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http://theinformedvegan.com/post/3763492662/ |
The Michael Moore video posted in my previous post shows the
main way in which the Westboro group advocates their anti-gay beliefs. In the
video - if you look at the member’s actions at the surface - you see a group of
people standing on the streets holding anti-gay signs, loudly vocalizing their
beliefs. The radical image that Moore creates is only one aspect of their protest style. It is important to analyze the Westboro actions, understand why
they might choose a certain vocabulary for their signs, discover where they choose to
protest, as well as uncover why they get so much attention from the media. Protest style is important and unique to each social
movement. Depending on their goals and what they stand for, a group may conduct
a protest that suits their beliefs while ensuring their voices be heard. For example, the Westboro do not believe in violence, as a result their protests are peaceful in the sense they cause no physical damage. Their protests help draw attention from the public,
create controversy, and hopefully generate change that the group advocates.
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http://www.godhatesfags.com/photos/index.html |
Looking at the Westboro group holding up
their signs is shocking – they certainly aren’t subtle when
expressing what they believe in. Common messages on their signs
include: “God Hates Fags”, “Thank God for 911”, “Soldiers die for fag
marriage”, etc. As the images and the Michael Moore video show, they draw
attention to themselves by using controversial messages, which alone attract
attention – but with the use of bright colors, their location choice, and vocal
exclamations, the Westboro members successfully create a spectacle that is
impossible to ignore. Their choice of vocabulary is not
sophisticated, but it is effective in getting attention and causing an emotional
stir; the repeated use of “fag” is a good example. It is a highly emotionally charged term for homosexuals. On their website the Westboro claim that the
word “fag” comes from the Bible and is a term to describe a form of kindling,
and just as kindle fuels a fire, homosexuals fuel “God’s wrath”. Just like
their incendiary vocabulary choices, the locations where they choose to
express their beliefs tend to be emotionally charged – including
American soldier’s funerals, and performances of The Laramie Project (a play
about the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student).
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http://www.queeried.com |
All components of their protest tactics combined create a blunt, seemingly straightforward, and emotionally raw situation. Is having such a strong emotional
impact on viewers a beneficial thing? Ultimately, are the Westboro achieving their
goal by causing such controversy? Next post, I will attempt to answer these
questions, as well as analyze the pros and cons of their protest style.
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