SEXUAL ABUSE:
The pedophilia and sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church just keeps getting bigger and more awful. The evidence of a cover-up is rampant, not just in Ireland, but in Germany, too. In the past few weeks, the Vienna Boys’ Choir has seen eight accusations from former choristers that they were abused by teachers, and there have been hundreds of similar allegations in Germany itself. German officials are looking into accusations going back almost 50 years, and they might even extend the statute of limitations for these cases.
The Atlantic has a fantastic column analyzing the reason why the Church has covered up these scandals. The crux of the matter is that the Church viewed the actions of the offending priests as sins, rather than crimes — as acts that required atonement and forgiveness, not punishment. The discussion of repressed sexuality is particularly interesting.
Imagine you are a young gay Catholic teen coming into his sexuality and utterly convinced that it’s vile and evil. What do you do? I can tell you from my own experience. You bury it. But of course, you can’t bury it. So you objectify sex; and masturbate. You cannot have sexual or even emotional contact with a teenage girl, because it is simply impossible, and you certainly cannot have sex with another teenage boy or you will burn in hell for ever … so you have sex with images in your own head. Your sex life becomes completely solitary. It can be empowered by pornography or simply teenage imagination. Some shard of beauty, some aspect of sensuality, some vision of desire will keep you sexually energized for days.
Now suppose your powers of suppression and attachment to religious authority are also strong – perhaps stronger because you feel so adrift you need something solid to cling onto in your psyche. And you know you cannot marry a woman. But you want to have status and cover as a single man. If this is the 1950s and 1960s, it’s into the Church you go. You think it will cure you. In fact, it only makes you sicker because your denial is buttressed by their collective denial. And the whole thing becomes one big and deepening spiral of lies and corruption. (@atlantic)
More and more groups around the world are asking how much the Pope knew about the abuse and what he did. The AP reports that the answers to those questions will almost certainly determine his legacy as a pope and could even posthumously tarnish the reputation of Pope John Paul II. The article has an in-depth look at how the Vatican has treated cases of abuse in recent years. Usually, punishments have been light and in some cases, they have stepped in to stop trials.
Of the 3,000 cases the Vatican has received since 2001, only 20 percent have gone to a full canonical trial, the Vatican’s chief prosecutor Monsignor Charles Scicluna said. Disciplinary sanctions were imposed in 60 percent, such as priests being ordered to live a retired life of prayer and not celebrate Mass publicly; in only 10 percent were the accused priests defrocked.
MADDOW:
Rachel Maddow has taken out a full page ad in the Boston Globe in response to Scott Brown’s weird fundraising email claiming she planned to run against him in 2012.
Maddow had rejected Brown’s claim on air. (@maddowblog)
OBAMA:
Have you seen this new poll about Obama? It asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents a series of questions about the president, and basically the results are terrifying. No poll is perfect, so take it with a grain of salt, but these numbers still show just how deeply divided this country is along party lines and how misinformed people are. Here’s a chart of the full results.
Twenty-four percent of Republicans think Obama might be the anti-Christ. And 57 percent of Republicans think he is a Muslim.
These are real things that people think! It’s ridiculous! One Harris poll employee said: “It means that very large numbers of people are misinformed not only about President Obama but many things in modern life.” No joke, dude!
DADT:
Ana Marie Cox has some thoughts on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the wake of the tougher requirements for a discharge under the policy. With the exception of recusing the testimony of those whom servicemembers should expect to keep their confidence, these changes don’t lessen burden of living a lie. Instead, they just bump it up the chain of command. Basically, it is still illegal to be an openly gay soldier, but if you are, you can involve more of your comrades in your deception — they don’t really bear the responsibility of enforcing the law. … Rather than making illegal to be an openly homosexual soldier, make it illegal to be an openly homophobic one. (@gq)
VIRGINIA:
Virginia isn’t doing so hot with non-discrimination policies lately. Weeks after the attorney general told the state’s universities to stop including extra protections against discrimination, the governor has declined to include such protections for state workers in an executive order. He says: There really isn’t any rampant discrimination on any basis in Virginia. If you’re going to have a law, it needs to actually address a real problem. Wait, Virginia doesn’t have discrimination?? Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner! We’re moving Autostraddle HQ there. (@advocate)
COULTER:
Oh, Ann Coulter. She’s a riot isn’t she? Yeah, Queerty thinks so, too. She went on Bill O’Reilly’s show recently about an uproar at a college in Canada, that silly backwards country. It’s cute how O’Reilly is all concerned for her safety, and then she talks about how when she says racist things, it’s ok because they’re amusing! Here’s the clip, if you feel like raising your blood pressure.
HOLOCAUST:
A video installation monument to gays persecuted in the Holocaust it is going to include images of lesbians kissing, and people are a bit upset about it. The monument usually features an image of two men kissing, and the image is rotated out every 6 months. Some groups are unhappy with the choice to use lesbians because apparently the Holocaust targeted gay men much more then gay women, and they want the monument to reflect historical accuracy.
But the people in charge of the monument make a good argument: The intent of the monument is to end discrimination of any kind and supporters of the lesbian display believe that it does not matter that Hitler may not specifically have targeted lesbians, as explained by a plaque on the memorial. (@lezgetreal)
HARVARD:
A conservative student paper at Harvard recently ran an editorial about why the university doesn’t need curriculum changes that reflect more diversity. As Racialicious says, this guy “just lets the racism fly.” He thinks that the current canon, which focuses almost exclusively on the work of dead white men, is just fine. And obvs an African studies department is a ridiculous idea!
Egypt is a worthwhile subject not because it is an African civilization, but because it represents an incredibly sophisticated and important ancient civilization that happens to be African—let alone the fact that the Egyptians pharaohs, with the exception of 75 years of Nubian rule, were about as “African” as Ian Smith. Harvard should have an Egyptology department, or at least devote some of its resources to the study of a civilization which has had such profound influence on the world. It need not offer a course on African civilizations if there is none worthy of study.
These guys must think you have to have dark skin to be African. I suggest they look at a map. They probably have some of those at Harvard. (@racialicious)
Oh, God, that Harvard editiorial just HURT MY BRAIN. Anything that’s not dead white guys isn’t worth studying WHAT?? I know it’s tough to find a happy medium, but DAMN.
Also, I’ve always thought that not allowing religious leaders to marry or have children is a bad idea. How can you talk to a married couple about problems if you never have married problems? How can you understand how frustrating children can be if you never have to deal with a kid having a meltdown in theaters because OMG MUFASA DIED. (not that I did that…)
I like how that Harvard tool decides there are no African civilizations worthy of study even though he’s clearly not studied any African history beyond Egypt (if that, he might’ve just seen the Prince of Egypt and a Nova special and based Egypt’s importance on that).
This further illustrates the WTF?! nature of Harvard admissions. I have my doubts about Panda’s supposed history skills, but at least she’s not racist! (See: Skins finale recap)
It’s been AGES since I even remembered that Ann Coulter exists and I wish we’d have left things that way. I can’t bring myself to watch that video, just the still was enough to turn my stomach.
i bet the editorial writer is besties with ann coulter. “little scientific and mathematical thought of consequence has occurred outside the Western world” has he ever heard of the number zero?
I just had to read that editorial because I couldn’t believe that anyone with a brain, much less someone with an association with such an esteemed heritage as Harvard, could really say something like that.
If anything, he’s proving himself wrong about getting rid of non-eurocentric study, because there’s patently a massive hole in his knowledge, roughly the size and shape of the whole of Asia/Africa.
Ten points to Laura Wooley! Or zero, as the case may be.
I’m a Harvard alum and that article appeared in the Salient. The people that work on that paper are like little Rush Limbaughs and Ann Coulters. Every few years they write an incredibly ridiculous and offensive article or cartoon and get national attention for it. It is literally their only way to remain relevant on campus.
It’s times like these that I’m sad Autostraddle is a website and not a coffee shop. Caps lock just isn’t enough to express how angry all of these things have made me. I need to be able to yell and throw a full cup of coffee into a wall and perhaps even Tina-flip a table.
That would be the BEST coffee shop.
I would go order a leztte all the time.
With a muffin.
Oh you win BIG TIME
Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?
Double entendre, no? :)
Agreed!
Firstly, could it be an Amsterdam-style coffeeshop.
Secondly, we need to petition the dictionary people to include the verb tinaflip in the next edition.
I would like to marry Rachel Maddow. And, completely unrelated to that, I try and like everyone, and I don’t think killing people is right, but Ann Coulter needs to kick the bucket. Just scrolling past her made me angry. It’s ruining my Tegan & Sara buzz.
NO MORE HATE SPEECH ON OUR CAMPUS
i wish ann coulter would get out of my country
just on a sidenote, vienna’s in austria. (it’s austria’s capital, actually)
that’s what I know. what I don’t know is WHO is ann coulter and what is she doing being on tv and everything???
just take a camel, duh!
I don’t suppose that Harvard article is satire.
:(
OPUS DEI CATHOLIC YIHADISM:
CATHOLIC CHURCH has been suffering SPIRITUAL DECADENT and GENERAL CORRUPTION on different fields on the lovely stage of life for ages, but the MEDIEVALIZED POPE who had no PEDIGREE found POWERFUL and GREATNESS of CHURCH in OPUS OPUS, so he has transferred GOD´S POWER and GLORY to a SECT that INSECTS like SECTS, a BUNKER of TERRORIST MONKS in INVISIBLE CASSOCKS and MODERN CRUSADERS in INVISIBLE BURKAS.
CHURCH has been left on the OPUS DEI ARMS, where ARMS are used for KILLING who stands on their WAY and discover their SATANIC 999 WAYS of WAY, as the same as, happened with me after having been sharing spirituality and educating them for thirty three years. Documents I have show that their ARMS are used for ASSAULTS on PUBLIC TREASURIES, DEAL with LORD BLACK MONEY and founf ILLEGAL FOUNDATIONS.
It looks like a tale story, but that is real and I am at the service of authorities or organizations to let documents say and show the truth and the aberrant essence of OPUS DEI and the EX MARQUIS de PERALTA who has instructed his FOLLOWERS in the LEADERSHIP, the POWER and the SPIRITUAL TERRORISM that is taking CHURCH to the end of times.
DOCTOR SANTIAGO ESCRIVÁ DE BALAGUER and his ACCOMPLICE DOCTOR SUÁREZ who both work for ADESLAS have kidnapped me and planned an attempt of HOMICIDE to give end to my LIFE with the SUPPORT of BIN LADENIST TELEFÓNICA de ESPAÑA, the ACCOMPLICEMENT of the SPANISH FASCIST POLICE and the BUSHITERIST JUDGES. The ABOVE HOLY EARTHLY GENOCIDE TRINITY OF THE BLOODTHIRSTY ORGIES that AGROUP OPUS DEI, POLICE and JUDGES has COMMITTED TERRORISM much WORSE than BIN LADEN. They have INCITED TERRORISM and at the same time, they denied to GIVE ME A HAND when I WAS DYING at their STATE DISPACHS. WHO is going to be a CANDIDATE to SANCTITY? ACTIONS speak much much better than WORKS.
OPUS DEI has made CHRISTIANITY sounds SATANITY. The POLISH PAPACY has been followed by the GURMAN PAPACY and both are PASTORS who have no PEDIGREES. They must be FUHRERS, CRUSADERS in INVISIBLE CASSOCKS, TERRORIST MONKS in INVISIBLE BURKAS. CHURCH has made sufficient MERITS to come to the END of TIMES. The CRUSADES MAKERS have brought TERRORISM to our ERA. THE HOLOCAUSTS makers and inventors have brought the DISGRACE to the THIRD WORLD NATIONS and sowed HOSTILITIES AMONG NATIONS until the ACTUAL SECONDS.
CHRISTIANITY has to send FUHRER RATZINGER to fight in AFGHANESTAN and bring back BUSHITLER to be the VATICAN PLANET POPE. BUSHITLER GOD or BUSHITLER POPE has brought a CLONED CHRIST to the PENTAGON to show the WORLDWIDE NATIONS the SPIRITIAL TERRORISM of CHRISTIANY that has no difference with BIN LADEN´S. RATZINGER BIN BUSHITLER has VISITED BUSHITLER BIN LADEN on the PENTAGON where CLONED CHRIST has been PRESENT to VALIDATE, BLESS and LEGALIZE CHRISTIAN BUSHITLER BIN LADEN ATROCITIES, CRUELTIES, GENOCIDES, DESTRUCTIONS, TORTURES, CRUSADES, TERRORISM and CLEANSINGS. DAMN ON TERRORISTS and CULTURE of TORTURE.
CHURCH OPRESSION and SLAVERY has given WAY out of the 999 WAYS of OPRESSION to LIBERALISM, LIBERTY, FREEDOM, LOVE, JUSTICE and PEACE. RATZINGER has to plan BI SHOPS for BISHOPS and BURDELS for OPUS DEI SPIRITUAL TERRORISTS. The CALL to SANCTITY and HOLINESS should have no PRIVILEGES. HOMOSEXUALS are able to SANTIFY their WORK much better than OPUS DEI and they can reach HEAVEN before FUHRER RATZINGER.
VICARIO: THE VOICE of the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, a TRINITY which takes YOU to LOVE that leads to JUSTICE and then to PEACE at personal and collective LEVELS.
VICARIOPUSDAY: The VOICE of TRUTH, JUSTICE and HUMAN VALUES that take YOU to die with HONOUR and DIGNITY, serving MANKIND and not being SERVED, to be a CARPET to let your SIMILARS step on SMOOTHLY. I have been expecty the SUPPOSED TWO SHOTS from OPUS DEI for SEVEN YEARS of PERSECUTION.
MOISÉS IBRAHIM: EX OPUS DEI SUPERNUMERAY and EX EDUCATOR at COLEGIO RETAMAR in MADRID, for THIRTY THREE YEARS, where I have EDUCATED the ones who come from FASCISM, DICTATORSHIP, CHURCH SLAVERY, ARISTOCRACY, NOBILITY, HIGHNESS and ROYALTY, such as GLORIOUS PRESENT and PAST SPANISH HISTORY MAKERS, NAVARRO RUBIO, SÁNCHEZ BELLA, LÓPEZ BRAVO, ADOLFO SUAREZ, ALEJANDRO AGAG, CARLOS SAINZ, CANÓVAS del CASTILLO, AREILZA, KOLPOWITZ, BOTÍN, BANÚS, QUESADA, URQUIJO and THOUSANDS of distinguished PERSONALITIES
Okay. Wow.
Somebody needs to get back on their meds and stay there.
Signed,
Dr. Smartypants
OMGWTFIMPROMPTULATINBBQ
For the record, I did not randomly resurrect this topic; the person who posted above me also just recently posted a giant wad of comment-policy-violating spam, which Sarah (I assume) successfully, efficiently, and expertly took care of. :D
LMAO—-I just read “LATINBBQ” at the end—f**kin hilarious !!
(((((( oxox ))))))