Like many in Raleigh, I learned that a particular hate group from Kansas would be protesting Saturday at the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards. I fell into the knee-jerk response of wanting to counter-protest until last night I had an epiphany. I was reminded of comedy genius Andy Kaufman’s pro-wrestling “career:” where Kaufman became the target of enraged wrestling fans when he duped them in a performance-art masterpiece.
The crowd did all the work. Kaufman just set them in motion.
A hate group like the one coming to town feeds off its opposition. If a hate group goads me into anger it’s because I let them. It’s a lesson I’ve been slow to learn, that no one can piss me off without my permission. If they make me angry, they win.
Rather than match their anger, I will peacefully wish them well. And I will choose another game to play.
So you’re not going to the counter-protest?
It didn’t look to me like they were planning on being there in anger. Rather they were planning on being there to block the hate group from the funeral. That doesn’t sound like hate, but maybe I missed something?