by Over the past four years or so that I have been publishing this Urban Semiotic blog, I am always surprised to see unpublished comments from conservative religious readers who decide their best defense in the name of Jesus Christ is to insult me.
You’d think if they were really of the Christian faith, they would take pity on me and try to help me understand their way and to help me correct the sins of my being.
Nope.
90% of the time, the first thing out of their fingers is to call me a “fag” — as if that’s the lowest form of degradation they can heap upon me.
They don’t call me the “devil” or the “anti-Christ” or even an “instrument of human death” — the best they can come up with is to label be as Gay — as “a faggot” — as if that’s supposed to humble me and put me in my place and make me kneel before their unGodly wisdom.
Now, if I were Gay, I suppose being called what I am would be a confusing attempt at capturing an insult that, in reality, is more a statement of fact than a rube’s ruse to have a political position by name calling.
I wonder why “fag” is the ultimate, conservative, insult in the fundamentalist world? Are Gays considered so lowly and so scum-of-the-earth that they’re beyond the pale of the devil or perverts or even murderers?
The unpublished comments queue of this blog unfortunately suggests just that: There’s nothing worse you can call a person than “fag” if you’re a fundamental Christ lover, and I find that incredibly strange and disappointing because it is so opposite of the idea of love and respect for each other that, as a child, I learned was God’s True Way when it came to helping each other.
How did things get so twisted? When did we turn against those who are different than us by using the pages of the Bible to cleave the foreign from us? Since when did God prefer insults to the call of the salve of Salvation and the yearning to be a better person?
I am reminded of the church that boycotts funerals with signs that call the deceased a fag and how G-d hates fags. Disgusting and ridiculous.
I remember that group, Gordon!
Can you remember their name and provide a link?
It’s the Westboro Baptist Church.
http://www.godhatesfags.com/
le sigh.
1. A large population are narrow minded and stupid!
2. People rely on religion as their backup when they got nothing better to say. An excuse. So religion is BS.
3. God too is a made up excuse, although there may be many gods, christians manifest their god superior to others, but what good does that do? Don’t make you a better person does it? Religion is a pretty excuse for death.
4. Leave gays alone. They don’t cause abortion (which is all they fight for in the church). Don’t quite get that..?
5. You are a better person becuase of what you do and the humanity in you. People literally who go to church are schmucks.
-Ed
That’s them, Gordon!
What a group.
That is an insightful comment, Ed.
I sort of came to the same conclusions as you, but I do find great joy in exploring all the religions of the world because they all provide insight into cultures, morals and values.
I consider myself every religioso’s friend because I can see the merit ( and the danger, I suppose) in their belief and I am happy to celebrate what makes them happy.
It’s funny, though, how many people see the atheistic view as more dangerous to their welfare than, say, a more dedicated and vocal opposition to their direct religious interests.
I see what you mean and thats pretty cool. And I’m quoting you on that last one, its so true!
Ed —
It is always fascinating if you ask questions about a religion there is a general assumption you’re of exactly the same thinking — even if you are not of the same learning.
There’s a grey area between the asking the necessary attempt at conversion — and when you resist that effort — the friendship either dissolves or thrives. The key is trying to even get to that point of consideration before getting labeled.
It’s lowest common denominator, David. They can’t argue the facts so they try to scare you with degrading names. Pathetic. We saw a lot of that this summer, didn’t we, during the Republican campaign against Obama. Such undeserved hatred.
Yes, the Alexandra Pelosi documentary proved that vile hatred, Anne:
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/rightamerica/index.html
Hi David,
I remember my classmates using the same to express disapproval – “this is so gay!”
I was clueless at that point but now I know why.
Ah! That’s a good one, Katha. I, too, remember the “that’s gay!” slur to tell someone they were dumb or their idea was stupid. What a rotten phrase.