One evening in March our features editor John Gentile sent me an email with the subject "a crazy idea." He said that given the death of infamous bigot Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church's claim that they're willing to talk to the press, it might prove interesting to try speaking to one of them. The Church has a history of protesting outside shows, as mentioned in a few Punknews stories over the years featuring Less Than Jake, All Time Low and the Foo Fighters. They were also recently the topic of discussion here stemming from Touche Amore's shirts celebrating his death.
My gut reaction was to deny this request. Given that we're an entertainment news site so many of our interviews are the result of a PR effort on behalf of a band looking to promote new music. It's comfortable to only think of our interviews as an extension of those promotional efforts, as such, an implicit recommendation of that music to our readers. That's not what an interview need be. We can address vile topics without giving them our tacit approval. With caution, I told John to go ahead.
Obviously many of you are angry that we ran the interview at all. If it was the wrong decision, responsibility ultimately rests with me. I'll wear that. Given the reaction though, we asked John to give us some background on his motivation and rationale in pursuing this topic. His response is below.
As you probably know, on Tuesday we posted an interview with Steve Drain, the new leader of the Westboro Baptist Church. The article generated a great deal of conversation. Some people stated that the article "sympathized" with Drain. Some people said that the article was "very interesting." Because the piece was such a hotbed of discussion, Punknews has asked me to explain our rationale behind posting the interview.
When it comes to people that espouse hatred, bigotry, and racism, it is important to confront them head on to learn about them in hopes of understanding ways to combat or change such hateful behavior. That was one of the two main purposes of this piece. Allowing Drain to explain his beliefs (and reveal how eloquent of a speaker he actually is) shows the very real danger involved with the WBC and the many, many groups that share similar ideas or ethos. A core point of punk rock is attacking hatred and you cannot fight against such hatred if you know nothing about the enemy.
People have said that the interview questions were "soft" or "pandered" to Drain. I disagree wholeheartedly. In the piece, contradictions in Drainâs beliefs are highlighted. Drain is painted as a slick speaking, but vile person in the opening. The piece could have been a "smash piece" where Punknews just yelled at him "Hatred is bad You are evil!" But, in that scenario, Drain would revert to his more public persona and we wouldnât really learn anything about his background -- weâd just be blasted by his slogans, which more than anything, would be a platform for his ideas.
Second, the other main point of the article is to highlight the strange area where the views of the WBC and punk rock intersect. The uncomfortable fact is, the views of the WBC on foreign conflict, mainstream churches, the end of the world, and at points, even abortion, overlap. Certainly, if there are regions where punk rock and the WBC agree, it should be a time to give us pause and reflect on what we believe, and why. Thatâs not to say that the Dead Kennedys or Crass are wrong (in fact, I agree with them mostly), but at all times, we should be aware of the rationales driving our beliefs.
On one last point: some people (not all) have been upset that Drain was "given a soapbox." Iâd argue that really, Punknews is the safest place to interview Drain and learn about his horrible beliefs. The fact is, because punk rockers are critical thinkers and are so intelligent, Drain is not going to convince anyone here of his beliefs. That is why punk rock is so great. Were Drain interviewed at other publications, readers might actually agree with what he is saying. Because each of you are bright and critical thinkers, you are able to evaluate his words without being swayed, and in hopes, be better armed to combat him and the many groups like him in the future.
You donât have to like the article and you certainly donât have to like Drain. (Heâs one of the least likeable people that Iâve ever met). But, itâs necessary to be aware of the atrocities out there and the best way to learn about them is by talking to those causing them.
-John G