If your Sonos system doesn't work, don't blame the 1920s wiring; OutSports.com, 2/13/14

Jared Max, OutSports.com; If your Sonos system doesn't work, don't blame the 1920s wiring:

"Like a younger generation responsible to teach seemingly unwilling grandparents how to navigate Facebook, we have to show compassion and tolerance for those who do not understand what it means to be gay. Whether it is dealing with a man of generations past who owns an NFL team, or a player who seems out of touch with a progressive, equal society, we must recognize that we are no better than them, but that we have an opportunity to bring them on board. We should not blame Terrell Thomas for feeling as he does; these are his beliefs. We must recognize that our way of thought is not the only way. No man is immune to a need for tolerance. If we expect others to listen to us, we must be willing to hear them...

We must understand that great change, a paradigm shift in thought takes considerable time. When I came out, I wanted everybody to be on board, happy for me and accepting of who I am. While it was frustrating at first, in time I learned that we cannot force our beliefs on others, expecting them to see the light, immediately.

Jackie Robinson is one of our great American heroes. Branch Rickey, too. Question: Were they celebrated at first? Did fans in Boston who cheered Bill Russell through one NBA title after another feel so rosy about this player who looked different -- when he first arrived? Some say that winning cures all. I believe that winning makes it easy to forget what was believed to be previous problems. Should it take Michael Sam making a game winning play that sends his team to the Super Bowl for skeptical or homophobic players, owners and management to accept him as an equal?

The next time you are bothered by a quote or soundbite from somebody rationalizing why the NFL isn't ready for a gay player, ask yourself how you could educate this person. How could you rewire an antiquated system to be compatible with today's world? What would you say that would make a detractor understand your point, without firing shots at his beliefs? It is all about education.

One society. One family. One team."