We recently became aware of a cult family’s hate group out of Kansas and their plans to demonstrate their bigotry in front of Manual and Male high school next month. In gathering information to share with our followers, I became aware of the group’s website and primary target, and it left me feeling nostalgic.
Remember Gilda Radner’s Saturday Night Live character Emily Litella, who would provide an “opposing editorial viewpoint” by going on and on about a controversial subject she completely misunderstood?
Ironically, some quick research revealed that this character debuted in 1975, when she confused the word “busing” with “busting,” while apparently attempting to mock the public’s resistance to desegregation of public schools (an episode I am still trying to locate). The most memorable might be this episode where she begins with, “What’s all this fuss I keep hearing about violins on television?”
Instead of violins, it turns out the topic she was responding to was “violence” on television.
This is when Chevy Chase gently interrupts the sweet, elderly woman who misunderstood the assignment to explain the miscommunication, whereupon Ms. Litella would respond,
“Oh! Well that’s different.
Never mind!”
Instead of trying to dance around the offensive word choice a certain hate group has selected for their website and campaign, I’d like to draw upon the Emily Litella character to demonstrate the ridiculousness of Westboro Baptist Church‘s entire argument.
“What’s all this talk I keep hearing about ‘God hating cigarettes?’ There is a group coming to Male and Manual high school in Louisville, KY to demonstrate, and that’s what it says on their website. I looked the word up on vocabulary.com and it says it’s a cigarette, especially in England? God hates English cigarettes?
Well. That may be true. I hate them too. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. If I don’t like them, I can just not have one. So can you!
And if you are still bothered by them, you can simply avoid them. And whatever you do, don’t go to Britain, because apparently they are everywhere!
If people are so bothered by cigarettes that you feel the need to protest other peoples’ rights to have them, then you really should examine that with a mental health professional. Because I think they would help you figure out that it’s not God that hates cigarettes, it’s just you.”
In the case of Westboro Baptist Church, it’s really just Fred Phelps and nine of his children who hate cigarettes. And Fred has been dead since 2014!
Why Manual?
You may remember Manual High School was also recently targeted for a SWATTING incident. Is it possible the same group is behind both incidents? This activist thinks it’s a possibility. Why haven’t we heard anything else about that incident, anyway?
You may also remember the time Manual’s principal, Jerry Mayes, fell into controversy and was eventually forced into retirement after an outraged community demanded the district investigate complaints of racist and anti-LGBTQ sentiment by him. By allowing Mayes to remain in the building during the investigation, the former coach was able to continue gaslighting witnesses, targeting victims and spreading toxicity.
Due to the length of time it took before he was removed from the building, many more students, parents and alumni came forward to share their experiences. This is not to say EVERYONE in the building agreed with the victims. In fact, we received more reports of bullying, intimidation, retaliation and threats against those who were believed to be involved with the events that led to the investigation. It’s entirely possible that some of the same unsavory individuals involved have not moved on, and in fact may be connected to the upcoming demonstrations.
Manual is not the only high school targeted. But then again, it wasn’t the only school targeted during the SWATTING incident, either. Perhaps it’s to distract from something else going on. Or, perhaps they are also targeting Male because of the rivalry between the two most prominent high schools in Louisville. The image to the right is an email sent out from Male’s principal about the upcoming threat.
What Would Gilda Do?
In my parody, Chevy gently taps Ms. Litella on the shoulder and explains that these people are bigots. He then whispers the hate group’s message in her ear, and a look of horror appears on her face, as she responds,
“Oh, well that’s even worse.
“We are not talking about cigarettes. We are talking about people!
God doesn’t hate people. God loves us all!
Then, both she and Chevy look straight back at the camera and say,
STOP THE HATE!
Please comment on our Facebook post if you wish to share your thoughts about this impending disruption to learning and threat to safety of our students. No hate speech will be tolerated. Thank you.
https://www.facebook.com/DearJCPS/posts/pfbid02DnaKw8gz1bsms8dNAbTD2UTnq2YFWwX8tZqneP5zQ3tPYrN9Kyiw9PujnypRAACpl