“Backfired”?

I’ve heard about a half dozen times this morning (because I’m in a location where CNN Headline News is on) that an attempt to show support for gay Catholics by wearing rainbow sashes to Communion has “backfired,” in that the sash wearers were denied Communion.

That term is not used in the story online.

It seems nonsensical to me, because it makes it sound like this is a defeat for the Rainbow Sash Alliance. But thinking of it as a defeat shows a complete lack of understanding of the process of nonviolent protest. The point of nonviolent protest is to make injustice visible, to bring injustice into such sharp relief that people are no longer willing to tolerate it — including, in the best case scenario, the people who had previously been perpetrating it.

A hundred faithful Catholics being denied communion for supporting the people who are being marginalized and oppressed by the Catholic Church is not a defeat. It is a victory.

No one can defeat people calling for justice and calling attention to injustice. Only they could defeat themselves, by giving up. Anything else is victory.

I’ve also noticed that CNN is speaking every 5 minutes about how appalling it is that one of the sources Newsweek used in the “Koran in the toilet” story has withdrawn his story, and yet, Newsweek ran with it anyway despite the fact that in the future he was going to withdraw it. Their psychic powers failed them.

CNN’s not mentioning at all that that source wasn’t where the story originated — that source was confirming (and now is not confirming in terms so certain) the stories that detainees themselves had given about what was done to their Korans when they were in custody.

I’m pretty sure this is CNN, but the way this news is being reported makes me wonder they aren’t rebroadcasting Fox News stories by mistake…

But hey, at least they’re making sure we know what’s important — I’ve also heard about a half dozen times this morning that Everybody Loves Raymond is reaching its last episode, and Motley Crue are teaming up with America’s Most Wanted. So we’re getting the real hardcore investigative journalism too.

And I’m gonna have to leave soon because my brain is beating its tiny fists against my skull trying to escape.