Had a lovely Sunday with the Parents and the Baby over at the Brooklyn Museum of Art today. My only complaint was on the subway ride over, these two elderly, African-American ladies were shrieking about repentance and going to hell to this white, middle-aged (which would be my age now, eek) gay couple, and it ticked off the entire subway car.
First of all, dude, if you’re shrieking, angry, and generally incomprehensible, you are not a good ad for your religion. Whatever it is that drives you to scream at the top of your lungs till the veins in your neck pop out is just not compelling. You are like a religion “don’t.”
Second, it’s not illegal to be gay. I don’t care what you believe — it is not illegal, so shut it down. Also, while we’re on the subject, it’s a normal, ordinary part of life. It’s just not that big of a deal. However, it has go tot be illegal to harass passengers on a subway. I am going to figure out how to take your picture and your name and send it to 311, because you are a subway bully.
There are so many levels that I couldn’t stand this ride. I realize no particular demographic owns the monopoly on prejudice, but let’s think things through logically — if you’re not white, you have at some point in life, at very least, been verbally abused because of your race. If nothing else, experiences like that can be useful in that they help us become empathetic to those suffering similar experiences. Right? Duh? Minority to minority?
And then there is the religious righteousness aspect to it — dude, there just some people on earth drawn to the culture of harsh judgments, abrasive punishment, and generally douche-baggy behavior. They seem like people at war at all times.
If you watch True Blood, season two (which I just watched, loved) portrays a similarly hyper-negative culture of religion, and Sookie, who is a believer, presents a positive version of it all, and shares her beliefs of a religion where the divine is loving and forgiving. That sounds so much more sane to me.