The Westboro Baptist Church: A Giant Cycle of Hate

I just finished watching "The Most Hated Family in America", a BBC documentary about the Westboro Baptist Church, on YouTube and realized something, by hating these people we only make them stronger. And not only does it just make them stronger, it does so in multiple ways.

Isolation

By isolating them from the rest of society we've enabled them to form a tight knit community that's hard to leave. All the younger members know is the church because the outside world shuns them. We need to show them that just because they were born in to the church doesn't mean they they don't have a choice to leave it.

Just because we don't accept the message doesn't mean that we totally reject the people spreading it. To do anything less would be hypocritical.

Controversy = Headlines

Just as the cone shaped bra generated attention for Madonna so do the "God Hates Fags" signs for the WBC. Their outrageous tactics are little more than publicity stunts whether or not they choose to believe it. Have you noticed that they most often hold pickets near events like disasters (things like the Sago Mine explosion) and soldiers funerals that would normally draw in local TV reporters at the very least? They want attention and they'll do whatever it takes to get it.

Any Publicity Is Good Publicity

A little while back I wrote a post about a WBC picket at Ted Strickland's inauguration and received a comment from someone claiming to be a member of the Phelps' family. Initially I doubted that it was real but shortly after I noticed I was getting a ton of visitors coming from godhatesfags.com, the church's website (that was an interesting day). It turned out that I was linked to in their news page with the text:

God hates Strickland - He's turned Ohio over to the fags - - watch the wrath of God deal with you hags!

My reaction at the time? I was thrilled. I thought I had managed to tick them off. Now I realize that I reacted just like they do. I, like them, was just happy to have been able to provoke a reaction. Did it really accomplish anything? No. That didn't stop me from feeling that it did.

You can watch "The Most Hated Family in America" on YouTube.
It's divided into seven parts: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7