So, Westboro Baptist Church paid our town a visit.

[Olorune]

I don't think I could ever hit a woman...but if I were you in that situation, I might of punched her square in the mouth. The WBC are so idiotic and annoying, that there isn't just one word powerful enough to describe them. I must say, you have more patience than me and you did the right thing...although, flipping her off wouldn't of hurt.

 

[Lilani]

That's interesting and all, but isn't tracking their every move and giving them play-by-play coverage wherever they go only helping them accomplish what they want? Every bit of criticism they see and hear is only validation to them, and giving them notoriety only spreads their "word" further. Why not just ignore them to death? I mean there's, what 72 of them? That's no army. That's hardly enough to make a decent mob. If we stop being their voice and broadcasting their actions, they will no longer have the impact they've made us think they have.

He wasnt exactly writing a paper column about this, we're on the ESCAPIST, theres noone from that damn church here, and it was a funny story. So I find it weird you dont want him to share it... or maybe you just troll...

I'm not a troll, and I find how much you missed my point to be astounding. It sort of makes me wonder if you yourself are a troll.

Here, I'll try to make it a bit more clear for you: Everybody knows about the WBC. Everybody knows their message. Everybody knows what they do to get their message across. So all of what he said here is old news.

The WBC wants attention, and they know their extreme ways get it. They know that wherever they protest, people will talk about them and spread the word of what happened. They see that as a good thing. They see all of this "man they are such idiots" talk as spreading their word.

But without all this talk, they're just 72 people who show up at funerals sometimes. My point is if we just ignore them and stop sharing them and their nonsense, it would choke off a lot of their power. Not to mention if nobody talks about it, nobody hears about it, and we don't have to keep having the same conversations again and again about how stupid they are.

So, yeah. I am asking him not to share. But you know what? It's like the Rebecca Black Friday thing. That video didn't have to go viral. Nobody had to hear it. The reason it went viral was because people heard it and thought "God this is awful...I have to show everyone else!" And then soon enough the whole world had heard it. And then after it was viral, everyone started bitching and moaning about how shit like that shouldn't be getting attention. But it's their own damn fault! If people would see shit and refuse to share it, then it wouldn't get attention.

Is that clear enough for you? Or do you need me to break it down further?

 

[Pinkamena]

Ah, nice to hear that someone has the guts to stand up against these utter morons.

 

[James Crook]

I think that all of these WBC people would've been aligned in front of a wall and be executed by firing squad in the 1950s for "Un-American Activities"... Personally, I'd have them all thrown in a psychiatric facility and locked away for life.
I know that freedom of speech is a vital need in every democracy, but these people fucking crossed the line since long. Going around telling random people they've never seen that they're going to hell is not freedom of speech, but hate speech, AKA being a complete bunch of dicks. And their hiding behind the 1[sup]st[/sup] Amendment of the constitution will just make people angrier, until a bunch of gun-toting pissed-off people take the matter in their own hands and shit hits the fan.

 

[Superior Mind]

Got to agree with "you don't even know me." Being from NZ I've never had the unpleasantness of having to personally deal with the WBC but there are other religous groups out there who make huge judgement calls in order to try and spread their message. My favourite is the one where they tell me my life is empty and I need to fill it with religion. Or that I need moral guidance, the old assertion that if you don't have religion you lack moral values.

Because religion is the bithplace of morality right? With great stories about fathers offering up their own daughters to be raped or fathers obeying a disembodied voices to kill their sons. Most of the 'morality' lessons in the Bible are just about the so-called moral values against blaspheming, ripping off the Church or worshiping anyone but the one true God. A jealous God indeed. Hell in the one concrete, (literally apparently,) ode to morality out of ten rules four of them are about how you should or shouldn't worship God. In the others there is no mention of things like rape, child abuse, slavery, torture... but you probably shouldn't covet your neighbour's vegetable gaden, that would be immoral.

Bit of a tirade and I could go on, (and on and on and on,) but basically fuck anyone making baseless judgements of others.

 

[Cipher1]

Thank you Public Order Act 1986 and Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 for keeping this these people and there hate speech out of England.

 

[SoopaSte123]

That story made me smile. I'm quite proud of your town

 

[commodore96]

You sir made my morning thanks for the inspiring story of sticking it to haters.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

I dunno, If someone said all that stuff to me, I'd probably get pissed... I have a short temper. Or at least I'd join a counter protest against them...

Kudos for your town for standing up to those assholes, though is it too much to want divine judgment on them?

"It's hard to be religious when certain individuals aren't incinerated by bolts of lighting."-Calvin

 

[GraveeKing]

Uugh - don't get me wrong when I say. I hate those idiots as much as anybody else.
But really - people should be like you and just ignore them. I mean hell, they'll only keep thinking they're right even more when people harass them like that - it's exactly what they want to be able to prove their point. "All you people hurt us and harassed us! I told you were going to hell! Now you just proved it to god!" or some other crap - the point being is:
People ARE entitled to their own views. I don't - you don't and the MAJORITY don't agree with their views, but they can say what they like.
They probably deserved what they got but hell - if you don't agree with their view you can just either ignore them or argue with them. Harassing them just gives them - the some of the most evil people on gods earth - the moral high ground. You don't want that, so don't bother.

That all said, I do think they can go fuck themselves and their freedom of speech.

 

[Cavan]

I would follow them around partially singing gay bar pretty loudly for a while.

YOU, I WANNA TAKE YOU TO A GAY BAR! I'M GONNA TAKE YOU TO A GAY BAR, GAY BAR! GAY BAR!!! *air guitar*

I think people would join in after a while, and then if the police came I would quite happily tell them I was stretching my legs in my home town and that this is my normal route and if he had any suggestions for songs.

I'd like to see them sue me for walking and singing in public.

Unfortunately, this is just a dream..because if any one of those truly 'enlightened' people came to the UK they would instantly be convincted of a fair few crimes and probably locked alone in a cold dark hole somewhere forever.

 

[Stilkon]

Y'know what? Bravo to you, sir, for standing up to Westboro and responding with the patience and fortitude needed. I, for one would have immediately punched her square in the face. And it would have been oh so satisfying.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

A cop, clearly annoyed by the members quickly asked the crowd, "Does anyone know who did this?". Then they said to the members, "Well, no one has come forth with info. We'll start an official investigation and try to find out who did this."

That is beautiful. I applaud that cop for being clever and awesome while still following the law to the letter.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

Dear god...*headdesk* I have nothing against God, people!! It's his god damn followers I hate!!! Those people are freakin nuts. A similar situation happened at a comic convention here In Chicago a few months ago. I told them straight up to shut their mouths and stop pushing fake shit on us. I got called a demon and a sinner.

Those people really do need to calm their shit though, Too me it's freakin annoying >_>

 

[teh_Canape]

being the huge internet nerd that I am, I would've turn back to them and said "yeah yeah, whatever, you know you're living a lie and god doesn't exist

may Celestia have mercy on your soul"

 

[ElNeroDiablo]

being the huge internet nerd that I am, I would've turn back to them and said "yeah yeah, whatever, you know you're living a lie and god doesn't exist

may Celestia have mercy on your soul"

To quote Statler and Waldorf - DOH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!

I'd have probably said something along these lines:
"You honourless PetaQ's! You shall suffer for all eternity in Gre'thor for dishonouring your country and soldiers! I'll keep my honour and enter Sto'Vo'Kor alongside Kahless the Unforgettable!"

Points if you understand what I'm talking about. thlIngon maH!

 

[MrJKapowey]

"God hates all California fags and fag enablers!".

What's a 'Fag Enabler'? It sounds like a program install wizard mixxed with a socially acceptable drug habit...

Hmm.

OT: I would applaud the 'Anonymous haro' if he'd only removed the plates, but 'cause he actually caused some serious damage to the van (slashing the tyres and causing an oil leak) I wouldn't support what he did (not saying I support the WBC).