Fuck the Guardian

I never thought that one article could make me stop buying a newspaper. But this article just did it.

This is anti-Catholicism at its worst. Greer doesn't know much about church doctrine - that's understandable, as she's not Catholic - but you'd expect some research. Even without a huge amount of knowledge on the part of the author, the odd bit of criticism never hurt anybody. Except that this isn't criticism - it's just an attack in print. Why?

I suspect because it doesn't matter if you upset Christians. They'll only forgive you. Imagine if the article were about Islam or Judaism. It wouldn't get past the sub-editor's desk. But this is fine, apparently.

It shocks me that this level of bigotry is acceptable in today's western media.

What really hacks me off, although it's also almost comical, is the "Catholic women respond" section. This section features no Catholics. Being from South America or Ireland doesn't magically make you a Catholic. It would be like having a "Church of England men respond" section with contributions from Peter Tatchell and Lionel Blue.

Unbelievable. It's just totally one sided. It's the kind of article that you can't even be bothered to refute, as it's painfully obvious that facts and truth are never going to get through.

I suppose I shouldn't worry too much about it. It is only one article in a much-maligned paper that the vast majority of people in the world don't read. I should be heartened by the swelling numbers of the church and its successes fighting AIDS in Uganda and all that. But it does make me despair for the country in which I've grown up. Seeing shit like this printed in a national paper makes me feel powerless to accomplish anything.

Why bother trying to use your skills and talents when incompentent hacks get a platform on the basis of their names? Maybe that's why I'm leaving here.

So there we go. Maybe I'll try the Independent.
For fuck's sake.