America's most hated family?
 

Over here in Britain, we have the pleasure of having Louis Theroux a BBC journalist who has witnessed the real side of the wrestling world where he spent 2 weeks at WCW's training academy The Powerplant. He has also recently gone into Lagos and looked into the justice and law system there.

He has also been to several prisons in the US including one that has 500 convicted pedophiles and also looked into the rise of plastic surgery in US Culture and how this is spreading to other western states.

However, his most recent (And the one I would like to get a disccusion out of) was when he visited the "Most hated family in America". This family was the leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, this church has become highly notorious for a hell of a lot of stuff, This stuff is taken from Wikipedia:

Westboro Baptist Church members believe that the United States government is immoral due to its tolerance of homosexuality, and they protest at funerals of U.S. military killed in action with signs that display text such as "God Hates ***s" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers".

Watching this, and seeing the reaction of the people on the street, it was confusing to see where they come from, they are not "white pride" movement or KKK-ish (or nothing that we didn't see in the film), they are just highly opinated and have strong morals on lots of things but again religion plays a part and again they used religion to their advatange... when one member was confronted on his use of signs and banners, he remarked to the offended youngster:

"You see I'm here because God told me to and that's what I'm telling my kids, but you were obviously brought into this world to be taught by the devil and not God, so err yeah you're gonna burn in hell for that"



Let's try and get a good discussion going here peeps, are these guys really the most hated family in America??

I will be honest I try to go out of my way to ignore them. They want the reactions they are getting. I'm surprised they haven't gotten shot yet only a matter of time if they keep this up.

They're the real-life equivalent of internet trolls.

now that you mention it I have to agree with you there. I think the worse thing to happen for them is getting media attention in the first place.

I thought this would be a Kardashian thread somehow, but West Baptist is high on my list.

The more attention they get, the more they will continue with their shenanigans. We're just feeding the troll.

I hope so badly that at least one of their kids ends up being gay.

Yes I'd say they are the most hated. I hate them more than anyone. I think it's pretty much all one family and just a few non-family members in the church, and I think some of them are lawyers. It's pathetic to me that laws can't be changed or something can't be done to prevent them from protesting funerals. Instead, police forces line up in towns across America to protect their rights. And I like the rights that we have as people, but draw the line somewhere. any reasonable person can conclude that these people are complete shitheads.

I don't even think they are trolls, at least by my definition anyways. They believe what they are saying, they are just brainwashed idiots. Actually maybe they are trolls because they know very well they aren't promoting the word of god or anything by protesting the funerals of people that they have nothing to do with. They were gonna come to my hometown area 2 weeks ago to protest the funeral of 7 children who died in a barn fire. And there was a ton of uproar from my redneck town and a lot of people threatening them and saying they were gonna show up with their shotguns and blast them away lol. They ended up not showing up however.

I just can't express my hate for these people enough. Very few things in this world get me mad whatsoever but these pieces of shit really get my blood boiling. If i ever reach a point in life where I am suicidal and have absolutely no reason to continue living, I am doing the planet a favor and taking down these guys with me. I am going out, guns blazing, and I am taking down as many of these losers as possible before the cops shoot and kill me.

I caught most of this last night, and I watched the first documentary he made with them a few years ago.

I thought it was really interesting to see a lot of the younger people there. I remember in the first documentary there was someone who drove past one of their demonstrations and threw a Burger King or something similar at them, and there was a very young boy who got caught up in it. From one or two of the conversations he filmed with the younger kids, I also couldn't help but feel that they don't really have any beliefs of their own or even seem to fully understand what it is they are taking part in. A lot of them will most definitely end up turning into the older teenagers in the film, who have more than likely been raised to believe that what they are doing is for the best, and believe every word of what they have been taught as impressionable children.

I also like the fact that he didn't pull any punches. It's not like he was pretending to buy into any of it, but rather questioning their ideals and beliefs, telling them to their face that he believes what they are doing to be wrong, and that he finds it offensive, but capturing it all on film.

Of course I found the majority of people he met to be pretty deplorable, but he also managed to get close enough to these people to depict them as people rather than just the monster they may appear to be on TV and in the news. In the documentary that aired last night, where he revisits these people years later, some people have defected and left the church. It was interesting, and kind of heart breaking, to see that girl who has left and now finds herself completely seperated from her family. She said that she misses her family and would like to be able to see them or still have some contact, even if she has quit, and when he then went and interviewed her family there definitely seemed to be conflict. They were suggesting that they believed it was the right to do, to sever all ties with her, but the mother especially didn't have much to say on the subject. She was just telling him "what he (her husband) said" whenever she was asked for her opinion. I couldn't help but wonder if they are simply scared to be seen to contact her.

Well, one of Fred Phelp's sons is an atheist who speaks out against their church, I think that's pretty good.

Oh okay, well that definitely works. I'll take that.

:rofl::rofl:

Even as extreme as I am in what ails peoples opinion. I dont see what they are doing has any real relation to their root cause they are trying to support. As americans we should stand proud and never protest a soldiers death and say God wanted this. This is one reason why after many years Ive really gave up on religion. All my life hearing that God is a loving and forgiving God but then seeing Christians act in this manner..(maybe not this extreme but none the less) I dont want this to turn into a religous debate but it seems more like their just breeding hate than spreading the word of God. If something to them is immoral then they should take different measures of explaining why. This is just contributing to the demise of their religion and everything it stands for. Nobodys funeral should be mocked imo regaurdless of what the circumstance is. Especially a soldier who died so that we can still have freedom and the pursuit of happiness. I dont think they really believe what they are doing..I think they are just hoping to somehow get rich off of these antics...or maybe they do..which is sad cause their kids are going to follow in their footsteps. Which is the sad part...I dont think they should force these beliefs on their children at all. They should have the choice to think for themselves. As rebelious as I am in so many aspects of life...I dont think these type of protests are legit or worthy of any cause. Other than breeding pure hate in their own hearts and the lives of others.

They are simply attacking others beliefs without an invite or reason. I doubt any gay person has taunted them or provoked these actions which imo definatley doesnt contitute accepting this type of behavior. Most times someone of extreme personality has a reason for being the way they are or legitiment cause. I cant see what theirs is if they have one. Saying its Gods will is contradicting the legacy of Christianity imo.

I'm not even kidding, if I get to that point in life where i just lose all desire and will to live, I will literally do anything I can do take out all of these pieces of shit. I'll most likely get liquored up a little bit and just mow them down at a protest or something, then get killed by police and become an american hero in death. I wish somebody would just man up already and kill these guys. At least beat them to a pulp. I have dreams of someone capturing on video like a biker gang of badass ex-convicts just rolling up and pummeling these idiots. Or maybe they protest a funeral in the ghetto and thugs come out of the woodwork and unite the area gangs and kill em all. Or maybe a soldier's funeral is protested and the Dad is an ex-marine or something and has extensive weapon knowledge and goes on a one-man murder spree. Or someone plants a bomb in their church. All of this would rule.

I hope one of their sons becomes a gay, atheist soldier. That'd be pretty sweet. I wish real life was like Grand Theft Auto sometimes so I could put it in a cheat code into my cell phone and make an army tank appear.

One of their sons is an atheist so we're partway there.

I saw a video about one of their daughters who told her parents that she thought god wanted them to love people and be nicer to them. They kicked her out of the church and stopped speaking to her forever.

Fear of hell is a strong manipulator.

You're responding to hate with hate, how are you any better than they are? Why is your hate justified and theirs isn't? Because they hated first?

Personally, I find it really sad and I can sense all the tension running beneath the over-confident surface. It shocked me a little to see how calm, cold, and sadistic their anger is, especially when you see kids who are a part of it. But it's comforting to know about their daughter breaking free of such a rigid hatred, even at the immense personal cost it must have come at. There's a lot of hope in that.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power..the world will know peace" Jimi Hendrix

Because they do nothing but intentionally cause pain to grieving families and ruin what should be a moment of personal mourning for someone's family and friends. And burying your kid shouldn't have to come along with a circus atmosphere with retards holding insulting signs. The world would be a better place without them and I salute anyone brave enough and awesome enough to end the lives of the Westboro Baptist Church members. They would be my hero for the rest of my life. Ideally it'd be nice to just completely ignore them, but I'm imagining my brother or my parents or someone close to me burying buried and these fuckheads protesting and it's hard for me to imagine staying calm and serene.

My hate is justified because I have a legitimate reason to hate them. They protest funerals of people they have never met and knowingly cause pain to the deceased's family. Their hate isn't justified by anything other than their own warped sense of religion. They have no justification to what they do. And yes, they hated first. There were no problems until they came along and acted like a bunch of assholes. I am better than they are because I wouldn't go around doing the stuff that they do. They've protested hundreds of funerals of people they have never known, and for the good of the entire world I would gladly take them down with me. Even if murder is worse than holding signs, I don't care. I'd still do it because things like funerals shouldn't be made into a circus by people who aren't even welcome by the families and i hate every member of the WBC.

That might not have answered your question well enough for your liking, but basically I don't care much about whos "better" or whatever. All I know is that these people are living scum and I hope they all get murdered.

Daughter and son.

I wouldnt go so far as to say I wish any harm on them or anything of that stature. Most times people will inevitably make their own bed they have to ly in after a while. Im sure they wont prosper much and eventually will become their own worst enemy.

While I dont agree with what they are doing in the least again its just sad to see there are kids involved. For that reason alone I wouldnt wish death on them or any extreme type karma. I lost a parent to suicide at a young age and it has affects on me to this day. Whether or not they are the best role models or not is questionable definatley. Again I think its some kind of get rich off publicity scheme honestly...but the whole disgracing of someones funeral is not the way to go about anything. I wonder if anyone has ever asked them how they would feel if what they are doing was done to them at one of their loved ones funerals..how they would feel? Maybe someone showing geuine concern could get to the bottom of where all this hate stems from.

Ya know I'm just gonna rant for a bit cause now I'm pissed off just thinking of these low lifes. How in the hell does my country allow these dipshits to do this? There are judges out there who actually think it is ok for people to be vulgar and insult people at a funeral. Is this some kind of weird conspiracy or something? How the hell do these people still have jobs? If they aren't reasonable to realize it's not acceptable then how can I trust them to be reasonable with any other decisions they make? Great job, federal appeals courts, you asswipes, this all could have ended years ago if they didn't reverse court rulings. How is this not an invasion of privacy or sorts? Free speech does have it's limits, and this is a pure example of the limit being crossed with vulgar, shocking, and offensive language. A lower court agreed but of course the federal appeals court had their collective head up their collective ass. I'm actually more pissed off now that they cna get away with being such fuckheads. Like the realization that my country's leaders actually endorse this type of behavior makes me puke all over myself. I am now covered in vomit because of these idiots. The WBC is a HATE GROUP. And it's ok for hate groups to intentionally inflict pain for no reason?? The WBC is protected so much, it's ridiculous.

Thanks for your contribution Plum, I'll be sure to read up on the First Amendment, I have never even heard of such a wild thing. Thank god for Wikipedia!


I think Bush passed an Act or something making them protest like at least 150 feet away from the funeral or something. If something like that cna be passed, I'm not sure why it'd be so hard to pass something stating that hate groups can't picket and protest the group that their group hates. Obviously it'd be worded a little better than that lol, but the fact remains that the members of the federal appeals courts allows these douchers to continue doing what they do. In the name of decency, is it acceptable to 99.999999% of people to have the KKK start showing up at every black man's funeral? Cmon America, get these garbage hate groups out of here. Educate everyone growing up about the evil of hate groups but then allow them to continue doin these sorts of things. Lol what a joke. I guess i would like common sense and human decency to at some point find their way into the equation but I maybe I should come to terms with how the government really works.

Read up on the fact Fred Phelps is also a lawyer, so is his daughter. Therefore, I think they'd be able to maneuver around the law

But keep chomping on those freedom fries

Ironic how a hate group committed to over-the-top demonstrations of homophobia could cause so many butts to hurt.

Classic case of "don't feed the troll" if I've ever seen one....

Mentioned it pages ago.


I'll stick to my french fries, thanks

Then why are you bitching about them employing their right to free speech in which is guaranteed to all citizens of this country and acting like it's only yours and you decide who can be privy to such rights?

I am bitching because I think what they do is ridiculous, as does anyone else who has a brain. And I don't support the idea that it's acceptable for hate groups to protest and spill their hate at something like a funeral. I value things like common sense, human decency, general reason, etc and I don't think it's too outrageous for some kind of Act to be put in place that would disallow them to continue being assnapkins at soldier funerals. I think freedom of speech should have it's limits, one of them being hate groups protesting at funerals of the very people they hate.

The right to free speech should have some limitations. I can see why Dirty's angered by these actions. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as long as it does'nt infringe upon anyone elses rights..no?
I wouldnt get angered man but thats your right as well if you want.

Homophobes need to be ****ed with.

There are no legitimate reasons to hate. It's believing that hate can have legitimacy that keeps hate alive. Nobody starts the hate, and the hate keeps flowing because everyone thinks, "If I stop it they'll just do it anyway!" Well, even if they do, so it goes. The only wise choice possible is to let the hate stop with you. Then at least you're not feeding the fire. You don't have to just stand by and let the fire burn, but you do need to realize you're only adding gasoline.

The world would not be a better place if someone came along and murdered these people. I'm sure that's exactly the logic that led to the 9-11 attacks. But it's so hard to see things from the other side.

Hate is hate is hate. Someone comes to you with hate and you respond in kind, feeling that it's justified. The only reason that person came to you with hate is because someone came to them with hate, and they responded in kind. And the only reason that person came with hate... you get the picture. It begins, the person came with a lot of hate and you responded with a bit of hate. They came with evil sadism and you got angry. But hate builds on itself. It's a negative feedback loop.

The first step is to realize that this is what's going on. Recognize that it's not the outside that's causing the hate, you're letting the hate arise in yourself. The second step is to not act on the hate, to watch it, recognize it for what it is, and let it pass. The third step is to find something else. To go look for the river to get water to put out the fire. The water isn't more killing, more yelling, more arguing. The water is understanding and wisdom. The water is peace and compassion.

The fire is burning and we all feel that we need to respond immediately. We need to do something about the fire. It takes a lot to accept that our response isn't helping. It takes even more to accept that our response is only fueling the fire. When we stop responding, it feels like we're just sitting idly by and letting it burn. But we have to stop responding before we can go look for water.

Then we're looking for water, and it seems so hard to find. The fire is still burning. "Look faster, you stupid idiot!" But we have to be calm to find the water. We can't keep running back to the fire and back to the water. We have to be single-minded in our determination to find the water. So that means, in some sense, letting go of the fire. Realizing that there's nothing we can do about the fire until we find the water.

It's hard to just recognize hate as hate, fire as fire. We always want to find a scapegoat. It's not just hate, it's their hate. And this hate I feel, it's not my hate it's also their hate. If they were gone, all the hate would be gone. But it's not. It's only gotten stronger. Hard to just watch the hate, accepting: right now, there's nothing I can do. Hard to see the possibility of redemption in every person. Hard to see the virtues of those consumed by hate. Hard to see because all their virtues have become the vehicles of hate. Hard to see where this hate has come from, or how to help it lose its grip. Often we try, and the hate only seems to intensify. Sometimes our good intentions are misguided. Sometimes what's needed is for the fire to just burn itself out.

We live in a mysterious world. It's easy to respond to joy with joy and hate with hate, hard to find a peace which will give us the wisdom we need to see through hate, see through ignorance, and do our part in untangling these webs. But that's what we're here to do. Past all the bullshit, that is our mission and our purpose. Whether or not anyone agrees with this, the seed is there. The wisdom is in many places, wherever you feel comfortable looking for it, living with it, helping it grow. Nothing else really matters.

This was supposed to be a friendly open discussion, now I feel I have started a mass war amongst the Music Banter community.... SCREW YOU LOUIS THEROUX!

I don't think anybody is at war :)

I dont think anyone has taken offense to anyone elses opinions. Just stating their thoughts and opinion. Both sides making very good points.

That is bullshit and you know it!!!!! :soapbox:

How so?

I agree. Things are going quite nicely in here.

Morality aside, yes I'd consider them the most hated family in America. At least in my age group.

Oh, and all fags will eventually burn.











And they give you emphysema. :D

I never saw it getting out of hand. Some very strong opinions but not like there was blatent name calling or anything like that. Ive seen more intense arguments than this on Mb. Any time theres a difference of opinion on something I think people are to quick to think its out of hand.

Im thinking that organizing a trip to kansas (or wherever they live/pray) and ****ing **** up would be pretty fun. Broken windows and spray paint, that sort of thing.