(February 16, 2013 at 6:34 pm)dg-pilz-e Wrote: I don't know if posting the article here is ok or not so I left it out until someone says it's k, there are topless women in it so I just wanted to play it safe.
Anyway women went topless in the streets of Paris and went into the Notre Dame cathedral and then disrupted activities there. They eventually got thrown out.
I thought it was interesting and wanted to hear your thoughts. Too extreme? I personally think this is something that makes us look bad. Even if they weren't atheist.
Hi mate
No, atheists need not fear - this does make you look bad. These women were not atheists, they are feminists. Even if they were atheists, it would be unfair to judge all atheists by their behaviour.
The group (FEMEN) started in Ukraine, trying to prevent exploitation of Ukrainian women by rich westerners who go to the country to buy sex. To stop such exploitation is a very noble and worthwile aim.
However, some of these feminists have decided that they would much rather be western media celebrities, than people who work for justice.
Accordingly, some of them moved to Paris, where they now carry out a range of cheap publicity stunts (such as the event you mention) as directed by their financial backers (left wing / "rights" groups etc).
Their targets are not chosen based on any principle, but purely on the amount of publicity it might generate, or the amount of easy / cheap praise they might win.
I am not sure of their problem with the Catholic Church (which is likely just an 'enemy of convenience', more than anything) - I think whatever hollow notion of opposition they have adopted is loosely based on Church teaching about homosxuality and the male priesthood.
Their behaviour is of course disgusting, freedom of worship is defined as a fundamental human right and to disrupt others rights is then unacceptable.
We should note the last people who used to burst into religious buldings to attack or disrespect the people there were the Nazi Brownshirts, who behaved this way towards Jews and Synagogues in 1930s Germany.
And while a topless woman might be visually more appealling than a truncheon wielding SA man, the sentiment and malice involved in their actions is just the same.
So, before any simpleton pours gushing praise over them, it would be worth analysing their behaviour in a clear headed way.
At the end of the day, all their infantile behaviour achieves is to undermine the message of feminism. These women had a great chance to raise serious issues affecting Ukrainian women, but chose cheap celebrity for themselves instead.
When people hear about them, they dont think of exploited women, they think of how they cheaply exploit others for their own publicity.
It says a lot about the standard of their behaviour that most of the media - much of which itself is strongly anti-Catholic - chose to largely ignore this incident. (It wasnt widely reported at all, this forum is the only reason I knew of it.)
So, in addition to being puerile and offensive, the actions of these women are also wholly irrelevant. If they could get past their own inflated self-importance, they would see this themselves and so wonder what the point of it all was.
Cheers
GS
