Sponsor a fundamentalist!

[sebastienne]

(hattip oxfordgirl)

The Westboro Baptist Church is going to picket the funerals of the Arizona shooting victims with signs that read, "God sent the shooter" because they believe this tragedy occurred as a result of America’s tolerance of gays and lesbians.

They do, of course, have the right to protest. Even in the middle of public debate around the effect of violent eliminationist discourse in USian politics (hint: it can contribute to violent eliminationist actions), they have the right to protest using eliminationist discourse. That just makes them douches of the highest order. The Seraphim of douches.

But we have the right to show them that, for every funeral they picket, they will be "sponsored" by people who are raising money for charities antithetical to their aims. Every minute that they stand outside someone's funeral spewing irrelevant hate, the totaliser is filling up raising money for a good cause.

This is known as a "Phelps-a-Thon" and is one of the wittiest pieces of political engagement that I've come across in a while.

(If you prefer to measure your charitable giving by effectiveness, rather than by wit, then you may prefer to check out Giving What We Can, who have some excellent essays and reviews on the best exchange rate you're going to get between the pound and human wellbeing.)

NB: any language which attributes the Arizona shooter's actions to his mental health (eg "insane", "psycho") is unwelcome in comments here. Gavagai explains why better than I ever could.

Comments

[happydork]

When the Phelps lot came to protest my current university, our counter protest raised well over $1000 for a local AIDS charity. (Half was contributed by one dude at the end who matched what we'd already raised, <3<3<3.)

[mejoff.livejournal.com]

Especially given that I have seen him described in at least on report as 'unstable, but not insane', I think it's important to describe him as precisely what he is. A politically motivated murderer. No when these are not state sponsored, there is a specific term for them. Terrorist. Which means Westborough Baptist Church are glorifying Terrorism, which I believe is a crime in the US?

[soixantequatre.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to Giving what we can, I've been looking for some advice on good giving!

[sebastienne.livejournal.com]

Oh, silly!

Don't you know that white people can't be terrorists? :p

[the-whybird.livejournal.com]

I really wish I could remember the address for the bit on the Ku Klux Klan's webpage where they deny any association with the Westboro Baptist Church.

It takes an inspired approach to PR to make your name so toxic that the Klan wash their hands of you.

[like-achilles.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this.