After "praying" about it, Pastor Terry Jones has decided not to cancel his tiny church's planned Koran burning this Saturday. Saying he needs to stand up for what he believes is right, his effort is garnering massive attention, including two posts on the topic from yours truly.
In this age of instant access to information via the world wide web, it is yet another example of how evil and hate so easily snare the spotlight. People and organizations now go out of their way to think up so many dastardly positions, statements and events BECAUSE they know it will get them their 15 minutes of fame or more. It's no wonder that Jones hasn't backed down to this point; if he backs down now, the media glare goes away.
Parents know that their children often act out as a way of saying, "Notice me!". Bad behavior often generates far more focus and attention than good behavior. So, kids sometimes screw up simply to shift the focus of the family from whatever else to themselves.
This tack doesn't stop in childhood either. Adults are as guilty as any child.
That's what Jones is doing right now! In a manner of speaking, he's hijacked this year's remembrance of 9/11. When the topic is brought up today, it almost invariably goes through him and his small group of followers. I'm sure his call has motivated some other hate-filled people to join his teeny church. I'm sure his announcement is generating donations from hatemongers around the world. He will get A LOT of mileage out of this whole deal.
In the end, it really doesn't matter whether or not he actually goes through with it. If he's as savvy as he appears, he'll wait until the last possible moment to call it off, if that's his real plan. He'll wait until the media trucks fill the streets around his small church, then enjoy even more of the media spotlight as he announces WHY he decided to pull the plug at the last moment.
Whatever he ultimately decides to do, he has already won. The media and, sadly, bloggers like me have handed him precisely what he craves -- undue attention to spread his less than honorable beliefs.
In this age of instant access to information via the world wide web, it is yet another example of how evil and hate so easily snare the spotlight. People and organizations now go out of their way to think up so many dastardly positions, statements and events BECAUSE they know it will get them their 15 minutes of fame or more. It's no wonder that Jones hasn't backed down to this point; if he backs down now, the media glare goes away.
Parents know that their children often act out as a way of saying, "Notice me!". Bad behavior often generates far more focus and attention than good behavior. So, kids sometimes screw up simply to shift the focus of the family from whatever else to themselves.
This tack doesn't stop in childhood either. Adults are as guilty as any child.
That's what Jones is doing right now! In a manner of speaking, he's hijacked this year's remembrance of 9/11. When the topic is brought up today, it almost invariably goes through him and his small group of followers. I'm sure his call has motivated some other hate-filled people to join his teeny church. I'm sure his announcement is generating donations from hatemongers around the world. He will get A LOT of mileage out of this whole deal.
In the end, it really doesn't matter whether or not he actually goes through with it. If he's as savvy as he appears, he'll wait until the last possible moment to call it off, if that's his real plan. He'll wait until the media trucks fill the streets around his small church, then enjoy even more of the media spotlight as he announces WHY he decided to pull the plug at the last moment.
Whatever he ultimately decides to do, he has already won. The media and, sadly, bloggers like me have handed him precisely what he craves -- undue attention to spread his less than honorable beliefs.
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