kadie
Moon
"You don't need a licence to drive a sandwhich!"
Posts: 240
|
Post by kadie on Apr 25, 2010 9:10:47 GMT -5
Firstly if you don't know anything about the WBC here are some links Wiki page - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Churchone of their websites - www.godhatesfags.com/A documentary about them by Louis Theroux - www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmIr9P-vkSQOkay, so I've seen a lot of videos of counter protests and people "Pwning" the WBC. There have been a lot of different approaches ranging from mocking them, to screaming and swearing at them to using their protests as a launch pad to collect money for the charity's they protest against and raise awareness about LGBTQ issues. I am curious as to what people think is the best way to approach counter protesting the WBC and other such orgaisations and whether or not people think we should counter protest them at all. Thoughts??
|
|
|
Post by RandiKthxxx on Apr 25, 2010 12:36:08 GMT -5
Haters don't deserve attention
|
|
Nakor
Star
Non-Prophet
Posts: 991
|
Post by Nakor on Apr 25, 2010 14:05:01 GMT -5
They are so dogmatic that it's impossible to get through to them with any sort of reality. The correct approach is to see to it that any audience they have is seeing (a) how terribly they act, and (b) the other side of the story, and to ensure that they do as little harm as possible to the undeserving.
|
|
|
Post by Jake on Apr 25, 2010 15:09:23 GMT -5
The best thing to do with them...turn them into a positive thing. This sound hard with people like them, but it's been done before: - When they picket soldier's funerals, a group of motorcyclists often turn up and park between the picketers and the funeral, waving large American flag. Sometimes hundreds of them.
- Often at University's, students whole up mock signs, dance around in their underwear to YMCA and do other stuff - a fun day is basically made out from the protest.
- Get a guy to chat up one of the male members of the church and put it on TV...okay, it's kinda immature but an Australian Channel did it and it was hilarious.
And that's how to make them into a fun thing! I'm pretty proud that Shirley and Fred Phelps are two of the fifteen people banned from my country.
|
|
|
Post by newschooled on Apr 25, 2010 15:18:47 GMT -5
Everybody is self righteous. No side will EVER give up and say "Oh, I see your point. Okay, I'll change from now on."
|
|
Nakor
Star
Non-Prophet
Posts: 991
|
Post by Nakor on Apr 25, 2010 15:30:47 GMT -5
Disagree. It's rare for someone to flip-flop from one side to another overnight, but people's opinions do change a LOT. I'm a pretty good example; I went from Christian to atheist. Of course, an entire group changing en masse is rather unlikely, but individuals within the group certainly do sometimes see an opposing point, and change their views appropriately. Maybe part-way, maybe all the way.
These WBC nuts, however, are the sorts of people who will not even listen in the first place, and those who are unwilling to listen will not change until they first become willing to listen, which is something they pretty much have to come to on their own because they are unwilling to listen.
|
|
AkeR
Moon
Mah name iz Tom and i liek to maek pikturez on wallz ^_^
Posts: 182
|
Post by AkeR on Apr 25, 2010 15:33:11 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by newschooled on Apr 25, 2010 15:56:06 GMT -5
Disagree. It's rare for someone to flip-flop from one side to another overnight, but people's opinions do change a LOT. I'm a pretty good example; I went from Christian to atheist. Of course, an entire group changing en masse is rather unlikely, but individuals within the group certainly do sometimes see an opposing point, and change their views appropriately. Maybe part-way, maybe all the way. These WBC nuts, however, are the sorts of people who will not even listen in the first place, and those who are unwilling to listen will not change until they first become willing to listen, which is something they pretty much have to come to on their own because they are unwilling to listen. Well, let's keep in mind the context though. Basically, we have the hardcore right wing dogmatic religious fundamentalists on one side, vs. the more open minded eclectic liberal-ish folks on the other side. That's a pretty stark bridge to gap.
|
|
Nakor
Star
Non-Prophet
Posts: 991
|
Post by Nakor on Apr 25, 2010 16:14:51 GMT -5
Oh, for sure. But we're talking "fundamentalists" -- these are people who by default reject anything that isn't within their set of fundamentals blindly and without thought. That's what the WBC folk are. So I'm saying that they basically cannot be changed until they're willing to change themselves, but people in general certainly can be moved by arguments.
|
|
kadie
Moon
"You don't need a licence to drive a sandwhich!"
Posts: 240
|
Post by kadie on Apr 25, 2010 16:24:41 GMT -5
The best thing to do with them...turn them into a positive thing. This sound hard with people like them, but it's been done before: - When they picket soldier's funerals, a group of motorcyclists often turn up and park between the picketers and the funeral, waving large American flag. Sometimes hundreds of them.
- Often at University's, students whole up mock signs, dance around in their underwear to YMCA and do other stuff - a fun day is basically made out from the protest.
- Get a guy to chat up one of the male members of the church and put it on TV...okay, it's kinda immature but an Australian Channel did it and it was hilarious.
And that's how to make them into a fun thing! I'm pretty proud that Shirley and Fred Phelps are two of the fifteen people banned from my country. Yeah I've seen all of those, The austrailian one is so funny. and Yay, for them being banned I'm from Britian as well
|
|
kadie
Moon
"You don't need a licence to drive a sandwhich!"
Posts: 240
|
Post by kadie on Apr 25, 2010 16:28:18 GMT -5
Oh, for sure. But we're talking "fundamentalists" -- these are people who by default reject anything that isn't within their set of fundamentals blindly and without thought. That's what the WBC folk are. So I'm saying that they basically cannot be changed until they're willing to change themselves, but people in general certainly can be moved by arguments. Some members of the WBC have left the family after being brought up that way so it's not impossible to get some of them to change their minds. I do agree though that the majority will never change.
|
|
|
Post by IMAGINARYphilosophy on Apr 25, 2010 17:08:58 GMT -5
The best reaction to the WBC I've heard of:
Fred Phelps and his followers announced their intentions to protest a gay bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The bar owner decided that instead of organizing a counter-protest and giving the WBC the attention and satisfaction they wanted, he would turn the event into a fundraiser for a local gay rights organization. He asked online for people to pledge a donation for each minute that the WBC protest lasted. In response, he received pledges from all over the US totaling $107 per minute.
All told, the WBC raised $6000 for gay rights that day. XD
|
|
kadie
Moon
"You don't need a licence to drive a sandwhich!"
Posts: 240
|
Post by kadie on Apr 25, 2010 17:28:03 GMT -5
The best reaction to the WBC I've heard of: Fred Phelps and his followers announced their intentions to protest a gay bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The bar owner decided that instead of organizing a counter-protest and giving the WBC the attention and satisfaction they wanted, he would turn the event into a fundraiser for a local gay rights organization. He asked online for people to pledge a donation for each minute that the WBC protest lasted. In response, he received pledges from all over the US totaling $107 per minute. All told, the WBC raised $6000 for gay rights that day. XD I've seen something similar to that on youtube, this guy raised money for all the charities and organisations the WBC protested. Also every person who donated was asked to send the WBC a card saying thank you as without them the fundraiser wouldn't have been possible. It's one of the best counter protests I've seen x
|
|
Nakor
Star
Non-Prophet
Posts: 991
|
Post by Nakor on Apr 25, 2010 18:20:15 GMT -5
Oh, for sure. But we're talking "fundamentalists" -- these are people who by default reject anything that isn't within their set of fundamentals blindly and without thought. That's what the WBC folk are. So I'm saying that they basically cannot be changed until they're willing to change themselves, but people in general certainly can be moved by arguments. Some members of the WBC have left the family after being brought up that way so it's not impossible to get some of them to change their minds. I do agree though that the majority will never change. Yes, I actually bumped into a blog from one such person off of StumbleUpon. Still, considering they were raised that way, and never embraced that particular belief upon adulthood, I consider them a bit different. And I'm not trying to say that it's impossible for them to change; I'm trying to say that it's impossible for us to change them until they are, themselves, willing to even consider the possibility of change. They have to take the first step is what I'm saying, and until they do anything we say to them will be utterly ignored.
|
|
kadie
Moon
"You don't need a licence to drive a sandwhich!"
Posts: 240
|
Post by kadie on Apr 25, 2010 18:23:44 GMT -5
Nakor I compeltely agree with you, I just thought you might be interested to know that some people have moved away from it x
|
|
|
Post by krzych32 on Apr 25, 2010 20:40:24 GMT -5
ok, I will watch the documentary right now, but I have a feeling that they are not really a christian group, they are more like.....fucking with all of us.
|
|
novak
Meteorite
Posts: 18
|
Post by novak on Apr 25, 2010 21:00:12 GMT -5
I remember watching that documentary a few months back and just staring in utter disbelief. Pretty weird stuff that goes on in the world around us.
|
|
Nakor
Star
Non-Prophet
Posts: 991
|
Post by Nakor on Apr 26, 2010 1:49:02 GMT -5
ok, I will watch the documentary right now, but I have a feeling that they are not really a christian group, they are more like.....fucking with all of us. Poe's Law? I can't imagine anyone doing some of the terrible things they have just to screw with people. If that were the case they would have stopped at the first sign of a lawsuit. Never underestimate what religion can motivate some extremists to.
|
|
|
Post by thejourney on May 1, 2010 23:54:15 GMT -5
wow i cried when i saw this these people are miserable
|
|
kadie
Moon
"You don't need a licence to drive a sandwhich!"
Posts: 240
|
Post by kadie on May 2, 2010 2:31:38 GMT -5
I personally just feel bad for the children who are being brought up believeing this is the right way to behave and think. Personally I think it borders on child abuse, in fact I don't know why the authorities havn't taken these children into care.
|
|