Comments

1
Love Betty Bowers, but I have two concerns:

First, after watching that video it occurs to me that perhaps Westboro's open hatred and hostility isn't the real danger. At least they put their hate on display for all to see. There is no deception or trying to hide it in any way. I would much rather deal with an enemy that is honest in it's hatred than one who tries to pretty it up and make it seem as though they don't hate you when, in fact, they secretly do.

Second, I hope she is feeling OK. She has lost a lot of weight from her earlier videos and I hope that doesn't indicate an illness of some kind.
2
@2 - I think that's her point. She's saying that Focus on the Family, Concerned Women, etc. are all just as hateful as WBC, but they have better PR.
3
@SherBee - This is as big as she's ever been. I don't get people commenting on people's weight. If she'd gained weight, would you point that out too and voice concern over her health?

And I wouldn't worry about the insidiousness of subtle bigotry. The only people who buy that garbage are other bigots.
4
I like how the pope has decided to declare that world peace, yes, world peace, is jeopardized by marriage equality. And gay "choices" destroy human "essence". No explanations necessary. You can't keep a good fascist down.
I'll sing a round of Tim Minchin tunes.
5
@3 Ghassan, I beg to differ. Watch her other videos and then tell me she doesn't look a bit skeletal in the Westboro video, comparatively speaking.

The reason I asked wasn't a commentary on her weight as a function of her attractiveness or our society's obsession with thinness, but rather as a function of her health.

I have Crohn's disease and one of the primary initial symptoms is severe weight loss due to an inability to eat. Cancer, AIDS, and several other illnesses also include severe weight loss as a symptom. Because I am aware that extreme weight loss can be a function of ill health, since I've experienced it in my life, I tend to notice drastic weight loss in others. Again, not because I'm trying to evaluate her level of attractiveness as a function of her weight, but because I'm genuinely concerned for her health.

BTW, if it looked like she had gained weight, I would probably have NOT said anything, as a little weight gain is common as women age, especially after menopause.

However, if she looked like she had gained weight as a function of steroid use, perhaps I might have. Prednisone causes a tell-tale "mooning" of the face (a rounding of the face due to facial fat), along with generalized weight gain, and is often used as a medication to treat various inflammatory responses and diseases. Yes, I've been on Prednisone, so I am also tuned into that as well, and if I had mentioned it, it would have been in the same context, not as a function of her attractiveness, but rather concern about her health.

We all approach the world through the lenses of our own experiences. Since I've been struggling with a difficult health issue that affects my weight in drastic ways, I tend to notice such things. I also tend to think about others' health, since I know how incredibly important it truly is.

I apologize if I offended you or anybody else with that comment. That certainly wasn't my intent.
6
Great stuff from Betty Bowers. I really enjoy subtly sarcastic lampoonery, especially in aid of a social issue, and she does it sooooo well!
7
@SherBee- No doubt about it! Now I'm worried, too. Seems little doubt that Devon Green is not the picture of health (at least at this moment). I've watched enough folks waste away from a variety of illnesses to know sickness versus normal weight loss.
Even her speaking in this vid is lacking strength and vitality. Scary. I wish her well with whatever she's battling, for all our sakes.
8
What the fuck? As a lapsed catholic, I denounce this message. Is she real?
10
It's worth noting that despite the fact that they're awful, the westboro baptists are shockingly consistent. Awful things are as much God's will as good things. If he has an influence on earth (well, supposing he exists at all) then you may as well thank him for the tsunamis and deaths and dead soldiers.

Aside from having better PR, many Christian organisations will condemn abortion on one hand and praise the second amendment and the death penalty on the other. They're hypocrites and liars (institutionally, at least) as well as being dangerously unpredictable.

You know where you stand with WBC, and you can hate them for every last bit of it.
11
It's worth noting that despite the fact that they're awful, the westboro baptists are shockingly consistent. Awful things are as much God's will as good things. If he has an influence on earth (well, supposing he exists at all) then you may as well thank him for the tsunamis and deaths and dead soldiers.

Aside from having better PR, many Christian organisations will condemn abortion on one hand and praise the second amendment and the death penalty on the other. They're hypocrites and liars (institutionally, at least) as well as being dangerously unpredictable.

You know where you stand with WBC, and you can hate them for every last bit of it.
12
@1,3,5,7

She's obviously using a video effect to make hear head look bigger. Observe the distorted finger at 1:00 and distorted fingers and hand at 1:58.

But anywho, this video is great. My head almost exploded when my mother recently used the "I don't hate homosexuals, I hate the sin" bullshit.

13
The Westboro Baptist Church people are attention whores that would make Sarah Palin look like a shrinking violet. I'm sure they're enjoying all the publicity they're getting.
14
I just love this video. It's so truthful...
15
I wish this video had existed when I rage-unfriended a couple of Mormon acquaintances a few years ago for their coded anti-gay postings. The last straw was when they posted, "Even if something is 'natural,' it doesn't mean you have to do it. Resist your urges!" Fuck those privileged asses.
16
To the people near the top worrying about Betty's weight. It's the hair. Just not as good as usual. BTW I adore Betty, as she is always spot on.
17
@1 nice thin-shaming, oppressor!

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