I’m not sure how I found the documentary The Most Hated Family in America, but the tagline was somewhat irresistible, even though I’ve been trying to avoid the topic of religion recently.
TMHFIA centers on the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, who are notorious for picketing the funerals of soldiers in Iraq with neon signs that say “God Hates Fags.”
Especially since the documentary is a production of BBC2, I initially thought the church was a bit of an easy target. An open and shut case. Obviously its message is outlandish and abhorrent.
But Theroux skips the obvious points and gets to the human side of the church (which is primarily one family). He hangs out with them, gets to know them and tries to get to the bottom of their motives and personal narratives.
I don’t want to go off the deep end here, because I’ve only seen the one piece, but this guy appears to be some kind of journalistic genius. Totally unassuming, frank, and very centered. Not once does he try to go for the jugular…and in many ways the family comes off quite well, which, considering what the church is, is no small feat.
Television journalism has become so despised that its manifested a celebrity whose entire shtick aims to blur the line between journalism fiction and reality (at the expense of both the subject and the viewer). But Theroux is a breath of fresh air. He keeps his ego out of the picture and trusts the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
June 7, 2007
Louis Theroux and The Most Hated Family in America
June 4, 2007
Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy and Oprah
I finished Blood Meridian. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. I haven’t read many books where a such a feeling is built and sustained from beginning to end and on such a large scale.
It’s a shame McCarthy is so publicity shy, because it would be interesting to hear some of his intentions of the book spilled out on the table. I took it to be mostly about man’s desire for war, and the Judge character to be something like Satan or the grim reaper.
Oddly enough, McCarthy is going to be on Oprah later this week. She’s apparently a big fan. I have nothing against Oprah, meaning I have no opinion. I think it’s good that she encourages people to read.
I have to say I’m skeptical when someone who avoids publicity his entire life suddenly yields and goes on the biggest daytime television show of all time. I think it’s safe to say he was offered an amount of money he simply couldn’t possibly refuse.
Not sure if I’ll watch. Somehow I doubt he’ll be discussing about the philosophical ideas that went into a book he wrote over 20 years ago. I prefer to keep him in my mind as a reclusive wierdo who lives in the middle of nowhere on the Texas/Mexico border.