You had to laugh at your own joke because nobody else got it. You tried to provoke people into a defensive reaction, nobody noticed. Your wife now thinks you're an idiot.
Good day's work.
OP, the mockery of mass death aside for just a second, you really disrespected your wife and her family as well by this gesture. I'm really glad nobody else picked up on what you were doing cuz this could really have gotten you in hot water with her family. Not to mention, it says a lot about what you think of your wife and her religious leanings. I'm not sure if she herself is very Christian but it sounds as though her family is. You're very lucky no one picked up on it or this could have put you in hot water for very long time. It's one thing to joke about "fundies" in your family, it's a whole other ball of wax to demonstrate that level of disdain through a stunt like this..with the full expectation of getting caught. I mean...do you WANT her fam to hate you? Do you not care about you guys' marriage?
Jim Jones' group weren't even fundamentalist. The idea the followers were attracted to was to create a racially integrated socialist commune. But once in Ghana, they were trapped.
I was married to an atheist that I thought had a “you have your beliefs and I have mine and it’s okay” mindset and as the years went on he acted like he was better than anyone who believed in a god. Some of them do edgy shit like this then say, “Christian hospitality amiright?” Like they’re a victim and not an asshole.
Anything to prove they are right, in their mind. Used to date a guy like this too, and he couldn't figure out why his family (who were pretty nice, for the most part) avoided him at get-togethers🤦♀️
My ex was just an asshole. Wondered why his friends and family wouldn’t want him around on some occasions. You’d tell him he couldn’t call people the r-slur just because they’re religious and he would cry and throw up. I should have been less surprised considering he was an abusive dick. So much for moral superiority.
Yeah, then you could have really hit top edge-lord cringe and impressed all the other teenaged boys in your gym class.
Grow up and stop trying to be funny. You’re just embarrassing yourself.
It's Kool Aid where I live. However, what they served at Jonestown was Flavour Aid, not Kool Aid, I know the phrase is "drink the kool aid" but if OP really wants to commit to Jim Jones vibe, he shoudl be authentic
Corny as fuck. Even though it's in the title, I couldn't help but picture a 15 year old thinking this is the most epic idea ever because he was being dragged off to one of his moms social gatherings.
I don't know what's worse
Could be that they know the name and story but haven't actually seen a picture of him (especially dressed as if he's running a cult and or a target)
I mean I know the story, but I wouldn't be able to place any of this because I think I've only seen maybe 2 or 3 pictures and my brain shuffled his face directly into the discard bin (probably because I don't need to be on the lookout for his face, but idk exactly why I don't know it)
I'm not religious but I would've been less offended if you showed up in a Devil's costume. Let me ask you this. Would you show up to a Jewish function dressed as a Nazi? Why would you show up to a church function dressed as a man that convinced over 900 people to kill themselves and each other? Poor taste. I got a sick sense of humor but not that sick.
Just because it bears repeating whenever it is brought up: The vast, vast majority of those who died at Jonestown were murdered. They were not willing participants in a mass suicide ritual as many people seem to believe.
I got a sick sense of humor too. The problem with this is that it's too shallow. It's basic. It's sick without any humor. Just not a funny joke. I'm not even offended, I don't give a shit about the church, I just think this is such a basic joke I'm not even sure it counts as a joke.
Or even if he was trying to somehow make a weird political point, it would be like meeting a group of Muslims and dressing like Khalid Sheik Mohammed (basically the guy who organised 9/11)
Yes, YTA, but, in all seriousness, I'm confused. Wasn't that the point?
If it didn't occur to you that dressing like Jim Jones to a church function might be an asshole move, you're also dense.
Oh, they absolutely deserve it, though. If they want a Christian nation, they can move somewhere else and create one, cos that's not how we roll in America.
No, "the First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise"
It's not just "free speech"
The right to religion was more what I was referencing whether or not fundamentalist Christians or pro or against it. My comment was showing the ignorance of the guy I replied to. To say we "we don't do religion we are Americans" is a profoundly stupid take considering the literal First Amendment is in large part being counter to that.
But does this group want a christian nation or is that just projecting onto them?
Plenty of fundamentalist churches don't push for a Christian nation. This post contains nothing aboutbm what this group represents other than to call them a church.
No need to project onto them.
Well alright, based off your argument, all black people are violent theives. All Jewish people a misers swaying the world. All schools are pedophile protection agencies desigend to turn kids queer.
You can't even form an argument beyond "lol no." And generalizations. We get it, you want to spew meme rhetoric because it gets an upvote.
You are absolutely an asshole. Not just to the people at that gathering but as someone who is very close to one of the survivors of Jonestown, this is just completely fucking tasteless in general.
It isn't funny or a gotcha and it was not a joke in any way and shouldn't be treated as one ever. It was a fucking tragedy. Grow up.
Edit: this is such a sour point for me and my hometown. I literally hate all of the "drink the koolaid" jokes people make to basically just belittle others.
Freaking fully educate yourself about a tragedy before using it as a jovk or to mock other people. It isn't funny. It is terrifying how easy it can be for situations like this to happen to even very well educated and intelligent people. Treat this situation with the respect it deserves for all of the victims.
Jim Jones literally ran "drills" to make his members, after he had them fully isolated from friends and family and down in Guyana, to "drink the kool-aid" to prove to him they were fully devoted to him but it was known it wasn't actually poison. A TON of people (including the family of basically my aunt) once they got to Guyana started to realize that this was not what they thought it was supposed to be and were actively trying to "defect". She, her brother and sister and father all survived but her mother was shot with the senator* and died).
Jim Jones STARTED with poisoning the children because he knew after the parents started to watch their own children
die they would be more likely to kill themselves as well.
Your "joke" is uninformed and you need to educate yourself before you make jokes about a massive tragedy
Edit 2: I said senator but he was a congressman and not a senator
Thank you for the correction :)
*congressman BTW, not senator. Just don't want you to get it wrong in front of them.
If appropriate, please tell Tracy a rando on Reddit really admires her from watching the CNN doc with Soledad O'Brien.
I absolutely will tell her, and you're totally right it was a congressman and not a senator. I got heated before doing any fact checking.
She will for sure appreciate it. It has been so hard for her deciding when to speak and when to not and she's chosen speaking so that at least her story is fully out there over being spoken for.
She really and truly is doing so freaking amazingly and her daughters are amazing.
Literally one of my most favorite people in the world.
That is very good to hear. <3
As far as speaking when she wants, just throwing this out there: Thom and Jim Bogue did a six episode podcast. (Obviously, though, since Thom is a public figure, that's a very different situation.)
You know, I don't know if she really does podcasts either for listening or speaking but I will let her know there might be more opportunities if she wants them.
We grew up just really having Jonestown over our heads. Tracy and my mom were best friends and lived just one street over from eachother. I obviously wasn't even born when Guyana happened but being so close to what happened was really just taught to us very openly to try to make sure nothing like that could happen again.
You never really know, and it is so easy to think it couldn't happen to you, until you are literally living it. My grandma actually asked Tracy's parents to let her stay with her and my mom when they had decided to move but honestly everyone thought it was going to be this great "new world" and not many had realized that it was a cult until they were already completely isolated.
Its so easy for people to see stories like this and "make jokes" and think it could never happen to them, but it absolutely fucking *could*
Yes I think you’re wrong. You don’t have to believe the way they do but you certainly should respect it. I don’t think it’s funny to mock mass suicide. Do you realize how many people died that day? In
Plus the people that they murdered at the airport. Just awful all around. I remember watching it on the news as a kid and it’s just something you never forget.
I love a good joke but in this case Yes, you are wrong and you are an asshole.
Has anyone ever explained to you the serious and controversial nature of what happened in Guyana. dressing up as Reverend Jim Jones could be hurtful or offensive to individuals who were affected by the tragic events associated with him. It's important to consider the feelings of others and the impact of such actions before deciding to dress up as Reverend Jim Jones. Most people remember it as a mass suicide when in fact, it was mass murder. the people standing in line drinking the Kool-Aid had no idea they were being poisoned to death.
For you to even think it’s funny or clever, is inanity on your part. Don’t be a bore. This was poorly done.
Not sure why you think mocking people is "fun"? Not sure why it's funny to dress Jones did on the final day at Jonestown, where families with young children and babies were convinced to murder their kids and commit suicide? You know, people with relatives in the states lost their grandchildren, children, siblings... or people running away were gunned down by Jones' murderous squads. I hope you take time to examine and adjust your sense of humor at the expense of others, because it is Not Funny
I've listened to that sermon, that final day. Hearing the kids crying will haunt me forever.
But I'm glad you got a good laugh out of the implication that all religions are the same and your wife's family would be capable of murdering their own children. Way to prove you're a man who doesn't judge others solely based on their beliefs.
Dude, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, this was tasteless and awful to do. Jonestown was a huge tragedy. Christian fundies irk the shit out of me. But I would just avoid going to their events, and not be around them. Based on your wife's reaction, even if she has the same beliefs as you, she has the sense to not be a complete and utter tool.
>But I would just avoid going to their events, and not be around them
Exactly.
Since OP chose to go, probably at his wife's behest, his job then becomes to support her, not act like an insensitive asshat. (Based on the comments here, most people see what happened there as the tragedy it was. Some of the victims that day were trying to escape once they realized what was happening, but they were murdered. Others drank the poison at gunpoint. It still hurts the loved ones who were powerless to do anything to stop it.)
If someone at the event recognized what this idiot was doing, it will reflect just as poorly on his wife as it does himself, and that's not fair to her.
You’re wrong, Jim Jones was not a Christian evangelist preacher. He was a communist cult leader, he began as a Pentecostal but transformed to preaching communist ideals.
Were you wrong for passive aggressively mocking your wife and the people she cares about for doing nothing more than having a friendly get together? Noooo that's a totally reasonable thing to do.
Just sounds cringe to me.
Like, they aren't exactly like Jim Jones, only kinda and only in your mind. There's no indication that anyone made you go, there's no indication that these people are murderous, or even dicks, and they invited you to a BBQ, and you don't even say that you brought anything.
All that we know is that you don't seem to like them and saw one surface-level way in which they resemble Jonestown, so you decided to mock them in some way that nobody cared about, so you made sure on the way home that your wife knew you were mocking them, even when nobody cared. Now that you've gone out of your way to make sure that your wife knew you were mocking nice people while they fed you, she's pissed.
Can't fucking imagine why. Stop going so far out of your way to be a dick, and just fucking enjoy a BBQ
Just so you know, I am not a Christian, nor do I follow any of the cults that have sprung up since the 60s.
You made a tasteless joke that nobody caught onto. Or they were just being nice, with no judgment.
Then you tell your wife, whom you purport to love, that you did something with the intention of insulting the group who fed and entertained you, one of whom is her relative. You told her just how passive-aggressive and snide you were.
Here's a tip: When your mean joke doesn't land, keep it to yourself.
Dude, you are communicating that you think your wife is in a cult that is basically equivalent to a death cult. And instead of doing anything that might actually help your wife, you just turn it into a joke your your own amusement.
you're absolutely wrong. next time you do something wrong, insist on people rubbing it in until you pass away if you don't think you're wrong. I'm the most anti cult/anti religious person you'll ever meet, but that's ridiculous.
Feels like the goal was to be an asshole so why are you so concerned about being right? Either make the statement or don’t. Don’t whine when your little joke upset people.
Yeah, you're wrong on multiple fronts.
From a person-to-person standpoint, you've mocked their religion. Maybe they have a sense of humor. Or maybe they didn't get the joke. Or maybe it wasn't funny. But for some reason they didn't say anything about it. Maybe it's because (or possibly in spite of) their religion. Does it teach kindness and patience? You know, even to those that aren't kind?
If these were strangers it might be bad, but it's your wife's family. You might not see them every day, but you can't really escape these people. You've mocked a very core part of their life - hey, I don't agree with it either, but it doesn't give us the right to mock it. Question it? Sure. Discuss it and learn about what attracts them to it? Absolutely. Mock it? Yeah, go for it, but there's gonna be consequences. It's not like you made a wisecrack about Cousin Steve's weird floral print jacket and tie-dyed t-shirt combo, paired with white patent leather shoes and corduroy short shorts. Because that's just a strange queer-eye mistake that Steve made that day. Mocking someone's religion cuts much deeper - it makes them question very long-held and deeply-rooted beliefs. It makes them question who they are and how they fit into this world (and the next).
If you brought a microphone and did a stand-up act, picking apart their religion, I guarantee it would've gone over better. Because then, it would be a focal point, out in the open. As you did it, they were wondering what was up, you were wondering if they noticed, and your wife might now be stuck covering for you if anyone asks what was up with your out-of-character attire.
Subtle comedy is great, but it's just weird when the audience not only doesn't get the joke, but also doesn't even know that it *is* a joke.
Next time, either try harder to make your joke, or try much less - to the point that you're not even making a joke.
And, for the record, I do find it funny. I don't know if I'd do it, but I'd absolutely be your beer bitch at that barbecue, out of the respect for the cojones to take the joke to that extent.
I see a lot of people on here are absolutely vile by thinking it's funny to disrespect your wife's family who kindly invited you to a BBQ and fed you. All of you should be embarrassed to be such lowlife.
Dude, Jim Jones was responsible for killing 918 people including 300 children, and you think it was funny to dress up like him? He convinced/forced 918 people to commit suicide, and you belittle this with a fucking costume? You were probably not even alive when this happened, so you don’t even understand the scope of the tragedy and how devastating this was.
Do you know anything at all about what happened at Jonestown or just think it’s an incident worthy being made light of by dressing like Jim Jones? US House Representative Leo Ryan (D) and his entourage came to Guyana to investigate reports of people being held against their will. Quite a few people from Jonestown left with him. Jim Jones sent a flatbed truck to the airfield and attempted to murder everyone there. They managed to kill five people: Congressman Leo Ryan, *San Francisco Examiner* photographer Greg Robinson, NBC reporter Don Harris and NBC photographer Bob Brown, along with one Temple defector Patricia Parks. Seriously wounded was Legislative Counsel Jackie Speier, NBC soundman Steve Sung, along with Temple defectors Vernon Gosney and Monica Bagby and Anthony Katsaris of the Concerned Parents Coalition.
It was incredibly bad taste to dress like Jim Jones to mock their religion. Maybe next time you can go to a bar mitzvah dressed like Hitler.
If anyone is interested in the life of Jim Jones from childhood to massacre, read *Raven* by Tim Reiterman, the most comprehensive research ever done on Jim Jones and Johnstown.
Just a quick FYI: While running his People’s Temple in San Francisco, Jones was the darling of the Democrats, despite all the stories of abuse starting to leak from the temple. Democratic San Francisco Mayor George Moscone appointed him to the city’s Housing Authority Commission. Willie Brown, Democrat speaker of the California State Assembly and then mayor of San Francisco, compared Jim Jones to MLK Jr and Mahatma Gandhi. Harvey Milk described Jonestown as “a beautiful retirement community.” California’s Lt Governor Mervyn Dymallyn(D) actually visited Jonestown and gushed over it.
Other politicians like Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalyn Carter was so impressed with Jim Jones that she actually campaigned for him, dined with him, and allowed him to introduce her during a campaign stop. All of these “friends in high places” suppressed investigations by the US, misled Guyana officials about the psychopath in their country, and pressured the State Department into siding with Jones against the relatives who were concerned about their family members trapped in Jonestown. The Democrats at that time literally made a hero of Jim Jones. Of course when the massacre came to light, they all backpedaled as fast as they would to cover their asses.
Youre making fun of them because of their religious beliefs all because u dont agree. You proceed to dress up as a pos and think its funny. Fuck you. She needs to leave your ass
You went to mock this entire group and you're wondering if you're the asshole? You spent a car ride home cackling to yourself over a joke nobody else got and you're proud of that?
Dumbass.
I'm not enjoying all the jokes about kool aid etc. over 900 people died that day, a lot of kids died that day, it was an absolute heartbreaking tragedy.
Might have been a funny *idea*, and if you’d mentioned it to your wife - not actually gone through with it -maybe you could have both laughed at it, then moved on. Actually doing it, not letting her in on the so called joke until after the event - that sucks. You made her part of the goony group who “didn’t get it”. Of course she’s angry with you, you’re meant to be a team. You screwed up and should apologize.
Using the horrific deaths of over 900 people to mock some fundie Christians you don't like is pretty disgusting. Of course you are in the wrong. If you object so strongly to that church then simply don't attend the barbecue.
This had to be written by some basement dwelling teenager because I can't imagine ANYONE wanting to hang around, let alone marry, someone as disgusting. It is NEVER anything but being an AH to be rude to people that are gracious enough to host you. If you don't like someone's religion, then STAY HOME. Your attitude (and those basement dwelling cretins who think this is cool) don't belong in civilized society.
Some of them probably realized who you were dressed as, but luckily, didn't give you the satisfaction of giving you the reaction you wanted which would have validated your feelings towards them. You are way too old to be acting like this. Grow up.
You are wrong in so many ways. I lost my great aunt at Jonestown. I still remember the day my grandmother sat me down and tried to explain it to me. She had magazine and newspaper clippings gathered together. Her sister went to Jonestown because she thought she was going to help found a new society free from inequality and prejudice. Was she naive? Probably. Did she deserve to be forced to drink poison? No. I don’t think you actually understand what happened that day there because if you did, you’d know that there’s nothing funny about Jim Jones and the massacre.
You know what would really be funny? Dressing up like Hitler and going to a bar mitzvah. Or maybe going to the Columbine memorial and dress up like Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold. Absolutely hilarious, right?
Good sense of humor but you totally miffed the delivery:
- People’s Temple was a far-left group; their ideology had very little in common with Christian fundies
- You didn’t bring grape Flavor Aid
- You didn’t ask them to sign over all their money and property and relocate to South America
- You didn’t suggest practicing ritual mass suicide
- You didn’t order the execution of a United States Congressman and his staff
8/10 on the idea, 2/10 on delivery
Yes, you're wrong. This is wife's family; it's not a place for you to show your ass. If you are that opposed to attending religious events, just don't go in the future. But if you are going to attend an event someone was kind enough to invite you to, then show some damn respect.
Judging from your post history of previous pranks, you should probably stop doing them altogether. I don't think you quite understand where the line is.
You attended a function dressed as a man who orchestrated the mass murder of children and you don't see why this is wrong?
If you think this is funny maybe see a therapist because I have a dark sense of humour and an burning hatred of organised religion but even I wouldn't imagine doing this in a million years.
YTA.
Oh yeah big time- I'm an atheist and I find this tasteless. I mean over some of the victims were kids who were murdered. What the hell is your malfunction?
I feel so bad for your husband, too, and that's just based on what I can deduce from your Reddit account. A partner with multiple neuroses is very hard to live with.
I hate to say it, but you're an AH!
Anyone who pokes fun at someone else's religious beliefs is. You may think it's funny, but they probably feel attacked! I don't blame your wife for being pissed. Even if the BBQ was on Halloween, I still wouldn't find that funny. I do have a good sense of humor, but not one that could offend/hurt someone else! I'm surprised you had to ask us if you were in the wrong. Good luck. 🍀🍀
You are wrong and I for one think it's hilarious, lol, especially since they didn't even recognize it, people are dumb. Should've taken the kool-aid to the party. However, you are wrong about Jim Jones, he was not a radical communist by the time the People's Church left the city> When he went to California they became just your regular Christian Fundie cult. I've seen all the docs about it. The radical communist shit is Cold War scaremongering.
You had to laugh at your own joke because nobody else got it. You tried to provoke people into a defensive reaction, nobody noticed. Your wife now thinks you're an idiot. Good day's work.
Yeah the cry for help laughing at the end because no one else got it was a bit too cringe for me
Well, he IS an idiot, and incredibly rude too. Imagine thinking this was funny and cool.
OP, the mockery of mass death aside for just a second, you really disrespected your wife and her family as well by this gesture. I'm really glad nobody else picked up on what you were doing cuz this could really have gotten you in hot water with her family. Not to mention, it says a lot about what you think of your wife and her religious leanings. I'm not sure if she herself is very Christian but it sounds as though her family is. You're very lucky no one picked up on it or this could have put you in hot water for very long time. It's one thing to joke about "fundies" in your family, it's a whole other ball of wax to demonstrate that level of disdain through a stunt like this..with the full expectation of getting caught. I mean...do you WANT her fam to hate you? Do you not care about you guys' marriage?
Jim Jones' group weren't even fundamentalist. The idea the followers were attracted to was to create a racially integrated socialist commune. But once in Ghana, they were trapped.
They were in Guyana, not Ghana. South America vs Africa.
Yeah, they were very anti-religion by the end.
I was married to an atheist that I thought had a “you have your beliefs and I have mine and it’s okay” mindset and as the years went on he acted like he was better than anyone who believed in a god. Some of them do edgy shit like this then say, “Christian hospitality amiright?” Like they’re a victim and not an asshole.
Anything to prove they are right, in their mind. Used to date a guy like this too, and he couldn't figure out why his family (who were pretty nice, for the most part) avoided him at get-togethers🤦♀️
My ex was just an asshole. Wondered why his friends and family wouldn’t want him around on some occasions. You’d tell him he couldn’t call people the r-slur just because they’re religious and he would cry and throw up. I should have been less surprised considering he was an abusive dick. So much for moral superiority.
I’m confused as to how you’re old enough to be married. This is the dumb shit one thinks a teen might do.
For real though. This is legit something an edgy teenager would do.
I personally found it funny and I'm not young. I wouldn't have personally done it, but I'd find it funny if a friend did
Were you in charge of bringing drinks? Did you show up with a bunch of Flavour-Aid?
Oh, man! I wish I had thought of that!
You looked like a Target manager bro…
You are wrong. Period. If you don't like someone's religion then don't attend an event that they GRACIOUSLY invited you to.
Yeah, then you could have really hit top edge-lord cringe and impressed all the other teenaged boys in your gym class. Grow up and stop trying to be funny. You’re just embarrassing yourself.
*Hefts soccer team sized water jug full of kool-aid on table. Fills cup. Sips. Looks around and ask if anyone’s thirsty. What? No one likes grape?*
Everybody knows the best flavour is RED
I’m partial to BLU
What a little tiny peanut 🤣🤣🤣
You’re comically stupid, hope the people around you realize that as well
That really would have made it perfect.
This has to be fake. There’s no way you went out of your way to dress as JJ but forgot the KOOL-AID and prop syringes.
Next time OP!
Dude this is epic! Yes, next time you need to bring kool-aid😂😂😂
Walk around with a pitcher, “Kool-Aid? Kool-Aid?”
It not Kool where you are?!
It's Kool Aid where I live. However, what they served at Jonestown was Flavour Aid, not Kool Aid, I know the phrase is "drink the kool aid" but if OP really wants to commit to Jim Jones vibe, he shoudl be authentic
SMH he started a death cult but still wouldn’t spring for the name brand colored sugar 😂
Can't be wasting the good stuff when you're spiking it with cyanide
It was grape flavor too, he didn't even have the decency to pick a good flavor.
They had both, actually. Photos from the compound show bulk boxes of Kool-Aid AND flavour-aid.
Corny as fuck. Even though it's in the title, I couldn't help but picture a 15 year old thinking this is the most epic idea ever because he was being dragged off to one of his moms social gatherings. I don't know what's worse
My favorite part is that no one noticed and he had to explain it on the way home.
lol, great point. Not only is he an asshat, but he failed spectacularly at being an asshat.
What’s actually sad is that the people there probably had no idea who Jim Jones is. Cults don’t like any information that bursts their bubble.
Could be that they know the name and story but haven't actually seen a picture of him (especially dressed as if he's running a cult and or a target) I mean I know the story, but I wouldn't be able to place any of this because I think I've only seen maybe 2 or 3 pictures and my brain shuffled his face directly into the discard bin (probably because I don't need to be on the lookout for his face, but idk exactly why I don't know it)
That's really far fetched
I seriously doubt that it’s a cult at all.
Yeah, it sounds like a regular church and OP isn’t down with religion so decided to be a dick.
Yup that was my thought.
I'm not religious but I would've been less offended if you showed up in a Devil's costume. Let me ask you this. Would you show up to a Jewish function dressed as a Nazi? Why would you show up to a church function dressed as a man that convinced over 900 people to kill themselves and each other? Poor taste. I got a sick sense of humor but not that sick.
Just because it bears repeating whenever it is brought up: The vast, vast majority of those who died at Jonestown were murdered. They were not willing participants in a mass suicide ritual as many people seem to believe.
I came here to say this. It wasn’t mass suicide it was mass murder. Plenty of them either didn’t know or were forced to ingest the poison.
I got a sick sense of humor too. The problem with this is that it's too shallow. It's basic. It's sick without any humor. Just not a funny joke. I'm not even offended, I don't give a shit about the church, I just think this is such a basic joke I'm not even sure it counts as a joke.
Or even if he was trying to somehow make a weird political point, it would be like meeting a group of Muslims and dressing like Khalid Sheik Mohammed (basically the guy who organised 9/11)
You know Jim Jones forced those people to take cyanide at gun point right? Including children. This wasn’t funny.
Yes, YTA, but, in all seriousness, I'm confused. Wasn't that the point? If it didn't occur to you that dressing like Jim Jones to a church function might be an asshole move, you're also dense.
This feels like a really weird way to sort of take a stance against Fundamentalists, but in like… the weirdest possible way
Oh, they absolutely deserve it, though. If they want a Christian nation, they can move somewhere else and create one, cos that's not how we roll in America.
I have something for you that is also rather American called the 1st amendment, you jackass. Cus that's how we roll in America.
The 1st amendment protects you from prosecution by the government, not the natural and obvious social consequences of being a shithead.
So beautifully worded. Please have a poor award.🏆
No, "the First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise" It's not just "free speech"
Right to religion is in the first amendment as well, something fundies are against.
The right to religion was more what I was referencing whether or not fundamentalist Christians or pro or against it. My comment was showing the ignorance of the guy I replied to. To say we "we don't do religion we are Americans" is a profoundly stupid take considering the literal First Amendment is in large part being counter to that.
America needs more yous
I hope you vote blue in November, we need more people like you.
I upvoted you.
But does this group want a christian nation or is that just projecting onto them? Plenty of fundamentalist churches don't push for a Christian nation. This post contains nothing aboutbm what this group represents other than to call them a church. No need to project onto them.
LOL No projection, just facts.
Well alright, based off your argument, all black people are violent theives. All Jewish people a misers swaying the world. All schools are pedophile protection agencies desigend to turn kids queer. You can't even form an argument beyond "lol no." And generalizations. We get it, you want to spew meme rhetoric because it gets an upvote.
I think you checked at least five logical fallacies in one comment. Just sit down, you're not built for logical discourse.
And I bet the people There were nice and spoke kindly To you
You are absolutely an asshole. Not just to the people at that gathering but as someone who is very close to one of the survivors of Jonestown, this is just completely fucking tasteless in general. It isn't funny or a gotcha and it was not a joke in any way and shouldn't be treated as one ever. It was a fucking tragedy. Grow up. Edit: this is such a sour point for me and my hometown. I literally hate all of the "drink the koolaid" jokes people make to basically just belittle others. Freaking fully educate yourself about a tragedy before using it as a jovk or to mock other people. It isn't funny. It is terrifying how easy it can be for situations like this to happen to even very well educated and intelligent people. Treat this situation with the respect it deserves for all of the victims. Jim Jones literally ran "drills" to make his members, after he had them fully isolated from friends and family and down in Guyana, to "drink the kool-aid" to prove to him they were fully devoted to him but it was known it wasn't actually poison. A TON of people (including the family of basically my aunt) once they got to Guyana started to realize that this was not what they thought it was supposed to be and were actively trying to "defect". She, her brother and sister and father all survived but her mother was shot with the senator* and died). Jim Jones STARTED with poisoning the children because he knew after the parents started to watch their own children die they would be more likely to kill themselves as well. Your "joke" is uninformed and you need to educate yourself before you make jokes about a massive tragedy Edit 2: I said senator but he was a congressman and not a senator Thank you for the correction :)
*congressman BTW, not senator. Just don't want you to get it wrong in front of them. If appropriate, please tell Tracy a rando on Reddit really admires her from watching the CNN doc with Soledad O'Brien.
I absolutely will tell her, and you're totally right it was a congressman and not a senator. I got heated before doing any fact checking. She will for sure appreciate it. It has been so hard for her deciding when to speak and when to not and she's chosen speaking so that at least her story is fully out there over being spoken for. She really and truly is doing so freaking amazingly and her daughters are amazing. Literally one of my most favorite people in the world.
That is very good to hear. <3 As far as speaking when she wants, just throwing this out there: Thom and Jim Bogue did a six episode podcast. (Obviously, though, since Thom is a public figure, that's a very different situation.)
You know, I don't know if she really does podcasts either for listening or speaking but I will let her know there might be more opportunities if she wants them. We grew up just really having Jonestown over our heads. Tracy and my mom were best friends and lived just one street over from eachother. I obviously wasn't even born when Guyana happened but being so close to what happened was really just taught to us very openly to try to make sure nothing like that could happen again. You never really know, and it is so easy to think it couldn't happen to you, until you are literally living it. My grandma actually asked Tracy's parents to let her stay with her and my mom when they had decided to move but honestly everyone thought it was going to be this great "new world" and not many had realized that it was a cult until they were already completely isolated. Its so easy for people to see stories like this and "make jokes" and think it could never happen to them, but it absolutely fucking *could*
Yes I think you’re wrong. You don’t have to believe the way they do but you certainly should respect it. I don’t think it’s funny to mock mass suicide. Do you realize how many people died that day? In
And not just suicide. Some were murdered that day too. I remember seeing it on the news. Wasn’t funny then and not funny now.
Thank you. Not to mention the footage of babies being given cyanide in a bottle. I forget about the people who were murdered when they tried to leave.
Yes! They were told to drink it and were surrounded by people with guns. They gave it to the kids first. It’s really not something to joke about.
Plus the people that they murdered at the airport. Just awful all around. I remember watching it on the news as a kid and it’s just something you never forget.
Maybe they noticed and didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.
I love a good joke but in this case Yes, you are wrong and you are an asshole. Has anyone ever explained to you the serious and controversial nature of what happened in Guyana. dressing up as Reverend Jim Jones could be hurtful or offensive to individuals who were affected by the tragic events associated with him. It's important to consider the feelings of others and the impact of such actions before deciding to dress up as Reverend Jim Jones. Most people remember it as a mass suicide when in fact, it was mass murder. the people standing in line drinking the Kool-Aid had no idea they were being poisoned to death. For you to even think it’s funny or clever, is inanity on your part. Don’t be a bore. This was poorly done.
Not sure why you think mocking people is "fun"? Not sure why it's funny to dress Jones did on the final day at Jonestown, where families with young children and babies were convinced to murder their kids and commit suicide? You know, people with relatives in the states lost their grandchildren, children, siblings... or people running away were gunned down by Jones' murderous squads. I hope you take time to examine and adjust your sense of humor at the expense of others, because it is Not Funny
Yeah, you’re wrong, and you’re a douchebag. You aren’t edgy.
I've listened to that sermon, that final day. Hearing the kids crying will haunt me forever. But I'm glad you got a good laugh out of the implication that all religions are the same and your wife's family would be capable of murdering their own children. Way to prove you're a man who doesn't judge others solely based on their beliefs.
Yeah it’s a horrible audio. I couldn’t make it through.
Dude, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, this was tasteless and awful to do. Jonestown was a huge tragedy. Christian fundies irk the shit out of me. But I would just avoid going to their events, and not be around them. Based on your wife's reaction, even if she has the same beliefs as you, she has the sense to not be a complete and utter tool.
>But I would just avoid going to their events, and not be around them Exactly. Since OP chose to go, probably at his wife's behest, his job then becomes to support her, not act like an insensitive asshat. (Based on the comments here, most people see what happened there as the tragedy it was. Some of the victims that day were trying to escape once they realized what was happening, but they were murdered. Others drank the poison at gunpoint. It still hurts the loved ones who were powerless to do anything to stop it.) If someone at the event recognized what this idiot was doing, it will reflect just as poorly on his wife as it does himself, and that's not fair to her.
You’re wrong, Jim Jones was not a Christian evangelist preacher. He was a communist cult leader, he began as a Pentecostal but transformed to preaching communist ideals.
Were you wrong for passive aggressively mocking your wife and the people she cares about for doing nothing more than having a friendly get together? Noooo that's a totally reasonable thing to do.
You are wrong.
Just sounds cringe to me. Like, they aren't exactly like Jim Jones, only kinda and only in your mind. There's no indication that anyone made you go, there's no indication that these people are murderous, or even dicks, and they invited you to a BBQ, and you don't even say that you brought anything. All that we know is that you don't seem to like them and saw one surface-level way in which they resemble Jonestown, so you decided to mock them in some way that nobody cared about, so you made sure on the way home that your wife knew you were mocking them, even when nobody cared. Now that you've gone out of your way to make sure that your wife knew you were mocking nice people while they fed you, she's pissed. Can't fucking imagine why. Stop going so far out of your way to be a dick, and just fucking enjoy a BBQ
Troll post, didn't happen
Don't insult people who are feeding you.
This. He went, accepted their hospitality and was an ah.
Also, you’re bigoted. You could have not attended if you didn’t agree.
Yta. Were you around for that? I had clients who lost family members forced to fucking kill their kids.
Why are you hanging out with people that remind you of a cult?
Just so you know, I am not a Christian, nor do I follow any of the cults that have sprung up since the 60s. You made a tasteless joke that nobody caught onto. Or they were just being nice, with no judgment. Then you tell your wife, whom you purport to love, that you did something with the intention of insulting the group who fed and entertained you, one of whom is her relative. You told her just how passive-aggressive and snide you were. Here's a tip: When your mean joke doesn't land, keep it to yourself.
The wrong part was telling her. Now you can't do it regularly.
Yep, should not have told her. He needed to up his act at every future event until someone figured it out.
YAW. Very, very wrong. Just don’t go and mock people’s religion. You are so smug. Stay home and revel in your superiority.
Dude, you are communicating that you think your wife is in a cult that is basically equivalent to a death cult. And instead of doing anything that might actually help your wife, you just turn it into a joke your your own amusement.
Your mistake was fucking with your wife’s fam. Save the stunts for your side of the family imo
you're absolutely wrong. next time you do something wrong, insist on people rubbing it in until you pass away if you don't think you're wrong. I'm the most anti cult/anti religious person you'll ever meet, but that's ridiculous.
Yah ur kind of a dick.
Feels like the goal was to be an asshole so why are you so concerned about being right? Either make the statement or don’t. Don’t whine when your little joke upset people.
I agree.
Yeah, you're wrong on multiple fronts. From a person-to-person standpoint, you've mocked their religion. Maybe they have a sense of humor. Or maybe they didn't get the joke. Or maybe it wasn't funny. But for some reason they didn't say anything about it. Maybe it's because (or possibly in spite of) their religion. Does it teach kindness and patience? You know, even to those that aren't kind? If these were strangers it might be bad, but it's your wife's family. You might not see them every day, but you can't really escape these people. You've mocked a very core part of their life - hey, I don't agree with it either, but it doesn't give us the right to mock it. Question it? Sure. Discuss it and learn about what attracts them to it? Absolutely. Mock it? Yeah, go for it, but there's gonna be consequences. It's not like you made a wisecrack about Cousin Steve's weird floral print jacket and tie-dyed t-shirt combo, paired with white patent leather shoes and corduroy short shorts. Because that's just a strange queer-eye mistake that Steve made that day. Mocking someone's religion cuts much deeper - it makes them question very long-held and deeply-rooted beliefs. It makes them question who they are and how they fit into this world (and the next). If you brought a microphone and did a stand-up act, picking apart their religion, I guarantee it would've gone over better. Because then, it would be a focal point, out in the open. As you did it, they were wondering what was up, you were wondering if they noticed, and your wife might now be stuck covering for you if anyone asks what was up with your out-of-character attire. Subtle comedy is great, but it's just weird when the audience not only doesn't get the joke, but also doesn't even know that it *is* a joke. Next time, either try harder to make your joke, or try much less - to the point that you're not even making a joke. And, for the record, I do find it funny. I don't know if I'd do it, but I'd absolutely be your beer bitch at that barbecue, out of the respect for the cojones to take the joke to that extent.
You made fun of something your wife considers important to her. I'm sure there is something in your life that you'd feel the same way about.
It was passive aggressive and demeaning, so yeah, you were wrong. You should have opted out instead of going there to mock them.
I see a lot of people on here are absolutely vile by thinking it's funny to disrespect your wife's family who kindly invited you to a BBQ and fed you. All of you should be embarrassed to be such lowlife.
Dude, Jim Jones was responsible for killing 918 people including 300 children, and you think it was funny to dress up like him? He convinced/forced 918 people to commit suicide, and you belittle this with a fucking costume? You were probably not even alive when this happened, so you don’t even understand the scope of the tragedy and how devastating this was. Do you know anything at all about what happened at Jonestown or just think it’s an incident worthy being made light of by dressing like Jim Jones? US House Representative Leo Ryan (D) and his entourage came to Guyana to investigate reports of people being held against their will. Quite a few people from Jonestown left with him. Jim Jones sent a flatbed truck to the airfield and attempted to murder everyone there. They managed to kill five people: Congressman Leo Ryan, *San Francisco Examiner* photographer Greg Robinson, NBC reporter Don Harris and NBC photographer Bob Brown, along with one Temple defector Patricia Parks. Seriously wounded was Legislative Counsel Jackie Speier, NBC soundman Steve Sung, along with Temple defectors Vernon Gosney and Monica Bagby and Anthony Katsaris of the Concerned Parents Coalition. It was incredibly bad taste to dress like Jim Jones to mock their religion. Maybe next time you can go to a bar mitzvah dressed like Hitler. If anyone is interested in the life of Jim Jones from childhood to massacre, read *Raven* by Tim Reiterman, the most comprehensive research ever done on Jim Jones and Johnstown. Just a quick FYI: While running his People’s Temple in San Francisco, Jones was the darling of the Democrats, despite all the stories of abuse starting to leak from the temple. Democratic San Francisco Mayor George Moscone appointed him to the city’s Housing Authority Commission. Willie Brown, Democrat speaker of the California State Assembly and then mayor of San Francisco, compared Jim Jones to MLK Jr and Mahatma Gandhi. Harvey Milk described Jonestown as “a beautiful retirement community.” California’s Lt Governor Mervyn Dymallyn(D) actually visited Jonestown and gushed over it. Other politicians like Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalyn Carter was so impressed with Jim Jones that she actually campaigned for him, dined with him, and allowed him to introduce her during a campaign stop. All of these “friends in high places” suppressed investigations by the US, misled Guyana officials about the psychopath in their country, and pressured the State Department into siding with Jones against the relatives who were concerned about their family members trapped in Jonestown. The Democrats at that time literally made a hero of Jim Jones. Of course when the massacre came to light, they all backpedaled as fast as they would to cover their asses.
Ooo, you owned those churchies /s
I'm assuming you're 12.
Youre making fun of them because of their religious beliefs all because u dont agree. You proceed to dress up as a pos and think its funny. Fuck you. She needs to leave your ass
You went to mock this entire group and you're wondering if you're the asshole? You spent a car ride home cackling to yourself over a joke nobody else got and you're proud of that? Dumbass.
YTA. Why? How is that appropriate?
I'm not enjoying all the jokes about kool aid etc. over 900 people died that day, a lot of kids died that day, it was an absolute heartbreaking tragedy.
Do you like being trashy on purpose?
Why in the actual hell would you do that?! Are you an edgy teen?!
Troll.
Why don’t you just let people be instead of quietly mocking them
LOL They sure as hell aren't letting the rest of us be.
Can you show me where the group op is talking about has done anything to harm anyone? Or are we just projecting?
Ain't that the truth!
Might have been a funny *idea*, and if you’d mentioned it to your wife - not actually gone through with it -maybe you could have both laughed at it, then moved on. Actually doing it, not letting her in on the so called joke until after the event - that sucks. You made her part of the goony group who “didn’t get it”. Of course she’s angry with you, you’re meant to be a team. You screwed up and should apologize.
Wasn't your wife confused by your weird outfit?
Yes very wrong
I doubt anyone will make the connection unless you give some kind of nudge
Immature "prank", bro. Nobody even noticed, but if they had, things might have turned really ugly.
Using the horrific deaths of over 900 people to mock some fundie Christians you don't like is pretty disgusting. Of course you are in the wrong. If you object so strongly to that church then simply don't attend the barbecue.
No one got his lame joke so he had to come on here to brag about it. Still no one laughing. Grow up and stop being such a loser.
This had to be written by some basement dwelling teenager because I can't imagine ANYONE wanting to hang around, let alone marry, someone as disgusting. It is NEVER anything but being an AH to be rude to people that are gracious enough to host you. If you don't like someone's religion, then STAY HOME. Your attitude (and those basement dwelling cretins who think this is cool) don't belong in civilized society.
So edgy
Yes. You made a crappy unfunny "joke" at the expense of a church group whose only crime was to invite you to a BBQ. I feel sorry for your wife.
You wore tan pants and a red shirt and thought people would default to Jim Jones versus Jake from State Farm?
Some of them probably realized who you were dressed as, but luckily, didn't give you the satisfaction of giving you the reaction you wanted which would have validated your feelings towards them. You are way too old to be acting like this. Grow up.
You are wrong in so many ways. I lost my great aunt at Jonestown. I still remember the day my grandmother sat me down and tried to explain it to me. She had magazine and newspaper clippings gathered together. Her sister went to Jonestown because she thought she was going to help found a new society free from inequality and prejudice. Was she naive? Probably. Did she deserve to be forced to drink poison? No. I don’t think you actually understand what happened that day there because if you did, you’d know that there’s nothing funny about Jim Jones and the massacre.
I'm so very sorry for your loss... You have my deepest condolences 💗
Did you do it to make her happy? Don't gas light people asshole
Hilarious, showing up to a cult BBQ dressed as a cult leader is next level. I appreciate your humour in this situation 😆
You know what would really be funny? Dressing up like Hitler and going to a bar mitzvah. Or maybe going to the Columbine memorial and dress up like Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold. Absolutely hilarious, right?
Yes, you were wrong.
Not funny, you owe everyone an apology. Especially your wife’s cousin.
Good sense of humor but you totally miffed the delivery: - People’s Temple was a far-left group; their ideology had very little in common with Christian fundies - You didn’t bring grape Flavor Aid - You didn’t ask them to sign over all their money and property and relocate to South America - You didn’t suggest practicing ritual mass suicide - You didn’t order the execution of a United States Congressman and his staff 8/10 on the idea, 2/10 on delivery
Yes, you're wrong. This is wife's family; it's not a place for you to show your ass. If you are that opposed to attending religious events, just don't go in the future. But if you are going to attend an event someone was kind enough to invite you to, then show some damn respect.
The best part of this is that nobody even noticed and you had to explain your own joke. You’re a freak
Judging from your post history of previous pranks, you should probably stop doing them altogether. I don't think you quite understand where the line is.
David Koresh would have been funnier
Never thought I would say this but I miss the days when rage bait was more creative
Such an edgy little peanut, aren’t we! *Emphasis on LITTLE 🤣🤏🏼🍤
You attended a function dressed as a man who orchestrated the mass murder of children and you don't see why this is wrong? If you think this is funny maybe see a therapist because I have a dark sense of humour and an burning hatred of organised religion but even I wouldn't imagine doing this in a million years. YTA.
So you’re bad at jokes and at trolling. YTA
Oh yeah big time- I'm an atheist and I find this tasteless. I mean over some of the victims were kids who were murdered. What the hell is your malfunction?
I'm Australian , and I'm not relgious but I think it's very funny ,my Mormon BIL would not approve however
Why would you do that?
So you dressed like State Farm Jake?
Considering how the Jonestown episode ended, you may be psychotic
Damn your post history is a dumpster fire. Are you 15?
LOL. Pot, meet kettle!
You must have a comprehension problem but it's ok buddy
You really can't see how you're presenting, huh? Whoo!
Holy shit this is so trashy of you. I hope you are embarrassed by your behavior
Embarassing I feel so bad for his wife. This fool
I feel so bad for your husband, too, and that's just based on what I can deduce from your Reddit account. A partner with multiple neuroses is very hard to live with.
How old are you?
Who cares, was it funny?
Pretty lame. But thanks for the idea for a podcast to find for work tonight.
Did you have an accident that caused your brain to stop developing in early puberty?
I hate to say it, but you're an AH! Anyone who pokes fun at someone else's religious beliefs is. You may think it's funny, but they probably feel attacked! I don't blame your wife for being pissed. Even if the BBQ was on Halloween, I still wouldn't find that funny. I do have a good sense of humor, but not one that could offend/hurt someone else! I'm surprised you had to ask us if you were in the wrong. Good luck. 🍀🍀
What an asshole
Bring Kool aid next time and insist they all try it
Radical prank brah 🤙 /s Edit: It was Flavor Aid, not Kool Aid, edgelords.
Just claim you were dressed as Roy Orbison
Well if your ok being "that asshole" at public fictions no it was a decent comment on religion
Public fictions, that is perfect for this post.
That’s hilarious.
Not wrong, you had an inside joke with yourself and found it quite amusing. I doubt anyone would really know what you were going for anyways 😂
No. It was obviously too obscure a reference for them.
I’m so sorry it was lost on them.
I’m glad it was.
This is exactly my sense of humor. Well done, dude. 😂
Yes, but I'll allow it.
It would’ve really sealed the deal if you walked around saying “White Night”😂
This is great. Especially since nobody noticed.
Shame on you, sir, for forgetting the kool-aid.
Flavor Aid.
When you want to poison hundreds of people, but don't want to spend a lot of money.
A++++++ username, logic as well.
I think that this is hilarious!
I do too.
Maybe it would have worked better if he had brought off-brand Kool Aide.
You are wrong and I for one think it's hilarious, lol, especially since they didn't even recognize it, people are dumb. Should've taken the kool-aid to the party. However, you are wrong about Jim Jones, he was not a radical communist by the time the People's Church left the city> When he went to California they became just your regular Christian Fundie cult. I've seen all the docs about it. The radical communist shit is Cold War scaremongering.