Westboro Baptist Church The Butt Of Hilarious Thanksgiving Prank

[cbayer]

Last edited Sat Nov 29, 2014, 03:23 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.newnownext.com/hilarious-thanksgiving-prank-targets-the-westboro-baptist-church/11/2014/

November 28, 2014 ● by Matthew Tharrett



The Westboro Baptist Church was bombarded with calls yesterday after a parody news site listed its phone number as a hotline for information aboutt turkeys contaminated with a new, deadly strain of avian flu.

The National Report claimed the CDC had confirmed a new form of the virus found in turkeys distributed by a major supplier. The site warned consumers not to eat any turkey on Thanksgiving, because the virus could withstand cooking temperatures:

One of the most troubling characteristics of the virus is its resistance to heat. While many viruses are destroyed during the cooking process, this specific virus has shown immense heat tolerance. Dave McBridle, a spokesman for the National Turkey Producers Association, gave the following advice to consumers:

In early testing, this virus has shown enormous ability to withstand cooking temperatures. This makes this a much more dangerous situation. In our food safety laboratory, we have found that only deep frying cooking methods have been effective at reducing the viral load, and even then, by only about 50%. At this point, we can not recommend any preparation method as safe.

The virus could also reportedly turn the turkey green.

The National Report warns that most of its stories are “fictitious” and “presumably fake,” but that didn’t stop concerned people from calling the non-existent “Turkey Safety Hotline,” which just turned out to be the Westboro Baptist Church. Commenters on the original article complained that the phone line was busy all day, ruining their Thanksgiving dinner plans.

more at link

The National Report: http://nationalreport.net

[skepticscott]

1. Not sure what's so hilarious about this

If it scared some people into throwing away perfectly good food that they spent a limited budget on. Or if it made people less likely to take future real warnings about contaminated food seriously.

What exactly did this "prank" accomplish that outweighs that very real potential harm?

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. The National Report frequently prints the Westboro Baptist Church phone number in their stories.

They are a hard core spoof site, their articles contain info that shows it is a joke, but a lot of people, even people on DU,
don't read all of the article,

[skepticscott]

7. It was expected that some people wouldn't get the joke

That was the whole point, in fact. But why the minor inconvenience of tying up WBC's phones for a few hours is worth the potential harm done in the long run, you have yet to explain.

[cbayer]

8. Do you have any clue what Westboro Baptist Church is about?

I have never said that making fun of WBC was a terrible, terrible thing. One would have to be some kind of deranged to say that.

Anybody who wants to ruin the members of the WBC's Thanksgiving has my full support. I don't care if they are atheists or christians or aliens.

You are hilarious, Edgar. And lots of people just don't get how funny you are…. yet.

Do you find this a gross imposition of obnoxious behavior upon those believers'. Maybe you should reach out to them. You're gay, right? They just love gay people. I am sure they would embrace you, while they stuck a knife in your back.

When things have gotten so ridiculous around here that I am taken to task for posting an article about how a practical joke was played on one of the most hateful, despicable groups of people in this country, some people have completely jumped the shark.

I am typing black letters on a white background. Go ahead, find something to attack about that statement. I know that you can.

I am so glad that you spread your good will and love to all people. I am predicting that you will get sainthood any time now. It's a good thing your aren't an obnoxious atheist, isn't it?

Food for thought? Sure, kind of like potato salad that's been left in the son too long. You first.

So glad to see you back in the Religion group JD. I love it when I can actually respond to your amazingly inspiring posts!

[cbayer]

11. Awww….. your original post was so much better! Why did you delete it?

Maybe you have a copy of it that you could re-post so that everyone can see what you said? If ok with you, I could just repost it for you. Actually, I reserve the right to repost it with our without your permission.

In that screed and it's whole litany of your base personal attacks against me, the attacks on my father were priceless. He last posted here 1 ½ years ago, but you seem so, so knowledgeable about him. Are you in a time warp, because your blatant personal attacks on him sounded like you still think he participates here.

You've gone too far, but you always do.

Say hi to all your new pals in A/A. When it comes to you, they never get it until it's too late.

[cbayer]

12. Drat, I forgot the best part! That's when you threatened to have me banned from the site

if I didn't shut up.

[okasha]

14. I seem to have missed the comedy act.

Hilarious that the Usual Suspects and their hangers-on are still ranting about TMO.

And this person has only been on board since September?

Oh, my. Call me Doubting Thomasina.

[cbayer]

15. It was pure comedy gold. I don't think he will be back anytime soon….

well at least under this moniker.

[okasha]

16. The dryer ate him.

Poor fellow.

[bvf]

17. Yikes. Calm down.

Last edited Wed Dec 3, 2014, 09:42 AM - Edit history (1)

I'd be willing to bet that the WBC provides some good to its members. A sense of community and social support, perhaps.

Isn't there always an upside to religion?

[cbayer]

18. Calm down? You also defend WBC? Despicable. You ought to get together with the guy that

deleted all his posts here. You might find that you have a lot in common.

There is not always an upside to religion. I have never said so. It is only your caricature of me that says such things, but she only exists in your mind.

[bvf]

19. Yes, calm down.

Last edited Thu Dec 4, 2014, 05:39 AM - Edit history (1)

"There is not always an upside to religion."

I'll alert the media.

I leave it to you to explain when the harm outweighs the good wrt WBC. Don't their members presumably share a sense of belief, and therefore a sense of community?

Would a smiley help?

[cbayer]

20. Alert anyone you want.

You need me to explain how the harm of WBC outweighs the good? If you need that explained, you are likely in the wrong place.

[bvf]

25. Well, you seem to be a major

proponent of the argument that religion is OK to the extent that it does no harm, so I guess I was just wondering what sort of metrics you base such statements on.

[cbayer]

27. I think that religions do good things and bad things.

I like to use critical reasoning when assessing them and come to a decision based on the information available.

There are no concrete metrics and my feelings about any given group can change when new information becomes available.

I certainly do think that religion is ok when it does no harm. In fact, I think religion is more than ok when it does good.

If WBC does anything good at all, I don't know about it and it would have to be pretty overwhelming good to in any way counterbalance the evil they do.

OTOH, it seems that you don't ever see any good and just paint all religion with the same negative brush. Not very reasoned or rational. What sort of metrics do you use, if you use any at all?

[bvf]

34. I'm mystified by the fact

that people believe in imaginary beings.

To me, pointing to the good things people do in the name of such belief demonstrates a lack of respect for their human potential, as if to imply they weren't capable of the same good acts without it.

Feeding the hungry because they're hungry vs. feeding the hungry because a six-foot invisible rabbit wants one to accomplishes the same good, yes. But there's harm done as well in the latter case: it's the engendering of the notion that one is not in control of one's own life; that if one fucks up by not feeding the hungry, or otherwise offends the rabbit, (perhaps by filling a birth control prescription when the rabbit says not to, or failing to show up at the funeral with a "God Hates Fags" sign), well, into the pit one goes.

Btw, it is both reasoned and rational to reject belief in anything that one has absolutely no evidence for.

You seem to have misunderstood my WBC comment, incidentally. I probably don't need to ask whether that was deliberate, but henceforth I'll make sure to use beaucoup smilies when I suspect they'll be of help to you.

[cbayer]

35. Maybe being mystified is the same sort of thing religious people feel.

When you have evidence that their god or gods are imaginary, let me know. Lack of evidence is not evidence, something I think you know.

It could be that refusing to acknowledge the good things people do because of their beliefs is the real demonstration of lack of respect for them as humans. It is nothing but arrogant to take the position that you are somehow superior because you do things for one reason and they do it for another.

Your mocking use of terms like "six-foot invisible rabbit" and saying that people are not in control of their own lives makes it crystal clear that your need to feel superior is far more important than actually taking people for who they are and giving them credit for their good deeds, no matter what the motivation. The pretzel that you have to twist yourself into in order to maintain that feeling of superiority would be funny if it were not sad.

Oh, but you are so reasoned and rational in your rejection of beliefs, and oh so superior.

I hope for you that you will someday get to the point where you are able to see that you are just like everyone else. You have your foibles, your beliefs, your good points, your weakness. You are not better because you don't believe in a six foot invisible rabbit. I hope that others will judge you by your deeds, not your beliefs or lack of beliefs.

Please, please use beaucoup smilies to help me. Your ideas are so nuanced and subtle that I really need all the help I can get.

[bvf]

37. Let's say "stupefied," then.

"You are not better because you don't believe in a six foot invisible rabbit."

Can I quote you on this?

"It could be that refusing to acknowledge the good things people do because of their beliefs is the real demonstration of lack of respect for them as humans. It is nothing but arrogant to take the position that you are somehow superior because you do things for one reason and they do it for another."

What's so arrogant about belief in human potential?

And where for Harvey's sake did I ever take the position I'm somehow superior?

"When you have evidence that their god or gods are imaginary, let me know. Lack of evidence is not evidence, something I think you know."

I think we've already been to the unicorn argument.

"Your mocking use of terms like "six-foot invisible rabbit" and saying that people are not in control of their own lives makes it crystal clear that your need to feel superior is far more important than actually taking people for who they are and giving them credit for their good deeds, no matter what the motivation. The pretzel that you have to twist yourself into in order to maintain that feeling of superiority would be funny if it were not sad."

So simply replace "six-foot invisible rabbit" with "god" in my post. You won't see the slightest bit of difference in meaning. Go ahead, try it! That is, if you can drag yourself away from the Kreskin schtick long enough to attend to more pressing matters, like content.

[cbayer]

40. I suspect stupefied more accurately describes what you experience.

You can, and I am sure you will, quote me on anything you want. In fact, you apparently feel the need to quote everything I say in your responses.

It is not the belief in human potential that is arrogant, it is the dismissal of that based on your prejudice that one's religious beliefs rob them of their potential.

Everything you write when it comes to religion comes across as a smug superiority. The only thing it accomplishes, imo, is making you feel bigger and better, but you are not.

I see a tremendous difference when I replace your mocking and derisive terms with "god". It's the fact that you see no difference that is telling.

I guess the "kreskin schtick" is some kind of ad hom, but since I don't have any idea what it refers to, it completely missed it's mark.

Why don't you pull yourself away from the need to denigrate all the people on earth who hold religious beliefs long enough to see that you are no better than they are.

[bvf]

41. Bookmarked.

[cbayer]

44. I feel truly blessed. To be bookmarked by you far exceeds what I expected

out of a day like today.

[bvf]

46. You didn't mention the smiley.

[cbayer]

47. The smiley is nice, but what I really hope for is a brand new meme.

Do you have some in the works? The old ones are just, well, old.

[bvf]

48. No, this one will do just fine

until I get a good answer to the question, "How certain are you that there aren't any unicorns? Explain."

[cbayer]

49. Not certain at all. How about you?

Is that the newest meme? Can I pick which one to replace? Please?

[stone space]

36. Why?

Btw, it is both reasoned and rational to reject belief in anything that one has absolutely no evidence for.

I can think of several theorems that I never would have been able to prove without the ability to believe in things that I have no evidence for.

[bvf]

38. Name one. n/t.

[stone space]

39. Knocking down the best know upper bounds...

...for certain classical multi-colour Ramsey numbers.

[bvf]

42. Have you published?

[stone space]

43. Some published, some not. (nt)

[bvf]

45. I see.

[stone space]

21. It never ceases to amaze me the sort of garbage that can be found on DU.

I'd be willing to bet that the WBC provides some good to its members. A sense of community and social support, perhaps.

[bvf]

22. Missed it, naturally enough.

I'd be willing to bet that the WBC provides some good to its members. A sense of community and social support, perhaps. 

Isn't there always an upside to religion?

[stone space]

23. Clearly, we disagree about the WBC.

I'd be willing to bet that the WBC provides some good to its members. A sense of community and social support, perhaps.

[bvf]

24. Clearly someone's reading comprehension

takes an intentional nosedive after two consecutive sentences.

[AtheistCrusader]

33. Wow, it's getting around. From thread to thread.

I see a pattern.

[cbayer]

13. You sure you don't want to take this one down as well?

I mean, it kind of sounds like you are an WBC supporter or something.

[uppityperson]

2. They have another article about Obama pardoning a turkey, with the turkey being green.

I am highly amused at this and fk Westboro BC

[cbayer]

3. I'll add the link to their site to the OP.

It's pretty hilarious.

I like this one:

New Scientific Study Confirms Liberals Are Ignorant Low Down Dirty Trailer Trash

[demwing]

6. TV pilot pitch: Easthaven BC

Last edited Sun Nov 30, 2014, 02:00 AM - Edit history (1)

The inside view of Easthaven Baptist Church - a parody of Westboro, where God hates fags AND flags, it's a three way between The Office, Reno 911, and a Sunday Sermon!

I'm thinking it would be TV history in the making.

[underpants]

26. Fappy the Anti-Masturbation Dolphin posted a phone number a few days ago on FB

Not sure if it Westboro but Fappy has used their number before

https://m.facebook.com/fappythedolphin

[cbayer]

28. Ok, that's a disturbing site and reinforces my aversion to Facebook.

[underpants]

29. No kidding

It's sponsored (fake) by Monsanto. You ever came up with that is.... well something. Someone took the story below ( the Westboro phone number is in this article) and ran with it.


http://nationalreport.net/fappy-the-dolphin-arrested-for-public-masturbation/

[cbayer]

30. Hilarious. I love that they are targeted WBC and hope they continue to do so.

Thanks for the link, underpants.

[underpants]

31. No prob

Make sure you avoid double or triple hell (that's a Fappy joke)

[cbayer]

32. Will do. Pretty certain I am already headed for single hell.