It struck me that the photographer described the members of the church as feeling more "enlightened" than everyone else. That is not a word I have ever heard associated with a hate group - it seems so much more lofty than what Westboro does (in essence, laminating big signs and adding to the misery of the grieving and the powerless). And yet the reason I looked through the whole slideshow, and read all the captions, was that I wanted some insight into what could make people so hateful and angry, and what their daily life must be like. It was illuminating to see that they aren't aggro in everything they do, and that they have a community structure that resembles something normal. The banality of evil, right?
The extent to which I'm willing to ponder these peoples' brains varies with my mood, but if you feel like your day can handle some digging around in what makes Westboro do such horrible things, the slideshow is worth a look.
Hmm, I don't think it's that hard to understand. Intense hatred (and for that matter, religion, as opposed to faith) are a funtion of poverty, disenfranchisement, ignorance (read: topeka), and a general lack of control.
ReplyDeleteThese people are more righteous than they are right, and I think on some level they know it. The whole show reeks of defense mechanisms.
I kinda wanna give them all a hug.
Also jobs, health insurance, a pension plan, a decent education, exposure to art, and sundry other privileges which they very probably lack.