Diocese of Brooklyn: SNL Must Apologize for the "Harassment" by Pete Davidson [View all]
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/03/12/diocese-of-brooklyn-snl-must-apologize-for-the-harassment-by-pete-davidson/
Diocese of Brooklyn: SNL Must Apologize for the Harassment by Pete Davidson
By Hemant Mehta, March 12, 2019
Over the weekend, Saturday Night Lives Pete Davidson made a joke about how he was reluctant to let go of R. Kellys music, despite criminal allegations against the singer, because hes talented.
Suggesting his views were really no different than everyone elses, he said, If you support the Catholic Church, isnt that, like, the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan? I dont really see the difference. Only, like, ones music is significantly better.
Was the joke fair? The Catholic League (a.k.a. Bill Donohue in a perpetual state of anger) claimed Davidson libeled all priests.
He did not compare the alleged predator to an alleged predatory priest he compared Kelly to the entire Catholic clergy. His bigoted remark deserves to be condemned by everyone.
His bigoted remark
or, as regular people refer to it, a joke.
And Davidsons joke, if you want to dissect it, was that people dont want to let go of art just because the artist is problematic. Comparing that mentality to whats happening in the Catholic Church is absolutely fair. Maybe your priest isnt a predator, but supporting the Catholic Church in general means youre providing cover for the organization, and that deserves to be pointed out.
But its easy to dismiss The Catholic League because of its pathetic reputation and constant outrage.
Its not as easy to ignore the Diocese of Brooklyn, which is now calling for an immediate public apology by Saturday Night Live and NBC.
Apparently, the only acceptable bias these days is against the Catholic Church. The faithful of our Church are disgusted by the harassment by those in news and entertainment, and this sketch offends millions. The mockery of this difficult time in the Churchs history serves no purpose.
The clergy sex abuse crisis is shameful, and no one should ever get a laugh at the expense of the victims who have suffered irreparably. The Diocese of Brooklyn strives every day to ensure that sexual abuse by clergy never happens again.
Good god, the people who shifted predator priests from one Church to the next think Pete Davidson is guilty of harassment.
No ones laughing at the expense of victims. The joke targeted the predator priests and the institution that covers up their crimes.
Emphasis added.
"Thou shall not criticize the church"?!
Piffle on that.
Slightly revised:
When Youre Accustomed to Privilege, Criticism Feels Like Oppression