Religion and Politics

I'm caught in a bit of a tough situation, because I'm conscious of the fact that I don't want to court the reputation of being a judgmental bastard who never has anything to say except to rant about how much I hate people whose religious or political beliefs I don't agree with... but on the other hand, I feel my concerns are justified, and I've been told I'm good at articulating my thoughts (as long as I have time to write them out), and I feel that simply remaining silent only serves to allow the current state of affairs to continue uncontested ("evil to prevail" and all that). So, even though it doesn't really accomplish anything, I thought maybe I'd post some of my thoughts here so at least I could feel like I've got them off my chest.

I. Religion

As an atheist, my belief - which the Constitution entitles me to hold - is that this life is the only one I've got. So when your religion preaches about purity and sin, influencing secular society to adopt gymnophobic and sex-negative attitudes (to say nothing of the propagation of repressive, conservative stereotypes that crush the human spirit), and fueling the passions of fundamentalist busybodies who want to stick their nose in other people's business and pass laws forcing everyone's behaviors to adhere to their beliefs, on the authority of YOUR holy book (whether you personally support their agenda or not), know that you are condemning me to hell on earth, with no promise of any kind of reward after death. So if I look at you like you're a demon, know that it's because that's exactly what you are.

II. Politics

Enough of this bullshit where if you don't LIKE something, you try to argue that it's dangerous to expose kids to it. It's the pettiest way imaginable to try to get laws passed. Conservatives are doing a lot of it right now. I have no doubt that liberals have been guilty of doing the same thing. I don't care WHO is doing it, it's wrong. In this country, we have freedom of choice. You don't have to like other people's choices, you just have to keep your nose out of their business. If queer identities are harmful to kids, THEN SO IS YOUR CHURCH. You don't get to have it both ways. And you know what the difference between liberals and conservatives is? Liberals might argue that religion abuses kids (which, by the way, it actually does), but they're not passing laws trying to repeal the First Amendment. That's exactly what conservatives are trying to do. Why? Because their beliefs are so fucking fragile that they can't handle a single person in society looking and acting differently than they do. P.S. Queer identities are NOT harmful to kids. Repressing those identities is what's harmful to kids. This is scientifically documented fact (not to mention common sense). Deny it, and you don't just look like an idiot, you look like the kind of hypocrite who enjoys beating kids while telling them it's for their own good. That's you. Or, if you vote Republican, that's who you're handing power to. And I'm asking you to please stop.

Anti-Fandom and Hate Memes

I remember in the '90s you would occasionally find entire Geocities websites dedicated to hating on fandoms (Sailor Moon was a popular one that I recall). I always thought it was a bit suspicious that you would put so much effort into exploring in detail something that you hate. "Methinks she doth protest too much," and all that. (And I say this as a boy who liked Sailor Moon but couldn't admit it due to a fear of being teased - but I never made a website dedicated to hate, whether it's something I secretly liked or not).

Granted, reposting memes requires a lot less effort, but it can be irritating constantly being reminded that somebody else doesn't like something that you liked. Especially - and this can admittedly be hard to gauge, depending on what communities you're exposed to - when the repeated opinion is actually fairly mainstream. See, I can appreciate people whose opinions deviate from the norm (not on matters of fact, but on matters of taste), even when I disagree with them; because I respect the freedom of independent thought.

But stating your opinion that you hate the widely criticized pop culture phenomenon that everybody else hates, as if you were providing some unique criticism that goes against the grain, when in fact it's the same thing we hear from everybody all the time - especially when it's something that, while it might be flawed, I don't feel, as a fellow creator, deserves the outright dismissal it usually receives (a pro take would be interesting to read for once) - again and again and again...well, it's all a bit tiring.

Game of Thrones (the TV series) had flaws. It's still one of the best fantasy shows I've ever watched - straight to the end of the last episode. The Star Wars sequels had flaws. But they were heads and shoulders above the prequels in my opinion, and brought back a lot of the grittiness of the original trilogy that I miss. I watched The Walking Dead until it reached its conclusion. It had a lot of flaws, too. But you know what? I was still entertained - as a fan of the comic it's based on - right up to the bitter end.

I think Titanic is overrated and I've never watched Avatar - either the bloated (at least from what I've heard) James Cameron blockbuster or the live action Last Airbender adaptation (M. Night Shyamalan is another creator who gets a lot of flak, whose projects may be flawed but who I still respect - sure, the villain in The Happening was "the wind", but I still thought it was a clever story) - and don't have any desire to, but I don't make it my hobby to rag on them. Who knows, somebody might actually like them. And I'd rather spend time talking about the things I like.

Now it's possible I'm being a hypocrite without realizing it. Do politics and religion count? Because if it were just a matter of taste - a difference of opinion - I would be perfectly willing to live and let live. But politics especially - and religion also, insofar as it affects the lives and choices of people beyond its adherents (and it does - especially Christianity, with its obnoxious emphasis on conversion) - continuously interferes with my ability to be free, and pursue my own happiness.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from critiquing entertainment they don't like. (I spent years reviewing horror movies, and while I'm generally a lenient critic, I can tell you I didn't like every single one). But the more it comes up - particularly unbidden, in the form of unsolicited social media posts - the more of a nuisance it becomes.