Nearly a year ago, I blogged about a fairly humanizing documentary of the Westboro Baptists done by BBC’s Louis Theroux. His 2007 documentary, “The Most Hated Family in America”, was a huge hit. You can watch it here.
Four years later, Theroux returned to WBC to do a follow-up documentary, “America’s Most Hated Family in Crisis”. A lot has happened since 2007. Just last month, the Supreme Court ruled in the Westboro Baptists favor to protect their First Amendment rights to protest military funerals and express hateful anti-gay rhetoric. Despite that decision, however, the church still has challenges. Its numbers are dwindling, with several young people having recently left the group, and the members confront steeper opposition wherever they picket. But the effect of these challenges, as the documentary shows, has been to make the believers more determined and dogmatic.
That was very hard to watch because their hatred has driven the WBC’rs completely mad.
Interesting to see how much more critical the church members were of Louis, poor guy haha. If their numbers are dwindling, perhaps there is hope for less bitter circumstances to debate and discuss freedom of speech. We shall see where the cards fall in the next few years I suppose.
“…we call it a ‘Godsmack’!” Ha ha ha!
It’s almost comical to see the bizarre combination of counter-protesters: flamboyant gay activists, progressive liberals, and red-meat-eating patriots all directing their ire against the WBC nut-jobs.
Am I the only person who finds these docs about the WBC oddly humanizing, though?
Can’t reply directly to Jon, but I am with you there. I am finding both a strange revulsion and… I don’t want to call it affection, but a sort of aching in my heart… for them.
“They’re gonna eat your baby!”
Nom nom nom…mmm..baby flesh.