If you’re on twitter, the current reaction to Pat Robertson is scary. The tweetdeck is full of hatred for Pat Robertson; full of curses, blasphemies, and death threats. The tweets are flooded with rage and chants to burn Pat Robertson at the stake, and it spreads as fast as wild flowers. That is the power of twitter and media – and hatred is leading the way concerning Pat Robertson.
You get these kinds of tweets:
Couldn’t agree more. Pat Robertson is a disgusting fountain of shit and filth
The thing that REALLY shits me. Is that morons like Pat Robertson and his minions get off on this kind of attention.
Today Pat Robertson could be the worst person… in the wooooorld
Pat Robertson is a fucking idiot. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those people in Haiti
I find it tragic that Pat Robertson wasn’t aborted.
Pat Robertson … you should be *ashamed* of yourself. And, really? You call yourself a Christian?
I could smack the Jesus outta Robertson for this. STFU you ridiculous fool.
Pat Robertson Says Haiti ‘Swore a Pact to the Devil’ …
pat robertson said haiti is cursed because they made a pact with the devil to escape the french. wow. what a fuckin …
Pat Robertson is an EVIL FREAK 4 his comments on Haiti..why do they let that senile ASS$*LE speak publicly?? He is IRRESPONSIBLE & EVIL!!
Dear God, please kill Pat Robertson. Thank you.
Twitter notes: The evangelical preacher said that Haitians "swore a pact to the Devil" in the past, hence the earthquake. People are tweeting their opinions on his comments.
Yes, Pat Robertson did say “They [Haitian] got together and swore a pact to the devil…”
BUT, it’s a big BUT, he also said right after:
“They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God…right now, we’re helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.”
The Devil Only Tells Half the Truth
What does it say when Twitter is flooded with tweets denouncing of the first half of the message, but overlooking the second half? Why do people focus on the worst imaginable, take the message out of context, and tell an incomplete story of one man’s explanation?
What’s more interesting is that tweets get retweeted and thousands of messages support similar sentiments without considering the second half of the message. Is it to support the mass? Is it to share in the interests of the moment? Is it to share in the tweet of a follower? Why are people so quick to spread half the truth, and more importantly, the ugly truth? What about his plead to help the suffering following the “pact with the devil” explanation?
Be Leary of the Message of the Mass
Shuffling through the 5,827 new tweets about Pat Robertson since I started the search, within a span of 20 minutes, it is hard to find, if any, a tweet that praises Pat Robertson for saying something like “we need to pray for them.” Instead, most, if not all of the tweets contribute to the blazing fire of hatred and misrepresentation of one part of the story. Looking at the tweetdeck, I would just assume that all Pat Robertson said was that Haitian “swore a pact to the devil,” and not think twice about it, since the mass consensus is overwhelming. But that would not be completely right because I would not consider his message about there being an opportunity to rebuild the structure of Haiti or that it is an unfortunate event and we need to help the suffering.
Your Tweets Reflect Who You Are
Tweets like above are greatly discerning. True, Pat Robertson did provide an explanation for the Haiti’s horrendous tragedy. But it is only his explanation. The other part of his plead is to help the suffering. How often do parents/adult provide ridiculous explanations to children? All the time. Adults would tell me that the rice I didn’t eat when I was a kid would be the worms I will eat after death. Ok, great, I get the message…you’re telling not to waste food.
Take a step back and put things in the right context, and think, independently, about the complete story before you retweet that tweet. Pat Robertson’s suggestion is a reflection of his thoughts and he communicated that. However, the hatred that is spread about Pat Robertson seems to be more detrimental to the public than his 5 seconds remark. The witch hunt for Pat Robertson is hours and maybe days long, and that leaves the real trail of hatred, not a remark made by one man.
Power, Good or Bad, Lies in the Beholder
I would hate to be target of a witch hunt or for my words taken out of context. For example, someone could quote this post as Thanh agrees with Pat Robertson and I’d be doom. Media, especially, social media is very powerful and its power is proven everyday. But as reasonable and thinking people, we have to be responsible for the words and the message that we use social media tools to craft. Otherwise, it may create immeasurable and irreversible trepidations, and then we become just as bad as the ones we cast stones at.
CONCLUSION
Hatred begets hatred. So, stop. Put out the fire.
Are you serious?
It’s doesn’t MATTER if Pat Robertson wants us to pray for the Haitians! He thinks God is punishing them for something their ancestors *MAY* have done two hundred years ago?! Do you really think God is that vindictive? NO. 80% of Haitians are CATHOLIC. Why would God punish a clearly CATHOLIC nation. Pat Robertson, as usual, wants to scare us into believing in God by using God as the reason a natural disaster happened. Las Vegas is full of prostitution and sin and you don’t see their casinos and sex shops getting tossed around like ragdolls!
Pat Robertson RUINED his plea for help for the Haitians by essentially BLAMING them for causing it in the first place! It’s an insult disguised as a compliment and it is HORRIBLE. It was absolutely unnecessary to discuss why or why not a “pact with the Devil” may or may not have caused this catastrophe. He should have stuck with the prayers and the donations and left his “speculation” to himself because it does no one any good.
And THAT is why people are upset with Pat Robertson.
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Thanh Lu Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I can understand your disgust with Pat Robertson – you are defending the good people of Haitian and God (in general). I am learning why many people have such hatred against this guy – the media is on him and everyone is ready to castrate him. Surprisingly though he still builds a large following, like his 700 club. It makes me wonder about the people who believe in the absolute repercussions of the devil’s work in today’s days, certainly mainstream does not share those ideas, but they do exists.
But the truth is, how can anyone know, except through the act of faith, how god or the devil works.
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You must not know much about Pat Robertson though. This is not the first time he has done such a thing. He blamed 9/11 for the sinners of New York City, and the tsunami in Indonesia because it’s a country of Muslims. God would not do such a thing. Pat Robertson is a liar and fear-mongerer. He is dangerous and manipulative. Just because someone has a large following doesn’t make them right. Cult leaders have large followings. Hollywood celebrities have large followings. There are many, many Christians who are upset by what Pat Robertson does and says because it has repercussions on how non-Christians view my God, Jesus Christ. They think Jesus is vindictive and a destroyer of people. We will be judged – but not like this! They are trying to twist cultural events in order to convert people. This is not how it should be done. It only makes people angry at Jesus, not love Him more.
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thanhdlu Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I can understand why there’s so much confusion, misrepresentation, and misunderstanding caused by one man. It is unfortunate to have people actually view negatively of Jesus by the act of one group/man. Religions, any religion, always has to spend some time defending their values, be it Christianity, Buddhism, Muslim, or Judaism because of those that act in the name of their gods for which their actions are wrong or misinterpreted, and then the outsiders just assume the worst because that’s easier to do than dig for the situational truth.
But, what would Jesus do, how would he react to Pat Robertson’s “devil” remarks and the hatred-filled tweets? I don’t think he would approve of either.
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Lies run faster than Usain Bolt with the tail wind of weak thought processes adding to the acceleration.
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thanhdlu Reply:
January 23rd, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Hmmm…impressive but no effect. Come down one level. What are you insinuating? The message lies on the shoulder of the communicator; and I don’t know what you mean specifically.
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