"The Thaw" Leaves Me Cold

Libby Anne at Love, Joy, Feminism recently posted commentary on a Christian youth outreach organization called Reach America. Reach America posted a video entitled "The Thaw", which laments alleged "persecution" of Christians in the U.S. The young people in the video regurgitate tired fundamentalists claims about mainstream culture, insisting that sex education is "pornography", complaining that students can't pray in school, and lamenting that Christians are criticizes for promoting "marriage the way God designed it." "We are in a war for the hearts and souls of our generation," the video claims, framing the matter as combat between Christian youth and non-Christian forces.



EssenceOfThought posted a hard-hitting response to "The Thaw". (Hat tip to Better Off Damned)



Libby Anne speculates that the creators of the video are experiencing "privilege distress" at having to share American society with those who are different from them.

"I think to some extent what these teens are experiencing is what I’ve seen called “privilege distress.” They’re convinced that they’re entitled to privilege—entitled to seeing their religion officially endorsed and enforced in the public square, or the very least in the public school—and they’re upset because they’re losing their grasp on that privilege. But what they don’t see is how it feels to be in another group—a group without their traditional privilege. They don’t know what it felt to be a Jewish kid sitting through a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in the 1950s, or an atheist kid sitting through official prayers at school sports events or graduation ceremonies today. They don’t understand that the removal of their privilege—the removal of things like Bible reading and official Christian prayers—is not about persecuting them but rather about ending discrimination against those who don’t share their same beliefs."

The comments at Love, Joy, Feminism are all spot-on, but I was so amused by one particular comment that I had to share it. Richter_DL provides a stellar translation of fundamentalist code.

"Well, they say one thing and mean another. They live in a closed subculture, and speak in a code. A few translations:

"Christianity is being completely frozen out of America." - Nonchristians claim equal rights, and persecution is prohibited.

"Why can’t I pray in school?" - why can't there be mandatory evangelical school prayers?

"Why do I have to check my religion at the door?" - why can't I force my faith onto my fellow students and have them all live by the rules of my god?

"Why can’t I write about God in my school papers?" - Why aren't tracts about faith automatically given good grades, and why is putting forward positions of my faith about homosexuals and nonchristians "hateful"?

"Why do I have to tolerate people cursing my God, but I am not allowed to talk about God and my faith?" - Why can't I smite the unbelievers for being what they are?

"Why are they taking God out of my history books?" - Why isn't my history book written to make my people shine?

"Why do they teach every other theory in science except creation?" - Why can't they use lies in what little scientific education there is in America's public schools?

"Why am i called names because I believe in marriage the way got designed it? Some even call us hateful. Hypocrites. Unloving. Closed-minded. Bigots." - I am right by default and you have no right to make me feel bad about forcing my god-given right to judge and punish on sodomites, whores, and sinners.

"In public school, people are rude and disrespectful towards Christians." - I am not treated like I am their better by other students, despite me knowing I am because I am more Christian than they are. Filty sinners, the lot of them.

"Bullying is common." - People sometimes don't obay and fight back, just because we exact god's punishment on a faggot or whore!

"What we see in our health classes—“sex education” - FOURTH grade and up—is pornography." - I SEE NAKED PEOPLE IT SEARS MY SOUL AND GIVES ME IMPURE THOUGHTS OH GOD SAVE ME!

"People make fun of me because I don’t believe in abortion." - I wish people would make fun of me for supporting an abortion ban, but they actually try and make me feel bad about it.

"In public school, people believe Christians are goody goods and boring." - so many students don't want to join our bible readings and instead do fun stuff. Fun stuff should be forbidden. Like Pop Music! And girls and boys mingling in school!>

"Dirty jokes fill the hallways between classes." - I feel soiled by dirty words. I wish people would be spanked for saying them in public, like I am."

In all seriousness, it troubles me when fundamentalist adults recruit children for their political and social agendas. As the young people in this video experience more of life and discover new viewpoints, I hope that they will rethink the distorted assumptions in "The Thaw".


For more information about Reach America, visit letsreachamerica[dot]org

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Are Women Human: Do public schools hate Christian kids? No.

The Guardian: Christians aren't being persecuted in American schools

Policy Mic: 'The Thaw' Video: Christian Teens Call For “A War For the Hearts and Souls Of Our Generation”