November 05, 2007
There's Something Wrong With You
You know how Christians like to get up on their moral high horses and pronounce their judgment on everyone else?
Actually, at the University of Georgia, where I went to school, there used to be a group of preachers who would come to the Tate Student Center and preach from an outdoor stage in the common area. By "preach" I mean "scream" and if you think I meant "sermons," I really meant "names and accusations." I remember once watching the preacher call a young man a masturbater, an accusation that the man conceded and the crowd cheered. The preacher also called a goth girl a witch. It was too noisy, I think, for anyone to explain that goths aren't all pagans. And he generally referred to sorority girls as whores and fraternity guys as whoremongers.
Granted, all Christians aren't that way but the oh-holier-than-thou attitude is well-documented going back to the time of Martin Luther and his 99 theses, the 100th of which was edited out but read, "And I'm tired of all this attitude I'm getting from you priesty boys. I am totally holier than them!"
Ok, but then, Christians turn around and fling themselves upon the swords of their own moral denigrations in order to practice the "virtue" of humility before god.
Basically, they accept an impossible moral standard, and then they go on and on about how guilty they feel for not meeting it, but that should not excuse anyone else from not meeting it and feeling guilty either.
WHEW! ok. I said all of that just to draw a comparison between Christians and environmentalists.
Environmentalists are always sniffing and insulting people who drive SUVs or who don't recycle or actually want to live comfortable, happy lives. You know how they are.
Well, they are also not free of the guilt!
Introducing True Green Confessions! It's a blog where greenies can wallow in the guilt of not doing enough to save the planet.
Posts include the following:
Post is locked.
Actually, at the University of Georgia, where I went to school, there used to be a group of preachers who would come to the Tate Student Center and preach from an outdoor stage in the common area. By "preach" I mean "scream" and if you think I meant "sermons," I really meant "names and accusations." I remember once watching the preacher call a young man a masturbater, an accusation that the man conceded and the crowd cheered. The preacher also called a goth girl a witch. It was too noisy, I think, for anyone to explain that goths aren't all pagans. And he generally referred to sorority girls as whores and fraternity guys as whoremongers.
Granted, all Christians aren't that way but the oh-holier-than-thou attitude is well-documented going back to the time of Martin Luther and his 99 theses, the 100th of which was edited out but read, "And I'm tired of all this attitude I'm getting from you priesty boys. I am totally holier than them!"
Ok, but then, Christians turn around and fling themselves upon the swords of their own moral denigrations in order to practice the "virtue" of humility before god.
Basically, they accept an impossible moral standard, and then they go on and on about how guilty they feel for not meeting it, but that should not excuse anyone else from not meeting it and feeling guilty either.
WHEW! ok. I said all of that just to draw a comparison between Christians and environmentalists.
Environmentalists are always sniffing and insulting people who drive SUVs or who don't recycle or actually want to live comfortable, happy lives. You know how they are.
Well, they are also not free of the guilt!
Introducing True Green Confessions! It's a blog where greenies can wallow in the guilt of not doing enough to save the planet.
Posts include the following:
One time when I was a young kid I decided to start an "eco club". We walked around my neighborhood and took trash we found and threw it away at my house. We had a meeting about saving the world. We even had little membership cards.We only met once and that's the last time I ever did anything "green". We still laugh about it to this day. Maybe if we would've kept it up.... nah
I like to eat veal.
I feel guilty if I don't bring my banana peels or apple cores home to compost. I can't eat in the cafeteria or fast food because it causes me physical pain to throw away styrofoam.Most of the "confessions" I saw on the site seemed to indicate that most people missed the point of the blog. Most of them were little stories about people being picked on for being green or about how they are proudly not green. But the point of the blog is stated as:
Caring about the environment has turned into psychosis
You turn off the water while you brush your teeth, you've taken a prius for a test-drive, and you've installed at least one compact fluorescent light bulb in your house. But -- you still take a 20 minute shower, refuse to give up those pretty Fiji water bottles and just can't seem to put your newspapers in that recycling bin. In the immortal words of Kermit the Frog, it's not easy being green (at least, it's not easy all the time)! That's why we've launched True Green Confessions – for those who are trying to make a difference to those who just don't give a damn (about the planet).Those greenies are just too much!I found out about this in today's Get Trio newsletter. Enjoy!
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at
10:18 AM
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Category: Mean Green Machine
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1
You started off on a tangent, now reap the consequences:
My fiancee went to UGA, and she always told me about those preacher-folk. My question is, when what they are doing is complete harassment and against university policy, why don't they have these people forcibly removed from campus, and prosecute them if they come back? I guess public university property is "public", and that may cause some legal issues, but I just don't see how universities can force College Republicans to stop their bake sales, but let absolute filth of the earth scream and verbally abuse their students.
My fiancee went to UGA, and she always told me about those preacher-folk. My question is, when what they are doing is complete harassment and against university policy, why don't they have these people forcibly removed from campus, and prosecute them if they come back? I guess public university property is "public", and that may cause some legal issues, but I just don't see how universities can force College Republicans to stop their bake sales, but let absolute filth of the earth scream and verbally abuse their students.
Posted by: Justin at November 05, 2007 01:54 PM (0/c8m)
2
I really didn't follow the Tate Center Preachers very closely. It was rare that I would actually pass through the Student Center and even more rare for me to do so when they were there.
I do believe that there were occasions when they were removed from campus at times. Of course, I also think fistcuffs broke out from time to time and students would get in screaming matches with the preachers.
It was very strange.
I do believe that there were occasions when they were removed from campus at times. Of course, I also think fistcuffs broke out from time to time and students would get in screaming matches with the preachers.
It was very strange.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at November 05, 2007 03:06 PM (ErOeR)
3
Also, don't think I didn't notice that you're cheating on me, Justin.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at November 05, 2007 03:08 PM (ErOeR)
4
You crack me up, Flibbert.
I only do chicks on the side, you know, so as to not be all the way gay.
I only do chicks on the side, you know, so as to not be all the way gay.
Posted by: Justin at November 05, 2007 03:15 PM (0/c8m)
5
There's a funny quote from a gay movie -- I think it's the Torch Song Trilogy --in which one of the characters argues that there's no such thing as a bisexual because everyone who says they're bisexual is actually gay but can't face and he says something like, "Show me a man who sneaks out on his boyfriend to sleep with women and THEN I will show you a bisexual."
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at November 05, 2007 03:40 PM (ErOeR)
6
We had these at my undergraduate university as well. Being a State university, they were required to designate a "speakers' corner" as a "public forum" protected by the First Amendment. The university could control speech in other places so long as the speech controls were necessary to the educational purpose of the university.
Generally, such "speakers' corners" are placed so that persons availing themselves of the opportunity to speak their minds will not disrupt ongoing educational activities. Ours was not well-placed, and the loud "sodomites will burn" preachers would often be audible in the classrooms on one side of the nearest building, despite closed windows. I think the university has since moved its designated "speakers' corner," but they can't decide to just go without one. More "public property" problems.
Public universities are also pretty reluctant to throw people off campus when they're using the "speakers' corners." Our preachers were thrown off one year, but again it was because of an outbreak of the fisticuffs. Disruption in the flow of pedestrian traffic, noise in classrooms, and offensive but protected speech are generally not enough to motivate the school to risk violating the First Amendment.
~Q
Generally, such "speakers' corners" are placed so that persons availing themselves of the opportunity to speak their minds will not disrupt ongoing educational activities. Ours was not well-placed, and the loud "sodomites will burn" preachers would often be audible in the classrooms on one side of the nearest building, despite closed windows. I think the university has since moved its designated "speakers' corner," but they can't decide to just go without one. More "public property" problems.
Public universities are also pretty reluctant to throw people off campus when they're using the "speakers' corners." Our preachers were thrown off one year, but again it was because of an outbreak of the fisticuffs. Disruption in the flow of pedestrian traffic, noise in classrooms, and offensive but protected speech are generally not enough to motivate the school to risk violating the First Amendment.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at November 05, 2007 06:19 PM (SlU3W)
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