I watched The Laramie Project on MovieCentral tonight.
It was an odd experience.
On one hand, I felt cheated - it was like watching a re-creation of a doumentary - actors speaking the words of real people from real interviews.
So on a movie-watching level, it was somewhat deceitful.
But mostly, I just felt sad and angry. I cried watching this movie, so horrified for being human at this time.
The idea that the unconcious hatred of another is so ubiquitous is nearly too much to bear. I look at America right now, all high and mighty on this crusade of their, and I just want to scream ‘look within!’.
This whole idea of ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ as some positive way of life, when really, it’s a couched threat: ‘don’t tell me you’re gay or I’ll kill you - leave me ignorant and we can get along’.
It’s disgusting.
The religious right continues to horrify me.
It’s odd.
These days, when I hear someone is religious, I have much the same reaction as when these people are told someon is gay - I immediately think less of someone.
Which I know, is an equivalent problem.
Should I find someone is part of a more liberal religion, I relax.
Were I to know more Catholics like the one from Laramie, I may change my mind further.
It was so refreshing to see a Catholic priest teach about unconditional love and hope - all my experience with catholocism seems so much about self-denial, self-hatred and cyclic guilt.
But I think we’d all be better off we spent less time asking for external help and validation and spent more time getting to know ourselves - it’s hard to do evil unto others when there’s nothing or no one to absolve you.