Yelper. I write reviews about all kinds of things. Sometimes I’ll give a mediocre restaurant a great review because I had a good time there, despite its mediocrity. By the same token, I’ll ding a star or two for an OK restaurant if I feel there are other things to consider.

I’m not one of these people who just signed on to Yelp to bad mouth every restaurant that supported Prop 8.

My review of El Coyote was honest. I didn’t really like it in the first place, and the whole Prop 8 situation gives me an extra reason not to go. I don’t think people should be out there harassing the restaurant.

Heck, if people want to eat there, that’s fine by me. I actually think the El Coyote thing is pretty misdirected and there are other fish to fry. I’m not trying to make the restaurant go under. I’m just saying I’m exercising my right to spend my money where I want to and sharing it on Yelp like I have been doing for years.

I can’t help it if other people same way. So I resent being accused of being part of a “digital mob” for simply having an opinion that others share.

Joz you did what you believed is right. That is what matters at the end of the day. I do crap that upsets people and just learned to let it roll and keep going on.

Well, El Coyote caved.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-elcoyote15-2008nov15,0,6294928.story

Will you go write another review, Joz?

Where’s the posting about tomorrow’s rally downtown?

Can someone suggest a good saying for my sign?

You’re “not trying to make the restaurant go under”, Joz? I call bullshit. Your Yelp “review” was practically all politics and no review of the culinary (cough) efforts or ambience. Snip:

I’ve been here a couple of times and thought that this was a two to three star place at best, but now that I know that the co-owner is a bigot who contributed to and voted for Yes on 8, I am saying NO TO EL COYOTE!

But chips & salsa with a side of bigotry and hate makes me sick and I hope you agree with me. We have the right NOT to spend OUR money at a place like this!

She is not a bigot, Joz. She is a Mormon. She gave a simple $100 donation to a cause her church told her was important. Misguided, perhaps, but this kind of sick vitriol that you seem so proud of (it “tickles” you) had better stop or the backlash being created is going to come back on the gay community tenfold. Spend your damn money wherever you like but you damn well better promote ethical consumerism in every facet of your life or you are a larger hypocrite than those you condemn.

Maybe I wasn’t clear about what “tickles me.” What tickles me is that chart, which I think is a funny visual representation what people are feeling. I am not tickled by the “vitriol” you refer to.

And Rodger, you sure “damn well” enjoy telling people how to live their lives, don’t you?

So if we want to practice ANY kind of ethical consumerism, it only counts if you do it in “every facet of your life?” I think most of us try the best we can, but we can always do better. No one is perfect; I certainly am not. Nor do I claim to be.

But I’m certainly not going to ever hold up to some ridiculous standard of “perfect ethical consumerism” from people who like you who defends Marjorie as not being a bigot on one hand, but then based on one Yelp review calls someone else he doesn’t know (me) to be a hypocrite on the other.

What tickles me is that chart, which I think is a funny visual representation what people are feeling. I am not tickled by the “vitriol” you refer to.

Fine. We have a different sense of humor. Clue me in to the joke I am so clealy missing. I spy plenty of punchlines here, Joz, but the part that tickles you eludes me. You enjoy seeing people who hold an opposing POV of yours being punished as funny?

I think this just points to the internet being a big fat lie. A lie in which the people with the biggest gang and most money win at and if you piss off that gang the truth comes out. Not on the issue, but the truth of most sites not being objective and only being about cash and keeping the status quo happy.

Not a damnation on No on Prop 8 on that level I understand, but just a damnation of the internet being nothing more than a big gigantic commericial of bs.

The Bus Bench’s commentary has been taken off Yelp (not for this issue), so we no longer play there. It’s a private company so that is there right, but I think it’s interesting that opinions such as ours (on a public funded agency) are not ok on Yelp.

Browne, The Bus Bench

To stand up for this when you’ve never stood up for anything in your life…not talking about anyone in particular.

But I think people who are not extreme, who never where extreme and after this has died down will never be extreme, I’m sort of a little suspicious. It’s popular to be No on 8 among the pseudo progressive online armchair activist types, but what about undocumented immigrants, what about sexism, what about racism, what about all of this consumer culture what about all of the other things…I think this is all very interesting. I think some people are using gay people, so they can be popular.

People who have never ever brought up human rights issues or animal rights ever, getting all aggro?!!! That sort of does look like in my opinion like a mob mentality, because is that really who you are?

I boycott, ban and ethically consume all of the time, and bitch about all kinds of things but it’s a universal type thing not this one issue, but hey maybe all of these No on 8 people will speak up on other issues now.

For some reason though, I kind of doubt it.

Browne

Cybele, I posted on the rally DT today on the 11th. http://la.metblogs.com/2008/11/11/sunday-1115-biggest-protest-ever-on-prop-8/
Your sign: 8=hate

Ah the irony… No one would tolerate this type of behavior towards someone who donated to No on 8. But because someone stood up for their religious values they’re all of a sudden fair game?

Frazgo – Thanks for the link! (Not really the graphic for the post that expect so I think I glossed over it.)

My signs:
“Happily Every After for Everyone”
“Equal Respect and Dignity of Marriage is a Basic Civil Right” (not the catchiest, but a quote from In re Marriage opinion written by CA Supreme Court Justice Ronald M. George.)

Unfortunately I’m sick and can’t go … someone else will raise my signs for me.

i voted no on prop 8. i’m furious as fuck that in 2008 it’s still feasible to legislate bigotry, but this is fucking ridiculous. do you know how often you put money in anti-gay hands? ebay? kraft? miller beer? mobil? hp? this is just off the top of my head but why stop at just the republicans and gay marriage opponents? what about not putting money into the hands of criminals? coca cola’s been tied to the murders of south american union organizers, and the free trade fruit farmers? the reebok sweatshops vietnam? sweat shops anywhere?

or am i to assume all of these high-and-mighty newborn activists wear nothing but the adbusters shoes and american apparel tees and eat locally grown fair trade food all the time everywhere they go on their refurbished fixed-gears? maybe they brought in their own food when the went to el coyote, too. all of them. who knows, i’ve never eaten there but i’m sure the owners aren’t that socially conscious. i know i can’t afford to be.

it’s awful that this tiny, mean woman has such little respect for her clientele but i’m sure for every one of her there are plenty of down-to-earth, pro-gay employees who live off of the tips you give them. please please go protest and go litigate but use some perspective with this el coyote crap.

I’m with Will and Rodger that this anti El Coyote stance is really misplaced.
However, I’m surprised Rodger excuses the bigotry of some of the people who voted Yes on Prop 8 because they’re Mormon. Remember, Mormons were pretty stubborn about allowing interracial marriage for a long time as well… I’d say that was bigoted as well. And it also forgets that not all Mormons are against marriage. Using any religion as an excuse for taking a position is weak, and portrays the religion as more of a cult. People can think for themselves, and religions can evolve. But to evolve, you need people willing to stick up to bigoted views, not those who make excuses and make efforts to continue such discrimination.
I still keep looking for a single argument supporting a ban on gay marriage that doesn’t come down to bigotry, and have yet to find one. Anyone?

David,

No need for you to invoke the interracial marriage angle. That is no longer the case with the Mormons and their most recent offenses are not allowing black people join their church until 1978 (since we were the descendents of Cain according to them and that somehow equates to badness) and that black people couldn’t be leaders of their church until the 90s.

You want to talk about race now? You are disturbed at black people’s treatement by the Mormon Church…HA HA HA!!! You did not and don’t give a darn about how people of color are treated. You care about gay people? You only care that they dared to give money against an unpopular choice within your circle of friend who probably have absolutely no problem being bigoted to other group of people.

And if you really want to invoke something that people on this board can relate to. How about undocumented immigrants? You were offensive guy number one on that issue, on this very board. Remember the “illegal” vs whatever other bs. Remember that? many of us had to get on here and explain to you why calling people “illegal” was a slur and not cool.

Do you not think attitudes like that foster this very thing? Many people in this like bringing up the poem by Martin Niemoller, “First They Came.” Yet they don’t understand it. You don’t have to go to the 50s or the 60s or the South. You self righteous LA bigots. You can go to LA right now and find the first people they came for in this modern day era of ignorance. Undocumented immigrants. Slaves early aught style.

You and people like you said nothing and the forcess that hate built up strength so you can blame attitudes such as yours for the Yes on 8. This ok to hate people and to dehumanize people because they are not exactly like you.

That is what you should be invoking here. Invoke your own ugly bigotry. I guess though it’s more popular to be a bigot towards undocumented immigrants than it is towards people who are your friends.

I find your stance on this insanely amusing and insanely stained with bs skidmarks.

Bigotry is wrong all of the time not just when it has to do with a group of people you think matter a little bit more in your world.

Browne

thank you sharpton

Again, I ask, is there an argument against gay marriage that doesn’t come down to bigotry? And leaving it at “because its in the bible” doesn’t settle the issue.

Browne,

well finally Wanda Sykes said it best…….Just before the Nov. 4 election, Sykes talked about homophobia within the black community on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, acknowledging there are differences between the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement, but saying, “discrimination is discrimination, and of all people, black people should know about discrimination.”

game, set, match!