Simcha Fisher

[Guest]

By Mark Shea

 

Perhaps the two most absurd things I hear from the Paladins of Family and Life at St. Blogs are these:

1. It was “scandalous” that a Catholic writer should tell a bawdy joke about a thrice-married, draft-dodging strip club owner who brags that his years of dodging sexually transmitted diseases were his “personal Vietnam” as he stands next to his porn star wife and poses for pictures with his Playboy cover shoot proudly framed on the wall behind him, fondly recalling the fact that he is the first presidential candidate ever to boast about the size of his male member during a national debate.

2. That said “scandal” was so awful because, good golly, what will those tender souls looking at the Catholic Church and considering conversion think if they discover that Catholics use rude language in making fun of Trump?

Please. The *only* people who care about this trivial prudery are a small but influential group of Puritanized Catholics, and that only because the butt of the joke was the Republican candidate they have convinced themselves is a rough new Constantine who will deliver them from Hillary, ISIS, teh Gayz, and abortion. The same people hyperventilating over Simcha’s Scandalous Bad Words are people who think “Trump That ****” t-shirts are HIGHlarious and circulate jokes on FB about Bill Clinton’s sexual escapades and Michelle Obama being transgender (yeah, that’s apparently a real thing in the fever swamps of the Right). (Personal Fave Moment from last week: Reader writing to the effect that “Shea’s bad language just shows what a piece of **** he is” and a blogger denouncing Simcha as a “whore” because she told a bawdy joke. Irony deficiency is a serious health issue in America.)

Meanwhile, here’s reality: I’ve been having conversations about the Faith with non-Catholics, some of them atheists, who are quite interested in learning more and reading guys like Chesterton and Benedict. Serious folks trying to come to grips with gospel. Not once have I ever met a non-Catholic who has had the vapors and reached for their fainting couch over a bawdy joke. There simply is no “scandal” about Simcha’s (or my) use of Naughty Words.

There has however, been great scandal over the firing of Simcha Fisher. And by scandal I do not “offended Puritan sensibilities among control freaks” (which is not scandal at all), but scandal in the biblical sense: a stumbling block thrown before the feet of the weak which tempts them to abandon following Jesus Christ.

When Good Prolife Catholics so distort their faith as to vengefully rejoice when a good and faithful Catholic mother of ten has food taken out of the mouths of her children, that’s a scandal–a stumbling block to those with shaky faith and those who are trying to understand what the Faith is all about. It is that, not a bit of earthy humor, that has, in the actual event, prompted unbelievers to say, “What the hell? Screw that!” and shaky believers to write me that they were contemplating leaving the Church. It is an even greater scandal that the response of the Righteous to such expressions of scandal from decent people is not, “Wait! Don’t go! Let’s talk!” but “Good riddance! Who needs you!”

To people who offer such responses to the scandalized, our Lord’s words on millstone neckties are worth contemplating. Because you are offering not the scandal of the gospel, but merely human shibboleths and human traditions as excuses for turning the Church into your private club.

To those outside the Church looking in and those inside the Church struggling with their Faith, I beg you, “Please do not let this teapot tempest turn you from pursuing Jesus Christ in his Holy Church. All such ugliness toward Simcha demonstrates is that the Church is composed of sinners and blockheads. It demonstrates the truth, not the falsity, of the gospel’s charge that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And it means precisely nothing about the falsity of Jesus’ claim to be the way, the truth, and the life. The Church is a hospital for sinners and that hospital contains a psych ward full of people who imagine they are bishops but are, in fact, very sick patients. Their awful behavior in cyberspace reveals nothing about Jesus except his incredible patience. Do not, I beg you, allow them to persuade you that Jesus is a liar. He has never lied and will never lie to us.”

Nor has he abandoned Simcha, who is surrounded by love and consolation and support from people acting with the love of the Holy Spirit and who is taking this with her customary humility and good humor. It is that love and truth and goodness from the Spirit that is at the heart of the Faith, not the fulminations of broken people who need to gloat over a good woman’s suffering.

The focus of the Christian life is Jesus Christ. Don’t get distracted from him by human weaknesses and sins. Fellow Christians are people on the way, not people who have arrived. They will sometimes surprise you with their astonishing goodness and other times amaze you with their malice or cowardice. But in Christ alone is salvation. Holy Church is holy, not because of the holiness of its members, but because the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ¶ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. (Php 4:8–9).

 

[truthfinder]

Too many logical fallacies - quit a couple paragraphs in.

[Guest]

Because people really seem to want to know:
-No, the Register did not (in the six years I worked for them) ask me to cool it on social media.
-No, I did not raise an uproar over Mark Shea. 
-No, I have not led or encouraged any campaigns of any kind against the Register, and have not shared any essays criticizing them (except for EOTT, because come on). 
-No, I am not interested in being re-hired by the Register.
Any of you may share this information as you see fit. Thanks!   - Simcha Fisher

[hotpink]

So Josh, Can you break down your first post into a digestible essay rather than a long diatribe?  I skimmed.

I do read her blog.  One reason being that her opinions seem to be indicitive of people in that part of the country.  I started following her on Pathos.  And where you live really seems to determine how you view things.

So my friend who lives in Vermont actually has gone to Simcha's parish.  Apparently, in real life she is unnoticeably and painfully quiet.  In some respects she is a keyboard warrior who pedals her opinions.  She's done a good job about not talking about her kids, but she is divisively opinionated at times.  And she can be really, really mean.  Last Easter she basically said that no one but Jews (and especially not Catholics) should celebrate Sedar events because it's their culture.  But it's ok for her because she's part Jewish--or something.  After a huge amount of backfire she wrote a super-lame sorry-not-sorry apology.

I believe the firing came after she was unapoligically vulgar, using words like "half swastica, half blow job" to describe Trumps logo.  Just eww.  I have no love for the guy, and his initial logo design was a bit daft, but its sensionlist and just immature to talk like at horny teenage kid who's trying to find ways to be offensive in remedial history.

And this whole "she has 10 kids to feed"...she was the Catholic equivalent of a shock jock and she went too far.  Woe is her.

 

Edited August 25, 2016 by hotpink

[Nihil Obstat]

1 hour ago, truthfinder said:

Too many logical fallacies - quit a couple paragraphs in.

My reaction was "Missing the Point 101."

[truthfinder]

21 minutes ago, Nihil Obstat said:

My reaction was "Missing the Point 101."

Precisely - just because the other party is morally deficient doesn't mean one can exhibit moral weaknesses of a lesser kind.

[Gabriela]

What happened in the first place? I have no idea why she got fired and that's all I can gather from the above.

[Guest]

I'm friends with her on Facebook. I think she's great. God bless her and her family. 

[hotpink]

3 minutes ago, Josh said:

I'm friends with her on Facebook. I think she's great. God bless her and her family. 

One can be friends with someone and still disgusted with one of their actions.  She used humor that was inappropriate for someone who is very much seen as a representative of the CC today.

 

 I'm no Catholic and while I'm sure God blesses her in most moments, I'm pretty sure He isn't pleased with nastiness.  

[Guest]

I'm not offended nor disgusted. Everyone thought that when they seen the Trump logo. It was removed like a day later by the campaign. I respect your opinion I just don't share it. As far as God being offended by her "nastiness" who knows. If he's furious at her for that I can only imagine the wrath stored up for a wretched sinner as myself. Although I'm told all is forgiven and forgotten when I come out of Confession and I was just there Saturday. I'm also told I can trust in God's patience and gentleness. I also hear He has a sense of humor. Completely respect your viewpoint just completely disagree. God bless.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Guest

[hotpink]

15 minutes ago, Josh said:

I'm not offended nor disgusted. Everyone thought that when they seen the Trump logo. It was removed like a day later by the campaign. I respect your opinion I just don't share it. As far as God being offended by her "nastiness" who knows. If he's furious at her for that I can only imagine the wrath stored up for a wretched sinner as myself. Although I'm told all is forgiven and forgotten when I come out of Confession and I was just there Saturday. I'm also told I can trust in God's patience and gentleness. I also hear He has a sense of humor. Completely respect your viewpoint just completely disagree. God bless.

You're still missing the point.  She has regularly been unkind and it was, for the most part, ignored because she was in the very least tactful.  She clearly wasn't this time. 

Confession removes the spiritual punishment for our sins. It is stated to most people it doesn't remove the consequences.  Simcha received an appropriate consequence for what she said.  Speaking like that is just a horrible representation of yourself, your family---and because of her position the CC itself.  Its like that "to whom much is given much will be expected". We sin and think bad thoughts everyday, but we don't put the worst of us on display.  If you drunkenly yelled a slur during mass would you post it to YouTube and share it on phatmass as a way to get more twitter followers?  Nope, because you would be embarrassed by and sorry for your sin. Simcha is proud of her middle school humor and her position to have it be heard.  It doesn't make her a bad person, just one who needs a time out as a spokesman of the church.

[Guest]

So why aren't you Catholic if you're such an expert on how all this is supposed to work? 

[hotpink]

Just now, Josh said:

So why aren't you Catholic if you're such an expert on how all this is supposed to work? 

I've never officially joined.  That's personal to me and a long and difficult story which includes a family feud over my baptism...which I need to clarify before I can enter.  However, in the years between I have never missed a Sunday Mass and do my best to abide by the teachings. I wait for the day I may be Catholic.

but this is one case where it's quite clear that there are many groups who would find her speech unacceptable. Heck, I work a a university and if say, an admissions officer, was on the radio and combined the por taste of calling someone a natzi with a sex joke they would be looking at a pink slip too.

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, Gabriela said:

What happened in the first place? I have no idea why she got fired and that's all I can gather from the above.

I think this refers to one of things that was discussed in this thread:  http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/142259-pro-life-catholics-deserve-better/

You can read the article discussed here: 

https://stream.org/pro-life-catholics-deserve-better-writers-national-catholic-register/

From my reading, the problems with Fisher (and Shea) go far beyond just one raunchy joke about a Trump logo.  Simcha and Shea's consistent vile hatefulness towards all pro-life and conservative Catholics that do not agree with their own asinine left-wing politics is disgusting - and most un-Christ-like.  (They also advocate that Catholics support Hillary Clinton.)

If I were the Register editor,I would have fired both of them a long time ago.

We should all pray for Mr. Shea.  Sadly, it appears he has allowed himself to become a pawn of very unholy forces.  And I say that in all seriousness.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Socrates

[Guest]

Just now, hotpink said:

I've never officially joined.  That's personal to me and a long and difficult story which includes a family feud over my baptism...which I need to clarify before I can enter.  However, in the years between I have never missed a Sunday Mass and do my best to abide by the teachings. I wait for the day I may be Catholic.

but this is one case where it's quite clear that there are many groups who would find her speech unacceptable. Heck, I work a a university and if say, an admissions officer, was on the radio and combined the por taste of calling someone a natzi with a sex joke they would be looking at a pink slip too.

Well I hope you join. I will be praying for your conversion. Here is an article on this from Eye Of The Tiger yesterday : 

Newspaper Fires Staff Writers Amid Allegations That They Had Opinions 

AUGUST 23, 2016 BY ADMIN   
FILED UNDER LIBS & TRADS

Two National Catholic Register staff writers have been fired and are now facing possible public flogging after they allegedly had opinions and were outspoken about them.

The National Catholic Register on Monday terminated Mark Shea and Simcha Fisher from their positions as staff writers from the EWTN-owned newspaper. Reports from several bloggers say that they were fired for allegedly saying stuff that kinda pissed some Catholics off, but made other Catholics happy.

According to officials at the National Catholic Register, comments from Shea and Fisher on Facebook did not conform to EWTN social media standards that require articles be “within the safe confines of the Catholic bubble from which no debate or critical thinking may be had.” 

An anonymous National Catholic Register official reported this morning that a phone call from EWTN chairman of the board and chief executive officer Michael Warsaw was made to the newspaper, asking, “Will no one rid me of these troublesome writers?”

Shea and Fisher were subsequently censured, and all Catholics who owned books by the accused were asked to burn them “effective immediately.” 

“When it came down to it, it was tone,” said the anonymous National Catholic Register official who was being closely watched by an armed EWTN agent. “As everyone knows, EWTN’s audience is mainly comprised of dinosaurs, and dinosaurs don’t like loud noises. One of EWTN’s younger readers who was born in the Cretaceous Era complained that the tone of former staff writers Mr. Shea and Mrs. Fisher was loud. She said that the tone rattled her like a ‘Triceratops hearing the roar of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.’ It had nothing to do with their positions on certain topics, which have not only conformed with the vision of our newspaper, but which have also been celebrated by us for many years.”

“Our EWTN readers,” he went on to say, “are not good with handling people with tempers. St. Jerome, for instance, was known for his temper, which is why those at EWTN, praise be their name, have opened a commission with the Vatican to investigate the possibility of de-canonizing St. Jerome.”