We've all seen the pink ribbons to promote awareness of breast cancer, and the red ribbons for AIDS awareness, but who says you can't be more creative in your quest? Well, the folks at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church have gone a step further; they're holding parishoners hostage (in a way). Each day, one of two toilets is placed in the front lawn of a church-goer, and it will not be removed until that resident coughs up $10, and provides a name and address for the next "victim". Clever ploy, and it seems to be working. However, as the article states, the toilets are only delivered to members of the parish; assuming that particular person has neighbors that don't belong to the same faith center, what must their reaction be?
I have a vague idea based on personal experience: I used to work at a small, high-end bike shop for a somewhat eccentric guy. His dream adornment for his front porch was a porcelain planter, complete with geraniums growing out of the tank on top. One sunday, he and I headed to the salvage yard, found a suitable candidate, and did it up in fine fashion. His uppity neighbors (it was a nice development) didn't like his decor, and loudly voiced their opinions whenever they saw either "Burt" or his wife. Not one to cave to peer pressure, my old boss held his ground, until one morning, when retrieving his paper, he became a victim of true turd terrorism...someone had smashed his throne to smithereens.
Would a missinformed neighbor of one of these kind-hearted yet somewhat misguided parishoners respond similarly? I would certainly hope not; their scheme may be seen as lacking in taste to some, but it's a good cause...just hope a drunkard stumbling home from the watering hole doesn't get the wrong idea and decide to contribute some pro bono fertilizer.