And The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth?

[sakon76]

I'm not sure if my memory is faulty or not, but it seemed like there were a lot more religious protesters at SDCC this year. They're regulated to doing their sign-carrying across a fairly wide street from the convention center, but since I've outgrown my taste for the food available at the food court, venturing outdoors is something I do. Mixed in among the protestors are advertisers giving out freebies. Comics, cards, etc. The two most brilliant advertisements I was given were Bates Motel soap (handing out soap at a convention! sheer genius!) and Carrie matches. There are also amusing cardboard counter-signs promoting Cthulu and FSM. But the thing I liked absolute best was the handouts-girl who was cheerfully saying "Stan Lee 3:16. With great power comes great responsibility."

Thinking on all that, it has occurred to me that if the protestors are truly interested in converting the geekish masses, they need to learn to tailor the marketing to the audience. Instead of signs saying athiests go to hell, which only put up people's backs and make them hostile, why not, say, have signs with quotes from a couple of the Indiana Jones movies? "The penitent man is humble; he kneels before God" etc. Or riff on Star Wars, or Avatar, or Narnia. Something that the audience will like, identify, and engage with. I don't really go with the whole "Superman died for your sins" thing (IIRC, nothing of the sort was involved in that event), but I'm sure there's plenty of speculative fiction that could be mined for appropriate pithy quotes.

As it was, I doubt their whole weekend of energetic protest and in-your-face sign-waving won the protestors a single convert.

(As a footnote, I have NOTHING against Christians. I have people I love and admire who adhere to that faith. And I do not count myself as an athiest. Yet I simply find it extremely rude that someone who doesn't even know me feels it imperative to tell me that I'm going to hell.)

Comments

[toothycat]

Why. On *earth*. Are there religious protesters outside SDCC?! Have comics been labelled the eighth deadly sin when I wasn't looking?

Try giving one of them the manga bible ;)

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. I wonder if they're there every weekend, or if it's just certain types of conventions that draw them? Or maybe it's to do with the totally outdated idea of D&D as "Satan's Game"! I can see how some of the speculative fiction stuff (heck, possibly ALL of it!) could be considered offensive from a certain, extremely narrow rightwing religous nut viewpoint, but, c'mon. We're not exactly playing with Ouija boards and summoning demons here! More like buying books and hoping to get sneak peeks of the next year's movies.

It's the same group, or at least they have the same signs, as the people who sometimes protest around Disneyland. Which I totally don't get either.

Puritanism: the crippling fear that someone, somewhere, is having a good time.

And, yes. Totally. If they're there next year, I think I will. ^_^ It has Judas as a bishounen!

[tiamat1972.livejournal.com]

I have a real problem with people who peddle religion and generally throw it your face. I'm usually polite to them but those guys outside SDCC? If one of them told me I was going to Hell, my kneejerk response would be "Cool! See you there!" 'Cause I'm just contrary that way. :D

[caelum.livejournal.com]

I think you'll find your average cool-headed everyday walkabout Christian will disavow these hateful lunatics so fast their Bibles will spontaneously change translation. The way these Westboro and Westboroesque protestors behave is so blatantly against what is plainly laid out in Scripture it's not even funny. Love thy neighbor, leave judgement and vengeance to God, don't go for the mote in your friend's eye until you address the log in your own, et cetera? Conveniently ignored in favor of raising a fuss and making a scene.

These days the Westboro ilk doesn't need a logical reason to picket an event. They do it for attention, and hopefully to provoke a lawsuit-- I know the Westboro clan at least is packed with lawyers just so they can sue/countersue at the least little excuse and collect money from settlements/judgements in their favor. That's their entire occupation, doing nothing but nuisance litigation on behalf of their twisted "church". They have about as much to do with Christianity as I do with nuclear astrophysics; they merely couch their shenanigans in Christian catchphrases cherry-picked to their inflammatory image.

[dragondancer515.livejournal.com]

I couldn't have described those asshats better myself.

[mremre.livejournal.com]

The thing is, i honestly don't think they're capable of tailoring their message in that way. You're thinking public relations and advertising to sell an idea (totally valid btw). They're thinking "the only word is God's". Maybe they think using words not from the actual Good Book (handwaving translations+versions+changing norms because why not?) would be "wrong"?

I prefer Aslan's take on it (which is ALSO the Vatican II take HAH!--well, more or less...) when he said any good done in the name of Tash went to Aslan, and evil in the name of Aslan went to Tash. But then some nutty Christians hate on Narnia as well. (Weirdoes ;)

[dragondancer515.livejournal.com]

Seemed to me there were fewer, but I could be wrong. But yes, the in-your-face sign-waving does absolutely no good except to make the protestors feel holier and more righteous for all they "suffer". Kind of like the Jehovah's Witnesses who gain brownie points for every house door slammed in their face, or however that works. At least, I'm guessing that's the case, because they sure don't "get" anything ELSE out of their nonsense, not that I can see.

Thinking on all that, it has occurred to me that . . .

ABSOLUTELY TRUE . . . and unfortunately something that will never happen . . . because then they'd have to risk "corrupting" themselves actually getting familiar with the "sinful" material /looking/ for stuff they can use. And God forbid they actually risk finding they LIKE something that's not 100% Bible-thumping "Christian". >,>

I was crossing back to the con center after dinner with some friends Saturday afternoon and when one person asked me, "Do you want to go to Heaven?", I told him, "No" and just kept walking. Not /your/ version of Heaven, pal. (Honestly, while I too have no issue with those who follow the faith . . . I have finally gotten to the point in the past few weeks in my own explorations that I simply cannot in good conscience claim to be "Christian" anymore. Because I'm just not.)

Some of those counter "protesters" were AWESOME, though, weren't they? XD

[spiderlove.livejournal.com]

No no, I totally get where you're coming from. I hate those people. Christianity is supposed to be about spreading love and kindness. They're spreading fear and bigotry. What they do is sick and wrong, and fully deserves all the mockery it recieves. They even show up at art and culture events where I live! And they haaaaate having their pictures taken. >:3