I’ve been having a discussion around the meaning of slavery, shortly after encountering this interview ^[1] with an escapee from the Westboro Baptist Church. I’m not quite certain whether this kind of domineering upbringing should count as slavery. But I would think it could, unless knowing you’re a slave from the outset is an essential characteristic — but if it were, no-one could ever have been born into the condition.

I find it interesting that the underlying elements of the formative conditioning experienced by the interviewee (as described here and elsewhere) — a belief encouraged in the head of the family and their righteousness, the uniqueness of their relationship with the divine and their church, the importance of obedience, a ‘sacred’ necessity of maintaining the group and its ethos into the future, and of course, ritual assertions of group ideology at public ceremonies — are probably a replication of those experienced historically and currently in the House of Windsor, for example; only with less power and influence, and a smaller congregation; louder screaming, but less bling and guns. The latter institution may be more an example of ‘wealth is a ghetto’ . . . but still interesting.

(Why, yes, I did just discern some common factors between “God Hates Fags” picketing at funerals and the recent Jubilee celebrations. That seems likely to be my high-water mark for intellectual achievement in 2012.)

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