patron saint of ...
Dec. 11th, 2019 06:14 amIn her latest Patreon post, ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sovay talks about two frustrating films and one id-tastic one. The first of the frustrating ones, which, she reports, in large part "feels like someone drew a line through the set labeled "GOOD TASTE" and everyone kept getting CAD injuries trying not to cross it," reminded me of something hilarious and awful that happened at my church's All Saints Day mass.
For All Saint's Day, the religious ed program always has a few teens pick a saint, dress up as them, and then tell the congregation about them in the first person: "Hi, I'm Saint Peter, and Jesus and I go way back." There are actually interesting female saints out there, but aside from the frequent Mother Teresa (now officially St. Teresa of Calcutta), the girls mainly pick the most revolting examples of simpering victimhood, and this time that meant St. Maria Goretti, who was canonized for fighting off a rapist, getting stabbed, forgiving her attacker, and dying. At age eleven. She's now the patron saint of rape victims, which ... let's not even talk about how emotionally unhealthy that is.
But what made this teen's portrayal of this saint extra ludicrous and sad was that someone--her family? The religious ed instructor? She herself?--had decided that rather than ever say "rape," she'd refer to that act as "taking my virtue." Just so you know, even Catholic websites use the word "rape." Nihil obstat! But instead we got this:
"I was a poor girl growing up in near Rome in the 1890s, and when I was only eleven, the neighbor's son wanted to take my virtue, but I didn't want to let him take my virtue, so he stabbed me. But on my deathbed I forgave him. Now I'm the patron saint of people who've had their virtue taken."
It was that final passive construction that really took the cake. The whole thing made me wonder what year I was in. And it made me want to prescribe a feminist reading course. I know, I know.
Anyway! Go clear your palate by reading Sovay's reviews. They'll cheer you up.
sovay talks about two frustrating films and one id-tastic one. The first of the frustrating ones, which, she reports, in large part "feels like someone drew a line through the set labeled "GOOD TASTE" and everyone kept getting CAD injuries trying not to cross it," reminded me of something hilarious and awful that happened at my church's All Saints Day mass. For All Saint's Day, the religious ed program always has a few teens pick a saint, dress up as them, and then tell the congregation about them in the first person: "Hi, I'm Saint Peter, and Jesus and I go way back." There are actually interesting female saints out there, but aside from the frequent Mother Teresa (now officially St. Teresa of Calcutta), the girls mainly pick the most revolting examples of simpering victimhood, and this time that meant St. Maria Goretti, who was canonized for fighting off a rapist, getting stabbed, forgiving her attacker, and dying. At age eleven. She's now the patron saint of rape victims, which ... let's not even talk about how emotionally unhealthy that is.
But what made this teen's portrayal of this saint extra ludicrous and sad was that someone--her family? The religious ed instructor? She herself?--had decided that rather than ever say "rape," she'd refer to that act as "taking my virtue." Just so you know, even Catholic websites use the word "rape." Nihil obstat! But instead we got this:
"I was a poor girl growing up in near Rome in the 1890s, and when I was only eleven, the neighbor's son wanted to take my virtue, but I didn't want to let him take my virtue, so he stabbed me. But on my deathbed I forgave him. Now I'm the patron saint of people who've had their virtue taken."
It was that final passive construction that really took the cake. The whole thing made me wonder what year I was in. And it made me want to prescribe a feminist reading course. I know, I know.
Anyway! Go clear your palate by reading Sovay's reviews. They'll cheer you up.
