An anonymous tipster sent me the following photo and message:
The attached photo is of an altar that is currently sitting in the herald newsroom. The piece of paper attached to the chicken states: "Brought in by a Santeria priest (the real deal from Hialeah) to help save our jobs."
Random Pixels has another photo of the altar.
7 comments:
Someone beat me to it. I was going to post a photo of the rooster today after I left my offering!
Be sure you offer something to the rooster.
check out the comments! ;)
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/
pulp/2008/06/desperate_times.php#comments
Is it really that humorous to take another person's religious traditions and use them as a joke? What if Orisa worshippers mocked the communion by setting out shots of MD20/20 and dry Martinis around a photo of Jesus hanging from the Crucifix? (with a note that said "Happy Hour drinks brought in my real Catholic Bishop") Would most Americans think this was hilarous?
What surprises me is that a group of "journalists" thought they could this and simultaneously retain their status as "unbiased" reporters of the news. You'll have to learn to keep your careless comments to yourself in the future. At best, keep them off your blogs.
People mock christianity all the time. Apparently its the only safe religion to mock.
By the way Santeria is a in a way a distorted form of Christianity. The Santeros worship Orishas or deities that are represented by the Catholic saints.
I am a Santero. I am quite familiar with the traditions. Your description is over simplified, but adequate for this audience.
If you argument is that all religion is fair game, I say your moral compass is way off. You see I wouldn't disrespect the Crucifix or the Koran or the Torah. In doing so, I prove that I have no respect for my OWN traditions.
We should never make mockery of what others consider sacred. Its rude, immoral, low-class and arrogant. It contributes to stereotyping, miscommunication and dis-trust.
My point was that it seems that the only religion that it's politically correct to mock is Christianity.
And I don't pass judgment on anyone's religion. Recently someone tried to tell me that Mormonism is a cult. And I said it's no more of a cult than any other major organized religion.
I respect your right to have your beliefs. I also understand that many non-Santero Cubans seek out Santero help when they are desperate. I don't have to tell you the old refrain of "no lo creo pero lo respeto." In their own way these Herald employees were appealing to help from a higher authority. Some I'm sure did it as a lark.
Geeez. Get over it! This is not about religion, it's about a newsroom full of good people trying to lighten things up in the face of massive job cuts. Looks to me like there are a lot of people reading this blog who've never been in a newsroom.
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