Mute
2010-11-17, 10:15 AM
A few months back there was a story that rocked the news across the globe, and during the time it aired it garnered a lot of media attention towards the small town where it originated. The story seemed ridiculous, a hoax, and altogether a laughable example of how a slow news period can cause even the most insignificant of things to be blown extraordinarily out of proportion. It was another example of some seemingly insignificant object portraying a religious figure, and to be honest even this one was a bit of a stretch. Like most of these stories, the item or event in question is made a symbol of some divine “miracle,” something that proves the existence of a “higher power,” while more rationally thinking individuals chalk the occurrence up to being either a vague interpretation of something abstract, or people wanting to see something where they normally wouldn’t.
One cannot argue, however, that these occurrences do have more than just a religious impact on the places where they occur. It can breathe new life into a small town, revitalize a dwindling economy by using the event as a publicity stunt, or as tourism attraction, or even bring something of a conversation piece to the residents of the town. Religious believers will oft times flock to the site, erect a shrine around the object, and spend many hours worshipping the image that is depicted. However, this usually only lasts for a short period of time, and once the awe of the event wears from memory, the pilgrims return to their homes and life returns to normal for those whose lives were more impacted by the occurrence. However, as will be shown in this example, this was not the case.
What started out as an albeit simple appearance of a religious figure devolved into something much more grave, and it rocked the world with the shocking events that they revealed; exploitation, abuse, neglect, and the sad state of affairs of one small town were brought into national spotlight. For those involved directly this was mixed blessing, having both positive and negative outcomes. But for their neighbors and the town involved, what was revealed was truly horrifying.
The story goes something like this, and I apologize for omitting names, as I wish to protect the identities and places involved in this story: a boy was bathing when his mother went into the bathroom to retrieve his dirty clothing for the laundry. As she reached down and picked up the boys undergarments, she looked at the rather sizeable stain on the inner lining of the briefs, and in an instant froze still. The boy, curious as to what had happened to his mother, walked out of the tub and proceeded to ask his mother what was wrong. After a few moments she regained her senses, and then lifted the underwear up and showed him the stain inside. She told him that the stain was a depiction of Jesus himself. The boy was unaware of what this meant, but the mother quickly alerted her closest friends and family members to the story. At first, none believed her, but after being told to come see for themselves, they too saw the image of Jesus in the boy’s underwear. Her friends and family spread word to their friends, and their friends went to visit the small home, and after seeing it they too told their friends, and so on and so on until it became a piece in the local newspaper.
Eventually, word spread to a major metropolitan news group in a city a few miles away, and they decided to investigate the story. The boy, still unsure of how to react, responded shyly on camera when he was interviewed about this; but, his mother was beyond ecstatic when she was asked about this, praising it to be a miracle and a sign, saying repeatedly that she was going to alert the Vatican of this. Soon, people from all across the region started to show up, some in small groups, and others in droves. The towns people caught onto this, and using the boy’s undergarment as a media icon, began selling various souvenirs and memorabilia of “The Holy Skid Mark,” as it had been coined by the boy’s mother. Eventually, the mother received a letter from a cardinal from the Vatican, and while he expressed his joy over her devotion to the Church, he dismissed the claim she had made that the boy’s underwear was a holy article, saying that “something of this nature is not in good standing with the faith of the Church.”
However, after the initial hype died down, and the mother and her son started to fade from memory of the common populace, the town was once again in the local news, only this time the story was far from a pleasant one. The mayor had been found lying on the side of the road, his SUV turned over and on its side lying in a ditch on a back road, with several stab wounds in his chest, shoulder, stomach, and throat. The town was rocked by this controversy. Local police forces investigated the scene, but found no trace of the person or persons involved in the murder. They spoke to the press, saying that “the investigation is ongoing, and we’re following several leads on the case,” while they still had no clues to go on.
Later, another murder occurred in the town, and this time it was far more tragic that the killing of the mayor. A home had been set on fire, and the inhabitants of the home were killed, but the home was barricaded from the outside and the people living inside were prevented from escaping the blaze. Investigators were left no clues this time as well; there were no fingerprints on the chains used to lock the doors, and none on the planks put over the windows. Investigators were able to determine that the fire was set sometime around 1 A.M., and that the fire was intensified by the usage of chemicals and fuels. The town was afraid, and once again they fled to the mother and her son’s glorified garment as a sign for hope during this dark time, but, there was none to be found.
Later that week, a woman was found half-buried by a tree, beaten, raped, and murdered. Police were able to identify the woman, and suddenly a pattern unfolded before them. The woman had been the secretary for the former mayor, and the home which was burned belonged to the woman’s brother-in-law and his family. Police started looking around for anyone with a possible motive for these killings, but no one turned out to have any reason to kill these people. Once the story and its implications had been released to the public, terror and anxiety became widespread for anyone who worked in the city government.
One cannot argue, however, that these occurrences do have more than just a religious impact on the places where they occur. It can breathe new life into a small town, revitalize a dwindling economy by using the event as a publicity stunt, or as tourism attraction, or even bring something of a conversation piece to the residents of the town. Religious believers will oft times flock to the site, erect a shrine around the object, and spend many hours worshipping the image that is depicted. However, this usually only lasts for a short period of time, and once the awe of the event wears from memory, the pilgrims return to their homes and life returns to normal for those whose lives were more impacted by the occurrence. However, as will be shown in this example, this was not the case.
What started out as an albeit simple appearance of a religious figure devolved into something much more grave, and it rocked the world with the shocking events that they revealed; exploitation, abuse, neglect, and the sad state of affairs of one small town were brought into national spotlight. For those involved directly this was mixed blessing, having both positive and negative outcomes. But for their neighbors and the town involved, what was revealed was truly horrifying.
The story goes something like this, and I apologize for omitting names, as I wish to protect the identities and places involved in this story: a boy was bathing when his mother went into the bathroom to retrieve his dirty clothing for the laundry. As she reached down and picked up the boys undergarments, she looked at the rather sizeable stain on the inner lining of the briefs, and in an instant froze still. The boy, curious as to what had happened to his mother, walked out of the tub and proceeded to ask his mother what was wrong. After a few moments she regained her senses, and then lifted the underwear up and showed him the stain inside. She told him that the stain was a depiction of Jesus himself. The boy was unaware of what this meant, but the mother quickly alerted her closest friends and family members to the story. At first, none believed her, but after being told to come see for themselves, they too saw the image of Jesus in the boy’s underwear. Her friends and family spread word to their friends, and their friends went to visit the small home, and after seeing it they too told their friends, and so on and so on until it became a piece in the local newspaper.
Eventually, word spread to a major metropolitan news group in a city a few miles away, and they decided to investigate the story. The boy, still unsure of how to react, responded shyly on camera when he was interviewed about this; but, his mother was beyond ecstatic when she was asked about this, praising it to be a miracle and a sign, saying repeatedly that she was going to alert the Vatican of this. Soon, people from all across the region started to show up, some in small groups, and others in droves. The towns people caught onto this, and using the boy’s undergarment as a media icon, began selling various souvenirs and memorabilia of “The Holy Skid Mark,” as it had been coined by the boy’s mother. Eventually, the mother received a letter from a cardinal from the Vatican, and while he expressed his joy over her devotion to the Church, he dismissed the claim she had made that the boy’s underwear was a holy article, saying that “something of this nature is not in good standing with the faith of the Church.”
However, after the initial hype died down, and the mother and her son started to fade from memory of the common populace, the town was once again in the local news, only this time the story was far from a pleasant one. The mayor had been found lying on the side of the road, his SUV turned over and on its side lying in a ditch on a back road, with several stab wounds in his chest, shoulder, stomach, and throat. The town was rocked by this controversy. Local police forces investigated the scene, but found no trace of the person or persons involved in the murder. They spoke to the press, saying that “the investigation is ongoing, and we’re following several leads on the case,” while they still had no clues to go on.
Later, another murder occurred in the town, and this time it was far more tragic that the killing of the mayor. A home had been set on fire, and the inhabitants of the home were killed, but the home was barricaded from the outside and the people living inside were prevented from escaping the blaze. Investigators were left no clues this time as well; there were no fingerprints on the chains used to lock the doors, and none on the planks put over the windows. Investigators were able to determine that the fire was set sometime around 1 A.M., and that the fire was intensified by the usage of chemicals and fuels. The town was afraid, and once again they fled to the mother and her son’s glorified garment as a sign for hope during this dark time, but, there was none to be found.
Later that week, a woman was found half-buried by a tree, beaten, raped, and murdered. Police were able to identify the woman, and suddenly a pattern unfolded before them. The woman had been the secretary for the former mayor, and the home which was burned belonged to the woman’s brother-in-law and his family. Police started looking around for anyone with a possible motive for these killings, but no one turned out to have any reason to kill these people. Once the story and its implications had been released to the public, terror and anxiety became widespread for anyone who worked in the city government.