The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

... but crying for notoriety or help?

Spoiler Warning: Though what I possibly spoil is not just a movie ending.

"Thanks to Delta airlines, you can now sit back and enjoy pedophilia while you fly in comfort across America. While there are certain passengers who may appreciate it, I don’t think I am alone in my convictions when it comes to the sexual exploitation of our children. I don’t like it."

Really?

You might think that showing kiddie porn would be a bad business move on Delta's part. You'd be right. However that doesn't stop Ray Comfort from accusing the airline of showing child pornography. From the sound of it, he saw (but didn't hear) Little Miss Sunshine on a Delta flight. (Well, I'm assuming it was Little Miss Sunshine based on his description).

If you don't know, Ray Comfort is a popular open air preacher. He and Kirk Cameron (yes, that Kirk Cameron) share a ministry that teaches certain methods of evangelism and a program called Way of the Master that is, sadly, not about ninja training.

It's hard for me to take this article seriously, that is, as serious outrage or a real call to arms. It seems too over the top and full of such hyper indignation. I don't see people that are really upset writing like this. It just seems disingenuous. But am I bothered simply because it's so laden with rhetorical outrage and sanctimony? Of course not, what do we have if not our feigned outrage- honest critique and dialogue? pffft.

Anyway, I'm bothered but I don't know if I'm disappointed or worried by this article. I don't necessarily share Ray Comfort's theological perspective and I'm suspicious of his coziness with reactionary and white supremacist people and groups, but I didn't take him for one of the Blue Meanies. I figured he was sincere and good but had some bad friends. But this?

We looked at each other and asked “How could this be happening?” This wasn’t some in-house meeting of NAMBLA where perverts were getting off on seeing a young child take her clothes off in the privacy of their own clubhouse. This wasn’t in some dirty little back room in Downtown Los Angeles. This was in front of mothers and fathers and their children on a domestic flight on Delta airlines.
What sort of twisted Hollywood scumbag is allowed to get this trash on a public airline?

What is this?

I'm disappointed if this is a shot at the big time. It's sad if this is Ray Comfort's attempt to catapult himself to prominence with a boycott- it's cynical and, frankly, unsophisticated (though, since first receiving the email, the article has been upgraded with a more forceful and clear form letter protesting to Delta). If he's trying to earn some Evangelical stripes, I understand. It's got the "think of the childen, save the flag, our enemies are monsters, Hollywoodphobic fear mongering, sign a petition if you love Jesus" marks that such a move needs but I didn't think this would be a move Ray Comfort would make. I'm disappointed; but I understand.

But maybe it's worse than that. Maybe I'm worried because the dance scene at the end of Little Miss Sunshine isn't sexy. There's something wrong with you if you view children as objects of sexual desire or interpret that scene as provocative. I guess that's a pretty horrible suggestion, but it's pretty horrible to know someone saw that scene as sexually stimulating. The intensity of the response only adds to the concern. The quick connection to pedophilia, child pornography, and NAMBLA seems like quite an odd jump to me. It makes me hope it is fake.

Maybe his not knowing what NAMBLA stands for should be reassuring.

We could probably challenge Delta's decision to show, R rated movies, even if they're edited, but this probably isn't the way to do it, especially if one really is sincere about it. Like I said, it doesn't seem like the article is really about what it says it's about- I just hope what it is about isn't as bad as what I think it could be about.

Maybe I'm just a jerk.