Proof That Trolls Are Stupid

I thought that Amazon had rolled over.

It perplexed me that a Christian religious right group that sprouts petitions and drives and reviews like brambles on a back road had brought that much pressure to bear on one of the world’s largest corporations.

I miss-read the headline.

What it said was:

Netflix says it won't 'make any more' episodes of Amazon Prime's 'Good Omens' after Christian petition

Tweet

Apparently, the powers that be, or one of their minions built and published a petition to have the program removed from the air. Unfortunately, they ascribed it to the wrong producer.

Amazon then got in on the fun and said they would cancel “Stranger Things” (which airs on NetFlix) if you cancel “Good Omens.”

The internet is democratic

It provides the tools to allow any individual or group to voice their opinion and to extend that group opinion to petitions and other group activities like marches and sit-ins etc. Did the Return To Order campaign, which operates under The Foundation For a Christian Civilization Group have the right to do this? Yes, the Group which is a non-profit based in Pennsylvania and the campaigns it spawns are legally free to take these actions which at best are lobbying and at worst, attempted extortion.

There is a website for that

A comment in the article I was reading about a similar petition campaign intended to shut down a Canadian ice cream company called “Sweet Jesus” caused me to find that petition. There is a website called “Life Petitions!”

Tools don’t build causes

After a year of availability of the petition against “Sweet Jesus” the petition had garnered only 7571 signatures. It seems that there aren’t a lot of folks all up in arms about a company with it’s tongue firmly in its cheek. Is that why Netflix and Amazon chose to approach the Troll with humor?

I don’t know. But it suggests an approach to this sort of fringe attempts at control of a society that could work around the world. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist or identify with one of the other religions available you need to acknowledge that there are other answers including non-religious (about 16% of the world’s population).

Freedom supports dissent

I can support the right to publicly champion a cause because of an accident of birth. As a citizen of the USA I am guaranteed the right to speak my mind as are all the other citizens.

Had I been born where there is a “State Religion” that would not be the case. In some countries I could have my head removed for disagreeing publicly. And religion is only one of the ways of controlling a populace.

Bullying and terror have the same face.

Outfits like The Foundation For Christian Civilization are a small coterie of bullies who believe they can use the internet to swell their ranks to control individuals and corporations. They believe that their views should be controlling. When they begin to believe that any way to exert control is okay they become terrorists.

“I bow to no man”

I come from hard-edged Irish stock that suffered both religious and political boots on the neck. The indentured servant that walked away from a slave’s existence on a southern plantation passed on those words to the children that he conceived with a Cherokee wife. Those children were taught the words and the deeds required down the generations. To this day we stand against:

• Religious Bullying

• Political Tyranny

• Royalty in any form

I suppose that makes me predictable but I don’t give a damn.

And so it goes…

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com
DIY Training: www.ingomu.com