lately, there have been numerous articles brought to my attention via the internet concerning people's persistent voicings of statements, some racist and bigoted, others just bizarre, most belonging in the WTF file that grows thicker by the minute. some people just don't know when to shut up, you know? those small inner voices just have to be heard and it makes me wonder if medications need to be adjusted. the most recent one concerned an on-line preacher who claims the president and the f.c.c. are in cahoots with the devil to "molest and visually rape" the children of this country by ignoring or bending rules of decency when it comes to what is broadcast on our televisions. i'll go on, but first...a little background.
chaplain gordon james "chaps" klingenschmitt was reprimanded and fined in 2006 for wearing his uniform at a protest rally despite being ordered not to. after leaving the navy, he has since gained a name for himself among conservative christian groups for his stands for prayer and against the "evils of the gay agenda", my quotes, not his. and just about anything else that doesn't fit into his narrow view of what is and/or isn't good, in the strictest biblical sense.
so, as i said, he stated he knows there are demonic forces at work concerning the programming practices involved in determining what is seen on network and cable television. CABLE!! that alone screams it was created by satan himself. but, anyway, back to my main point... in commenting on this i got into a brief but civil back-and-forth with someone who proceeded to say that she felt it was simply best to ignore the buffoon, since he was only "preaching to the choir"-those who already agree withe the bile he so proudly vomits. while i agreed with her, that it would be so nice if we could simply ignore him and his preachings, i had to remind her of another time when many people tried to ignore someone, hoping he would simply go away.
in the early '30's, many thought he was just a verbose buffoon, talking to a few of his followers, but they listened. and he talked louder (and longer) to larger crowds, and they listened, seemingly liking what he had to say. they told their friends, the audiences got bigger and he kept talking. then they burned the books and whole neighborhoods disappeared. and, at length, the world imploded, and a lot of it had to do with people who simply tried to ignore him and his words.
to some, what these people, like klingonshit (sorry, i couldn't hold it in any longer), and beck and limbaugh and palin and bachmann have to say is ridiculous and should be treated as the ravings of ones who have no idea they come off as a big joke. to others, they are insulting, condescending and bigoted. they amuse, bewilder and piss off various segments of the public and sometimes those segments overlap. but sometimes they touch a nerve and speak to people, saying things that, for some reason the rest of us cannot comprehend, those people want to hear. and, on top of it all, they honestly believe THEMSELVES, that ever word they say is god's-honest gospel. and that might be the scariest thing of all and what makes them, ultimately, so dangerous.
so, it is to our peril, we ignore them and simply hope they go away.
treat them like a joke if you will; laugh at them, scratch your head in bewilderment over some of their utterings, wonder at the results of their latest surveys, comment with others, but never
NEVER
ignore them.
Bravo! Well said!
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