General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe world owes Sinead O'Conner an apology
Remember how she became persona non grata after her SNL appearance where she presented a photo of Pope John Paul II to the camera while singing the word "evil", after which she tore the photo into pieces, said "Fight the real enemy", and threw the pieces towards the camera.?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinéad_O'Connor
I think we all owe her an apology and a huge thank you, even if her efforts fell on deaf ears.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)only to attack her for saying something derogatory about Mike Tyson's rape victim.
dchill
(38,497 posts)Duppers
(28,123 posts)aikoaiko
(34,170 posts)Few people really understood the gravity of the child abuse issue within the church or even that she was talking about child sexual abuse when she ripped up the photo.
Most of the song was about war with a verse on child abuse.
She was brave and artistic in 1990 in her activism.
philly_bob
(2,419 posts)FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)ReformedGOPer
(478 posts)what she was doing. It seemed so random at the time.
caraher
(6,278 posts)I had no idea what the issue was. I think an Irish audience would have understood at the time, but this was on an American program, and it was only much later that I heard it was about child abuse by priests.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Good point!
Saboburns
(2,807 posts)I also admire John Brown and his raid on Harpers Ferry. Every once in while some people just can't stand idly by and watching other people suffer. Suffer rape, suffer slavery.
OMGWTF
(3,957 posts)She also said that the world would be better off if everyone smoked cannabis, and I agree.
IcyPeas
(21,881 posts)O'Connor also apologised for ripping up the Pope's portrait on US TV show Saturday Night Live, shouting "fight the enemy", in 1992.
She said: "I'm sorry I did that, it was a disrespectful thing to do.
"I have never even met the Pope. I am sure he is a lovely man. It was more an expression of frustration."
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)If she had only said that earlier. That her frustration was with an institution that allows and condones the abuse of children instead of taking it out on one particular individual.
elmac
(4,642 posts)its coming damn close to be.
Hulk
(6,699 posts)Maybe I missed it back then, but as far as I ever knew, it was simply an insult to the Catholic faith. A little bit of info might have gotten her a little less hated.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,106 posts)and I knew exactly what she was protesting.
Response to Ferrets are Cool (Reply #19)
Hulk This message was self-deleted by its author.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,174 posts)There were a few stories in the news already at that time about abuse cases in the RC Church. As well, Sinead herself had spoken up about it.
I thought at the time it was truly a brave truth-to-power moment.
Joe Nation
(963 posts)Left home, left the church, never looked back.
StepnKretchit
(60 posts)Since she is Irish, I am sure she knows very much about the Irish Catholic Church, since the majority of Irish people identify with the Irish Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church has a lot to answer for. Not only did they protect pedophiles, they also protected murderers. If a priest committed a heinous crime, the Church would just simply move him to another parish so that he could continue his heinous behavior. However, so many of us would rather stick our heads in the sand, or stick our fingers in our ears, or cover our eyes rather than face the truth that is staring us right in the face.
I totally agree that Sinead O'Connor has been vindicated.
TwistOneUp
(1,020 posts)They didn't fall on deaf ears, they fell on arrogant ears. "There's nothing wrong with *our* church, 'the one True Church'!" They dictated what could and couldn't be shown on film so as to be "decent". I'm not feeling decency when a priest rapes a kid. That's not what comes to mind.
Now, 40ish years and thousands of victims later - from just *one* state - that arrogance is conspicuous in its absence.
So, imo, Ms. O'Connor is either prescient or is a victim. Either way, she deserves respect.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,106 posts)But yes, your point is cogent.