Poll: Picketing the Future Funeral of Fred Phelps (Leader of the Westboro Baptist Church)

[iamclockwork]

I am torn on the issue. It is not a moral dilemma though. I think they want people to protest against them and to bring the worldwide attention to this happy happy event. If so, this action may be used to strengthen the position of 'The crackpot club". That said, I am all for justice - if you commit a crime you go to jail, and if you behave as the old prick does, you should be ostricized. I have nothing to do with them, I am not even a US citizen, but on the day he bites the dust, I'll raise a glass, secure in knowledge that if hell exists, he burns there and gets the same pampering and care Hitler does:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMEv8YYOEgc

 

[kidd25]

hello I'm a baptist. southern baptist to be exact, and the westbro ain't no Christians and they sure as hell don't understand what they are doing is wrong. So you know if some of them were to say... stop existing or you know the church just vanish i don't think anyone would be against that.

 

[Spinhorse]

You have to sink BELOW them - this way it can be called satire instead of payback

 

[lacktheknack]

Everybody should turn up and pay their respects to him and pray for his soul. It will be exactly what the Phelps don't want.

I'd rather go to his funeral and make it like any other, than make it stand out as something important by picketing it.

This. Not only will this piss off his family, it will also trivialize his funeral as "nothing special". All his hard-earned attention, gone!

 

[Doclector]

No. You don't protests the actions of a group by doing doing exactly what they did in revenge, that's just perpetuating the thing you hate. You fight these actions by being the bigger man (metaphorically) and choosing not to preform these actions in an act of revenge.

Here's the thing though. We're working with people who seem to have no actual sense of empathy. They don't know or don't care how the families of those who they do this to feel, which if true actually makes them psychopaths, but we'll leave the discussion of just how crazy WBC is for later.

IN this way, we know being nice to them doesn't work. We know taking the high ground has no effect on them whatsoever.

Want proof? Watch Louis Theroux's documentaries on them. As usual, Theroux attempted to get competely unbiased look at his subjects, indeed, he may be the only man who has ever attempted to bring their side of the story to mainstream media, and they hated him for it. He's now actually commonly mentioned by them as the devil.

I'm not saying it's necessarily morally right to picket this man's funeral, yes, it goes down to their level, but at least this way, there is a small chance that some of them may finally see what they do to others, whereas the high road is clearly achieving nothing in this case.

 

[Lieju]

No.

Not only would it be sinking to their level, they would also enjoy it.
They'd get to feel persecuted and misunderstood.

And would probably be much more disappointed if noone cared at all.

Also, let's just ignore WBC in general. They are not that big of a problem for gay-rights (and whatever else they oppose) because most of the people who have similar views are going to agree that they are nutters.

And at least they are honest about their agenda.

People who either pretend that they aren't homophobic, or get tricked into supporting such views because they misunderstand the issues are the problem.

People who say things like
"I don't have anything against gays, but..."

Followed by "marriage should be between a man and a woman"/"I just don't like it when they flaunt it"/"it's not something kids should know about"/"I have something against homosexual acts, not homosexuals"/other crap like that.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

I don't believe in the pretention of "not stooping to their level". Personally I think what matters most in all actions are the intent of those actions. Him and his cult picket funerals because they are ignorant, bigoted, brainwashed, stupid fucks. We would be picketing it because its a taste of their own medicine so to speak, every action causes a reaction, and his supporters would know what it fucking feels like.

I say go for it.

Also this:

I'm not saying it's necessarily morally right to picket this man's funeral, yes, it goes down to their level, but at least this way, there is a small chance that some of them may finally see what they do to others, whereas the high road is clearly achieving nothing in this case.

 

[shurikenshado4]

we should so do it. it would be fun as

 

[Wintermoot]

we are better then them! picketing might be justice but we are more mature then them!

 

[DanielDeFig]

No.

It would be wrong for exactly the same reasons we all agree that it was wrong for them to do it. Payback, revenge or "justice" have nothing to do with it. It would simply be cruel, pathetic, disrespectful, and just plain wrong.

 

[xmbts]

I'd like to avoid giving that group any more attention then they've already gotten and the less validation they get for being pricks the better.

In a way that's the most insulting thing you can do to them by showing that through all their hateful tactics they're utterly insignificant and not worth the effort of disrespecting.

 

[Random berk]

I think we should simply stay quiet when the man dies, but that we should no secret of our satisfaction at hearing about it. However, deeper down, I also feel that the Phelps famly deserve whatever the most twisted minds on the Escapist can concoct.

 

[Woodsey]

I would prefer it if it didn't get a pass mention in the media, and no one paid attention.

Nah, what'd be the point? He'd be too dead to notice, all you are doing is what you (in part) hate him for doing. He is utter vermin, yes, and his death would be a good thing, IMHO, but once he is dead, he is over.

Well, not really. His daughter is the one who runs things, even though he is still technically in charge.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

It would certainly be fun to give them a taste of their own arseholey medicine.. but im not sure losing the high ground would be good.. so its a bit of a dilema

 

[Bassik]

In situations like this, you got to think rational. It's easy to get all emotional and vindictive, but remember people are still grieving for their lost family member.
So let's not even acknowledge a human being died, pretend it's like, someone you don't know has a dead pet or something. And then at night, dig up his corpse and give it a "God loves fags and living soldiers" sign and put it in their living room. With a laptop on his lap. Playing gay porn continuesly.

Rational!

EDIT: Oh, and when you're in the house, try to liberate some kids or something. You can adopt them, and raise them to be human beings instead of .. ... what the hell are these guys anyway?

 

[6_Qubed]

Fuck picketing, make it illegal to bury his crazy ass.

Let him rot in the sun for a while, give his family something to meditate upon.

 

[Moriarty]

guys really? don't you understand trolls at all? you can't beat trolls by imitaing them, they don't want the moral highground, all they want is attention.


if people would show up and imitate his methods at his wedding, all youre doing is giving them more attention. i imagine they'd be quite happy about it because it shows that they have reached so many people and irritated tehem enough to care.

 

[Scarim Coral]

No, as an old saying goes "we will be no better then they". Well ok we are better than them but stooding down to their level is not better.