{"id":123621,"date":"2014-06-04T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2014-06-04T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=123621"},"modified":"2014-08-29T13:31:52","modified_gmt":"2014-08-29T17:31:52","slug":"bratwurst-fest-in-wisconsin-you-never-sausage-intolerance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2014\/06\/bratwurst-fest-in-wisconsin-you-never-sausage-intolerance\/","title":{"rendered":"Bratwurst fest in Wisconsin: You never sausage intolerance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

(Rubbing eyes) This is<\/em> the New York Times<\/em>, isn\u2019t it? They\u2019re being nice to conservatives and not so nice to liberals!<\/p>\n

Madison, Wisc., is known for at least two things: a liberal, accepting mindset, and an annual brats-and-beer festival. But this year, according to the Times<\/em>,<\/a> organizer Tom Metcalfe added a new ingredient. Two, actually. Christian music and Bob Lenz, a motivational speaker on teen suicide.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s not to like? Wellllppp \u2026.<\/p>\n

But this month, a local newspaper noted that Mr. Lenz had ties to anti-abortion groups, particularly one called Save the Storks, which parks buses in front of abortion clinics and offers ultrasounds to pregnant women, a practice that some people consider harassment. Many liberal-leaning residents of Madison (and there are a lot of them) publicly said they would rather skip the Memorial Day weekend festival and its four-day extravaganza of bratwurst and beer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy reaction was, this doesn\u2019t have a very Madison feel to it,\u201d said Lisa Subeck, a member of the City Council, who declined to attend. \u201cIt really will turn many people off.\u201d With Mr. Lenz appearing as a speaker, she said, \u201cyou really have to think, this isn\u2019t reflective of our values.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within days, Mr. Metcalfe called Mr. Lenz to deliver a message: You are no longer invited.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yep, guilt by association again. Just like when residents of Portland, Ore., announced a boycott<\/a> of a grocer for his anti-gay views. And when HGTV canceled a planned show<\/a> because the creators had voiced disapproval of gays and abortion.<\/p>\n

Each case amounts to speech police: punishing people who dared voice unpopular socio-political views \u2014 views that had little relationship with their jobs.<\/p>\n

The Times<\/em> writer is sharp-eyed about the furor in a city \u2014 indeed, a state \u2014 that prides itself<\/a> on its liberalism. First, she appears to mourn the way they were:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some longtime residents said they missed the time when Wisconsin seemed more politically easygoing, a place where voters kept a Republican governor, Tommy G. Thompson, in office from 1987 to 2001. (Mr. Thompson might not fit in with today\u2019s Republican Party, given his dreams of high-speed rail and his embrace of health care for the poor.)<\/p>\n

These days, being utterly divided feels like the new normal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then she takes snapshots on the way things are:<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have gotten way too sensitive,\u201d said Ruth Agnew, a 56-year-old secretary who said she leans conservative. She was one of the first people to stream onto the festival grounds on Friday on the first morning of the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever happened to freedom of speech?\u201d chimed in her companion, Bea Hernandez, a retired nurse.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The reporter also summarizes the crossfire of opinion, with conservatives calling liberals intolerant and liberals standing on their right to protest. I especially liked this picture of the paradox:<\/p>\n

The opposition to a stage devoted to Christian music prompted Chris Rickert, a columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal, to wryly suggest parsing what he considered the misogynistic lyrics of other musicians appearing at the festival, like Bret Michaels of the band Poison.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For all its acumen, the Times<\/em> article lacks some precision. It mentions objections to the planned Christian rock concert, but it doesn\u2019t show a clear link with the anti-abortion views of Bob Lenz. The two are probably linked in the minds of liberals who didn\u2019t want to see either at the brat festival. The article should have clarified.<\/p>\n

The story is vague also about Bob Lenz\u2019s relationship with Save the Storks, saying only that he has \u201cties\u201d with the anti-abortion group. Does he hold office? Did he make a donation? Is he married to someone in it? Did he attend a rally?<\/p>\n

Finally, the Times<\/em> lapses into a bit of selective labeling:<\/p>\n

Other people attending Brat Fest were exasperated that the organizers would take a secular event and introduce a religious element. \u201cThis isn\u2019t the venue for that,\u201d said Angie Ouverson, who was at the festival celebrating her 49th birthday, sipping a local Ghost Ship ale from a plastic cup. \u201cWe\u2019re here for the fun and the food. It\u2019s not about religion.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Remember Ruth Agnew, quoted above? Her conservative leanings were specified. But Angie Ouverson gets to be just Angie Ouverson.<\/p>\n

Perhaps my gratitude overflows for a story that shows some actual insight and sympathy for Christians who saw their motives suspected. Even more, for baring the hypocrisy of liberals being illiberal. Looks like Madison\u2019s tolerant image has taken a turn for the wurst.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Rubbing eyes) This is the New York Times, isn\u2019t it? They\u2019re being nice to conservatives and not so nice to liberals! Madison, Wisc., is known for at least two things: a liberal, accepting mindset, and an annual brats-and-beer festival. But this year, according to the Times, organizer Tom Metcalfe added a new ingredient. Two, actually. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,27,7,12,1],"tags":[91,3348,326,2111],"class_list":["post-123621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ethics","category-evangelicals","category-journalism","category-religion","category-uncategorized","tag-abortion","tag-madison","tag-new-york-times","tag-wisconsin"],"yoast_head":"\nBratwurst fest in Wisconsin: You never sausage intolerance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"(Rubbing eyes) This is the New York Times, isn\u2019t it? They\u2019re being nice to conservatives and not so nice to liberals! 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