Thing 166 Boycott

This blog is not about politics or religion. It's about one tool's journey through a year of extra toolishness, so I'm not about to club you over the head with my religious beliefs, or use this blog as a vehicle to convert people to my way of life (no matter how superior my way is... just kidding). For this Thing to be relevant though, you need a little context.

This is Jennifer Sleeman's campaign. Click on the word campaign there for more info.

Basically, the Catholic Church is a little bit broken. It's got scandals, and it's a little backward from time to time, and it's a little misogynistic when it comes to the notion of women priests. In fact. So Jennifer, who's eighty years old from Cork, wanted a boycott of mass this Sunday. In protest. I agree with her... so... time to put on my big boycott pants...

As a mark of protest, anyone who wanted to show support, but still go to mass could make a symbol of that support by wearing a green arm band. I don't own a green armband. I own a pair of green socks. So... Green sock armband it is then...

There's a few snags about boycotting a mass. First of all, while I am a practicing Catholic, I often miss mass. Work, a hangover, having fluff instead of grey matter - all of these things collaborate against me to miss mass more than I should. So me not going to mass out of principle is far too like me not going to mass because I'm stupid. Basically this means I'd to go to mass, to not go to mass. Turn up, but not go in. Which raises the second problem.

A boycott of one person, no matter how righteous the person, how iron clad their beliefs, no matter how emotive the topic might be, is still a boycott of one. And therefor is sad and pathetic looking. Oh yes, a noble cause you can argue, but pacing up and down on a chilly evening wearing a green sock on your arm is always going to be lame. I might as well have had a sign that said loser.

In addition to these problems, there's the issue of publicity. Not my publicity, the campaign's publicity. Since there wasn't much of it out in the open, not many people knew. Oh there was plenty of online arguing. Lots of letters-to-the-editors written. Tongues and chins a-wagging like no tomorrow. It just didn't really break though to people. So no one seemed to know what I was doing.

So to recap: One man, with a green sock tied to his arm, pacing up and down outside a church and nodding at people as they walked past.

Yes. Apparently I am a crazy person.

If I was going to mass, and didn't know about the protest, and some weirdo was pacing up and down outside, I'd be judging the crap out of him. Not very Christian, I understand.

Boycotting is a lonely place... Next time I boycott, I'm bringing a gang.