WTF, Commercial?

[fenderlove]

There's a carpet retailer in here in Tennessee that has, for years, used little children spouting "Made in the USA" catchphrases and waving cheap plastic flags in their commercials. Well, now they've hit upon a new gimmick- claiming that their carpet was made "by the Heavenly Father." *head-desk* I sorta want to go into their business and demand

Comments

[diebirchen]

Huh? Really? I mean, you're not making this up? Geeze Louise!

[fenderlove]

God, if only it were a joke. Around here, if you don't go to one of the three major churches, you're a communist, a devil-worshipper, or both. Of course, even if you did go to one of the three largest churches, members from the other two would still claim that you were a communist, a devil-worshipper, or both. I need to get away from this place so badly.

[diebirchen]

I shudder to ask, but what are the three major churches there? Moderate Lutheran here. How did you end up there? Are you sure you're not being punished for something hideous, a sort of Purgatory situation? Are they upset about all Eastern Orthodoxy: Greek, Romanian, Armenian, Russian, etc.? Is it a problem of lack of education? Is this a social demographic thing? Are you out in the intellectual sticks? I mean, it is 2011! Are you trying to relocate?

[fenderlove]

The three major churches are Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Church of Christ. There are other churches- Seventh Day Adventists and Pentacostals, mostly. I think the problem around here is a lot of insulation against outside information. Kids are taught from a young age that they should get children who don't go to their church to try to lure them into that church, usually in the form of candy. A kid brings a bag of lollipops to school and says, "You can have one if you promise to come to my church jamboree. If you take one, you have to come. If you don't and take a sucker anyway, you'll go to hell for lying!" They are completely ignorant of sects of their own religion- they probably don't even know what Lutherans are

[diebirchen]

In general, aren't United Methodists supposed to be sorta-kinda-not-all-that-strident-middle-of-the-road? Guess not there. I thought that sort of intellectual isolationism had largely passed, but in certain insulated communities, it's clearly still alive and well. There are, unfortunately, many people who couldn't name 10 Christian denominations to save their lives, let alone tell you the basic tenets of their beliefs. Heck, most religious Americans don't understand the theology of their own faith, but it's clearly an us vs. them situation. Your situation must also create problems for dating and socializing with an intellectually and socially similar crowd. Sigh!

[fenderlove]

In high school, there were some kids I hung out with that diverged from their families, risked being disowned, and moved far, far away. Unfortunately, a lot of them that wanted different for themselves, held different beliefs from their families, stayed here and stayed in their families' churches, afraid that their mothers and fathers would never speak to them again. I dated one guy for two years in high school with the knowledge that he and I wanted very different things out of life, so there was no pressure, and it was more like a friendship thing. Of course, at the time it was assumed he would stay here, get an average joe job, and live forever in peace, and I would go away to college and stay gone... and now that my college time is over, I'm the one that's still here and he's moved away to start a new life. *head-desk* This town does stuff to you. Your icon is perfect because that scene with Buffy in the Doublemeat Palace, where she gets that look on her face as she's preparing food like "Is this really my life? Is this all I have

[diebirchen]

Awww, sweetie! Just remember, the job market comes and goes, and when it comes back, you will go. In the mean time for those too insular to understand your situation, just remember this: smart is on the inside, and jobs are on the outside. And as far as some of your school cohort goes, ignorance can be corrected, but dumb is forever. Intelligence is a gift, even where you are. What you have isn't sale. Physically, you are where you are only for the time being, but more importantly, we live our whole lives inside our heads. Some heads are furnished with a wealth of education and experience. Others are rather barren, dusty attics. Be grateful for what's rattling around up there.

[fenderlove]

My head is filled with vampire fanfiction. And sadly, that's what keeps me sane, I think. :D I keep thinking that one day an idea is going to hit me, and I'll rocket the train to success, and then I realize that I'm full of ideas, but lacking ways to execute them properly. I'd like to get a book published in the next year or so, but I'm having a problem finding an agent or knowing who to trust with my manuscript. I thought maybe I could get an art book published so that it could be sold at conventions as I've seen some of my friends do, but even there it seems that a majority of my personal work is fanart which can't be published. I guess I need to lay off the fanart and start doing some original character pieces. XD

[txvoodoo]

Take any religious institution and put it in the South of the US, and it changes from "sane" to not.

I'm surrounded by it in Texas.

[diebirchen]

Even large cities or major university towns? Austin, Texas, for example?

[txvoodoo]

Yup. Hell, half the colleges here are Christian colleges.

And the college kids are just as religious. (sort of. like..they drink and sleep around and stuff but Jesus will save them! Lots of unwed moms.)

I've lived in Austin and now the Dallas suburbs.

I grew up in the Northeast U.S. I grew up with people of all religions. We were NEVER intrusive like the christians here, and it seems they're ALL evangelical.

[fenderlove]

*hugs* You feel my pain.

[txvoodoo]

On my block: 3 houses. 3 churches. This is a residential neighborhood.

Within 5 blocks: 8 more churches.

Lemme tell ya, when the bells ring on Sunday, there's NO sleeping in!

[fenderlove]

Oh, good grief. *buys you earplugs*

[txvoodoo]

And ya know what? My area isn't unique. The thing that IS unique is that I don't have a Megachurch in my town. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. They have their own coffee shops and clothing stores and stuff INSIDE the church!

[diebirchen]

Gotta admit that one of the things I loved best about living in Germany were the bells in very, very old church towers -- "the rhyming and the chiming of the bells -- of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells -- the rhyming and the chiming of the bells."