Defending Abusive Priests

by tristero

Halfway through the extraordinary interview with Bill Donohue posted below, I reacted with nausea and disgust.

Donohue is someone who, in the face of overwhelming evidence of rampant, chronic sexual and physical abuse of children by Catholic priests, can actually accuse one of the victims of hysteria. But that is not why I started to feel sick.

Incredibly, this repulsive creep is accorded the status of a reputable voice in the American media, regularly seen and heard on talk shows watched and listened to by millions. (Based on the reactions in this interview, it is unlikely he will be accorded anything near such status anywhere in Ireland.) But even the fact that this slime has routine access to a mic and a camera in the US didn't set me off, or even the fact that so many drooling lunatics actually agree with him.

What got to me, what appalled me beyond measure, was the horrible realization that millions of Americans who would never agree with Donohue's filth nevertheless find him entertaining. They listen to this trash, as they listen to G. Gordon Liddy, for fun. Instead of simply relaxing with some good music or an interesting story, a huge swath of the American public actually enjoys, even seeks out, this violently pornographic excuse for public discourse. And, through advertising, is willing to pay for it.

That is nauseating.



h/t Pharyngula.