Beth Winegarner's Open Salon Blog

Driving out the antichrist in Georgia

Thu, 31 May 2012 16:05:54 -0400

Some people intentionally choose to have “666″ on their license plate. Others aren’t so keen on it. Photo by Flickr user msmail.

The state of Georgia has unrolled some new license plates, and some folks are in an uproar over the fact that many contain the number 666.

WRBL News 3 took on the story, and to be fair, they put together a relatively balanced look at the not-very-newsworthy story, though they couldn’t resist slipping in a few things that sensationalize the piece — and reduce its factual value in the process. This starts with the opening lines, where anchor Theresa Whitaker calls 666 “A 3-digit number with a Satanic origin.” In fact, keep an eye on Whitaker as she delivers her lines: she only says “666″ once, and very quickly, like saying the words will hurt her or something.

The piece contradicts her pretty quickly; the whole 666/Antichrist/”Number of the beast” scene is, in fact, straight out of the Book of Revelation. That would make it of Biblical origin, not Satanic. In fact, it’s not even totally clear that the number is 666; it might be 616.

Fortunately, Racquel Rodriguez, the reporter who delivers the bulk of the segment, is smart enough to point out that most people’s squeamishness about 666 comes from two places: the Bible, and horror movies. The people she interviews are all over the map — amused, maybe a little uncomfortable, but can’t be bothered to switch to a different plate (there’s plenty more evil than a 666 plate, going to the DMV included). I like the fact that the only one who really doesn’t like it is the pastor — not because it’s evil, but because it looks weird for a pastor to drive a car with those numbers on it.

There are many theories why 666 was chosen in the Book of Revelation to represent the Antichrist. But they’re all speculation. The number is a pretty cool one in its own right, bring the sum of 1+2+3….34+35+36. Still, some people fear it. There’s even a word for that fear: hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. (Talk about evil!)

What about you? Are you uneasy about this number, or any classically superstitious numbers, like 13? Would you want this on your license plate? What would you do if your license plate came with it?

Is drug-fueled violence the new “Satanism?”

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:05:10 -0400

Photo by Flickr user benjennings.

Drugs make people — okay, some people — do very strange things. They can make men undress on the side of a highway and chew another man’s face off, for example. Or, they can make a mom gouge her own son’s eyes out, possibly with a spoon.

Apparently, they’re also enough to make some reporters think that such activity amounts to a “Satanic ritual.” Even Reuters fell for that claim — which came from police in Mexico, where the crime occurred.

CBS reported:

The crime appeared to have been part of a ritual, but was not apparently related to the Santa Muerte or Saint Death cult, some of whose followers were recently charged with the sacrificial killings of two 10-year-old boys and a 55-year-old woman in northern Sonora state, he said.

Wow. Way to introduce many unrelated, fear-mongering factors. If it has nothing to do with Santa Muerte, and is unrelated to these “sacrificial killings,” then why are they being mentioned in the article?

Then there’s this, from Reuters:

“There was some kind of satanic ceremony inside a house,” said Laura
Uribe, a spokeswoman for state prosecutors in the State of Mexico, a
populous region that borders much of the capital. She did not give details of what the satanic ritual involved.

If you do a Google search for “Satanic ritual” and “eyeballs,” do you know what you get? A bunch of links to news articles about this incident, and one YouTube link to a 1990 horror movie called Ritual of Death, in which the protagonist takes out a monster’s eyeballs.

This should tell you something: what happened in that Mexico City home may have been ritualistic, but whatever foundations it had were in María del Carmen Ríos García’s drug-fueled state, not in any religious or occult tradition. Once again, reporters are trying to make a horror movie of the evening news, but it’s just there for show.

Meanwhile, in Olympia, Washington, Satanists are giving their central figure some good PR. The group, which has a Web site at http://olympia.worshipsatan.org/, has been posting flyers around town with such messages as, “Unanswered prayers? Let Satan Try” and “Tired of guilt? Satan can help.”

Really, it’s about time someone stood up for Satanism — and made it more approachable to people who might have preconceived ideas about it. Humor works especially well, and it looks like Olympia’s Satanists are working that angle. They even have their own “Satanic prayer line” (call 601-2-SATAN-2).

Reporters: maybe you can call them the next time someone tells you a crime was part of a “Satanic ritual.” There’s a thought.

Metalheads’ lives may surprise you

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:05:14 -0400

Pig Destroyer’s Scott Hull (far right) isn’t a boneheaded metal Neanderthal; he’s a computer specialist for the government.

As Baltimore gets ready for the annual Maryland Deathfest this weekend, metal writer Kim Kelly cautions outsiders not to misjudge metalheads.

She explains:

The stereotype of the Cro-Magnon underachiever with long greasy hair and pentagram tattoos is pervasive (thanks, Airheads and Brenden Fraser) but skewed. Throwing a thriving, global subculture under the bus because some jerk in a Megadeth shirt once called you a sissy isn’t only unfair, it’s a damn shame. We are legion, and we love our black band shirts, but we are definitely not all the same.

In her brilliant manifesto for NPR, Kelly shares the day jobs of musicians who produce some of metal’s most brutal music: teaching English to Eastern European kids. Growing organic herbs. Science. Art. Graphic design. Author of young adult novels. Some (running a recording studio, tattoo artist) are less surprising than others (government computer systems).

Whether you’re near the MDF this weekend or not, take a moment to look beyond the black clothes, long hair, and tattoos — especially if they’re on your kids — and get to know the person beneath. You’ll probably be surprised. Pleasantly so.

Justice in anti-goth hate crime?

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:05:53 -0400

Melody McDermott (left) and the man who attacked her, Kenneth Kelsall (right), outside the UK courthouse where Kelsall was convicted.

Goths worldwide celebrated World Goth Day this week. But another, more bittersweet, victory came today with the news that Kenneth Kelsall has pleaded guilty to the vicious assault on Melody McDermott last October. The 47-year-old UK man and his accomplice, Gareth Farrar, will be sentenced in July.

Much of the case revolved around security footage of the attack. According to attorneys, it began when Kelsall head-butted McDermott, knocking her to the ground of the tram they were riding. McDermott began kicking at the tram doors for help. Farrar pushed McDermott into a corner of the tram. He then turned to McDermott’s companion, Stephen Stafford, and punched him to the ground. Stafford was kicked in the face, sustaining an injury that required stitches. Somewhere in the attack, Kelsall kicked McDermott in the head numerous times, breaking her eye socket. Needless to say, the attack could have been fatal if it had continued.

Farrar’s attorney actually told the court, “He can be seen swinging two punches against the complainant. But he is a man of 43 and effectively good character.” (I’m not sure you can attack a girl half your age, just because you don’t like her looks, and still be of “good character.”)

Although the Daily Mail called the attack a “hate crime,” it was not and could not be prosecuted as such — subcultures such as goth culture are not protected under the UK’s hate-crime laws, despite efforts to gain such protections.

There’s no word yet on the sentences Kelsall and Farrar would face. The Mail said it would be “lengthy,” but quotes Judge Elliot Knopf as saying “they could both face jail sentences.”

Whatever happens, I want to cheer McDermott for bringing charges against her attackers, facing them in court, and doing her part to make sure they face the consequences. It remains to be seen what those consequences will be — and whether they will teach these men not to brutalize others.

Why banning violent video games isn’t the answer

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:05:16 -0400

British MP Keith Vaz, who has a history of criticizing violent games, is calling for a “closer scrutiny” of first-person shooters. Photo courtesy UK Parliament.

In the wake of Norway terrorist Anders Breivik’s claims that Modern Warfare helped him train for a real-live massacre, British MP Keith Vaz says it’s time for Britain to take a closer look at violent first-person shooter video games.

Vaz’s motion says British parliament “is concerned that PEGI [Europe's video-game rating board] as a classification system can only provide an age-rating and not restrict ultra-violent content.” Although the motion has only picked up a handful of supporters since it was introduced, he continues to push the measure, even though Britain is already planning tighten video-game rules and make illegal to supply titles to people who aren’t old enough for the age rating.

Vaz has a history with violent video games. After a 14-year-old was murdered in 2004, the victim’s parents claimed they thought Manhunt inspired the killer. Vaz called for closer scrutiny of such games. Police dismissed the claim after it was discovered the victim, not the killer, was a fan of the game. (Britain later banned Manhunt 2, the country’s first such restriction.)

Vaz is also no fan of Bully or Counter-Strike, the latter of which was associated with race-related shootings in Malmö, Sweden.

Here’s the problem with such actions, which have been attempted in the United States as well, and usually are found in violation of the First Amendment: When someone like Breivik claims that video games are partly responsible for his killing spree, he’s letting himself off the hook. It wasn’t me that did it; it was the video games. Plenty of people have trouble owning up to their transgressions, especially criminals. Taking them at their word when they blame an outside “influence” legitimizes the idea that the crime isn’t their fault. Making laws based on such statements is even worse — it tells society that lawbreakers aren’t to blame for their own actions.

Is that what we really believe? If not, why do so many people support such laws?