I've never liked the man and the peice that Clyde posted didn't help.
Yes, the UUA does sometimes claim some people as UUs who weren't really. Even religious liberals are not immune to overzealous PR.* We shouldn't do that. No argument there.
But as an excuse to make fun of UUs for decades, that's pretty thin.
If he can make fun of UUs forever solely for that reason, surely I can dislike him forever because of the time he found out somebody was making "Prarie Ho Companion" t-shirts and sued the t-shirt maker. (This is particularly annoying given that parody is quite clearly fair use, so the lawsuit was likely designed to scare and/or bankrupt the people making the shirts rather than actually have justice done. My understanding is that the law is totally against Keillor. The only way that would not be the case would be if people didn't understand that "Prairie Ho Companion" was not a product of Garrison Keillor's media empire, a point that was made clear on the page where the shirts were sold.)
More of my commentary on that here.
CC
*Though not as overzealous as an old friend's grandmother who was convinced that John-the-Baptist was a southern Baptist like herself. If you think I'm making that up, you've never met a South Carolina grandmother.
7 comments:
Maybe I'm nitpicking, but what's always bothered me is referring to anyone who lived before 1961 as a "UU". The kids in our church proudly do this ("guess which dead UU I'm describing") and I always want to stand up and say "But they weren't UUs!!".
I go back and forth on whether you're nitpicking.
I do know that when I feel the need to brag on UUism and bring up that three of the first six presidents were Unitarian, I don't draw the distinction between what they believed and what I believe in very finely.
It's possible I suck for that.
CC
I know I'm supposed to find that funny, but honestly, I read it and think "What an Asshat."
CC
Keillor also wrote a beautiful piece about Unitarian women, basically explaining why we're the hottest women in America.
I think "Prairie Home Companion" has become cloying and dull, but I think his response to Olav is hilarious and charming. Not to mention right on.
UUs who herald the "UUness" of our ancestors with one breath while dissing Christianity with the other are much bigger jackasses than Garrison Keillor will ever be. At least he accurately lampoons us.
Hmm... I'll have to hunt for that article.
I like to imagine that Lake Woebegone is a real place. They just don't have radios there. One day they're going to hear that Garrison Keillor has been making fun of them all these years and the men's group of the Lutheran church is going to get together and give him the asskicking he so richly deserves.
But maybe I'm a little angry that way.
I don't know. Something about the style of his jokes irritates me. Like the thing PowderBlue quoted. It just made me imagine a guy saying it then standing back "See! I said a funny thing! Isn't that a clever little funny thing I said?" expression on his face, waiting for me to chuckle politely.
CC
Truth is, Keillor is ugly both inside and out...proselytizing his views, like an American Idol. Yuck. My teenage sons and I have had good discussion about him and hypocrisy. This from a peace-loving, Unitarian-minded ind.
"Even religious liberals are not immune to overzealous PR.*"
No kidding. . .
Still ROTFLMU*UO at *resigned* CUC Executive Director Mary Bennett's overzealoU*Us U*U PR her very U*Useful all*inclusive ass*to*risk included. :-)
Post a Comment