And Now For Something Not So Completely Different

Originally posted on 04/09/06

Humans strike again! If you find yourself walking through life feeling good about the human race, its always nice to know you can count on organized religion to lower the bar. Today's act of self-righteous indignation and intolerance comes to us from our Christian friends New Zealand. It seems that a group of Christians, mostly Catholics, were offended by the airing of an episode of South Park called, I believe "Bloody Mary". For those of you who haven't seen the show it has to do with a bleeding statue of the virgin Mary.

Over 2000 were apparently so pissed off by this cartoon that they took out a full page ad in a local newspaper to announce that they were boycotting the network that aired the show. There are a few things that strike me about this. First let me say that I have absolutely nothing against Christianity or any other religion. If you want to believe that the nailing some guy to a cross thousands of years ago somehow makes you a spiritually better person, more power to you. Hell, happiness is so hard to find in this world that if worshipping a doorknob makes you happy, I say go for it. Now, that having been said, we still should maintain at least some small sense of priority.

First off, we are talking about South Park here, one of the most intentionally offensive shows on the air. I love it, but if you turn on the show expecting for it not to do it's best to offend your delicate sensibilities, you are stupid and should immediately do us all a favor and stop wasting our oxygen. Its satire people, lighten the fuck up. Are people so insecure that they need to jump up and down screaming because someone said something that they didn't like? And really, how strong is your faith that something done on a cartoon, a fucking cartoon, can threaten your devotion.

And speaking of priorities, which we weren't but probably should have been, don't these people have anything more important to take care of than what was said on a cartoon? Are all these people so perfect that they have nothing within themselves or their respective religious organizations that need attending to? Now maybe its just me, but I find the act of supporting and actively shielding child molesters slightly more offensive than anything that could ever be shown on any cartoon. Just me, huh? And that's setting aside the fact that these people are breaking their own rules (i.e. Matthew 7:1-5). Its not my rule, folk, its theirs.

Now there are a couple of things in this specific case that merit special attention. The first of which is that these people were offended before they even saw the show: "However, it must be said that the offence had been well signaled by many Catholics and others in advance of the screening." The show hadn’t even aired and they had their knickers in a twist. I understand, though. I mean, why bother actually viewing the show and processing it through your own mental faculties when it is far easier to just agree with the rest of the sheep and agree with what everyone else says you should think. I mean, you talk about a time saver!

The second and most frightening thing is this statement: "The advertisement came two days after the Solicitor-General's office confirmed it wouldn't take legal action against CanWest for blasphemy". I mean, it is good that they didn't but the fact that this was ever even an option I find terrifying! On the up side, at least we don't have to feel so alone in the world for having our country ruled by a bunch of religious nuts.

If you find yourself thinking that I am being intolerant in my rant and opinions, keep in mind that I am merely stating my opinion, not attempting to force it onto other. I am applying no pressure to anyone. It is my opinion; take it for what it is.

Here's the page that set me off: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3632694a1860,00.html

Rant over....for now