Be the Change

I'll never understand

Ah, small town America... I saw this article on the local paper's website this morning:

http://tinyurl.com/d4lmnb

A scantily clad female pirate statue in front of a store in a nearby town is being protested by a Catholic pastor and his congregation.



The article tells of a recent protest. The store owner claims the pastor cursed the statue, and the next day the owner was taken to the hospital for chest pains. (The pastor claims he blessed the statue)

Oh and by the way, this is the same town that hosts an annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. This protest occurred on March 22nd, the day after this year's parade, which focuses on alcohol. People from all over come to the town to gather on the sidewalks and drink. Yeungling beer (the brewery is in another nearby town) is highly lauded and is a sponsor of the parade. (I covered the parade a few times for another local paper)

So drinking's okay, but dear Lord, cover yourselves up! Speaking of the statue, the pastor said, “When I first saw, I reacted negatively to it because I thought it was something more likely to be seen in a house of ill-repute or out on ‘The Strip’ in Las Vegas.”

I'll never understand some things... Why are people ashamed of the human form? The statue isn't nude, according to the article, just scantily clad, which is probably worse in the eyes of some... Would the pastor protest a museum which features a nude statue created by an established artist? Where do they draw the line? Why is some nudity okay, but others not?

I was walking by the local movie theater last year when I heard a Mom complaining about the rating of a film. She said something like, "Language is fine, but if there's any nudity at all, I won't let my kids see it!" (Why is language okay, but not nudity? Why is language considered bad to some, too?)

I don't think sheltering kids from everything is okay... I mean, I don't think kids should be subjected to pornography or extreme language, but they should also be taught some things, too. I don't have kids, and I don't plan on having them, so I probably shouldn't even say anything on that subject...

But protesting a statue??? This article gave me a laugh. And made me roll my eyes...