mahdavi-1
Joined Feb 2007
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mahdavi-1's rating
A part of me was left wondering what the point in this third documentary was because it was somewhat similar to the second ("America's Most Hated Family in Crisis"). The main difference is Fred Phelps had died and he wanted to understand why he was excommunicated - nothing that wasn't known to the public already was revealed by current WBC members or those that left WBC. Since his death, the church had already started to moderate, but the reasons as to why was never explained by the WBC members.
It was disappointing that there was less of Shirley Phelps-Roper and none of Margie Phelps, both of whom are very charismatic, intelligent and interesting women to listen to. There was more of Steve Drain, unfortunately, and he's one of the more dull and annoying members of WBC that has assumed a leadership position. Would've been nice to see the young men of the church and how they're doing, especially the young Phelps-Roper guys, who were kids in the first two documentaries.
It was disappointing that there was less of Shirley Phelps-Roper and none of Margie Phelps, both of whom are very charismatic, intelligent and interesting women to listen to. There was more of Steve Drain, unfortunately, and he's one of the more dull and annoying members of WBC that has assumed a leadership position. Would've been nice to see the young men of the church and how they're doing, especially the young Phelps-Roper guys, who were kids in the first two documentaries.
In the end I struggled to decide whether this series was meant as history or propaganda. The most disturbing part for me was watching Rageh Omaar question whether the slaughter of Armenians by the Ottomans was genocide. To most people and historians the deliberate murder of 75% of an ethnic group with the purpose of wiping them out constitutes genocide. Rageh and the BBC can obfuscate this as much as they like for their own political ends, but the wholesale slaughter and destruction of an ethnic group and its culture is certainly genocide. To deny or even justify this is evil of the highest form.
Furthermore, I have a hard time understanding why the Ottomans were portrayed as victims through this 'documentary'. Since when could you be classified as a victim after invading most of the Middle East and southeast Europe, committing slavery and genocide? The true victims were those colonised by the Ottoman Empire, particularly those subjected to genocide on the basis of their faith and ethnicity, which are Armenians, Assyrians, Pontic Greeks and Lebanese Maronites.
Furthermore, I have a hard time understanding why the Ottomans were portrayed as victims through this 'documentary'. Since when could you be classified as a victim after invading most of the Middle East and southeast Europe, committing slavery and genocide? The true victims were those colonised by the Ottoman Empire, particularly those subjected to genocide on the basis of their faith and ethnicity, which are Armenians, Assyrians, Pontic Greeks and Lebanese Maronites.