Home Opinion Columns OPINION: Of colanders and controversy

OPINION: Of colanders and controversy

November 23, 2014

Flying Spaghetti Monster

Written by Dallas Hyland

I got a message this week on our editorial board message thread that was asking if any of us thought there was newsworthiness to Asia Carrera’s recent DMV photo taken with a colander on her head. The collective answer was no. It seemed at the time, to me at least, that reporting on something like that would be appealing to the basest nature of a publication’s stated purpose of informing people.

The fact that this woman was a porn star at one time in her life being the only thing really noteworthy, and overall sensationalistic, would garner some traffic to our site for sure, but at what cost? But I’ve had some time to reflect on it. And although Carrera declined an interview with us, I think it is at least important enough to comment on what she actually did.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is an intended parody. It deliberately acknowledges the fact that no such god monster exists but at the same time points to the utter hypocrisy of any other faith based group laying claim to being any authority on truth, given that their premises must, when questioned, play the only card which they have; faith.

By definition, faith is the belief in things which are true. The understanding being that the increase in faith in something false, will not increase the validity or understanding, but the increase in faith in something true, will. In essence, what Carrera made happen, whether she intended to or not, was to chip away at a cultural theism based bias perpetrated by our institutionalized government.

The supporters of such will tell you with unquestioned authority, that this nation was founded on the principles of a god whom, were they to be intellectually honest, cannot be proven to exist at all.

Do not mistake me here. I am well aware of the “good” done by the religious in our society as much as I am aware of the “atrocities” they are in denial about being responsible for. What continues to baffle me however, is the inability to at least recognize, that when faced with logic, the bald assertion of faith is no authority at all but rather, merely a recognition of the right not to be persecuted for what one chooses to believe, true or not.

The sensationalistic nature of a former porn star doing this, and the fact that anyone posing to take it seriously enough to question its newsworthiness, was a statement not to be missed that now, any one with a belief which they lay “faith” and right to thereof as the protected right which allows them to practice it, may have their theme recognized.

A parody upon a parody. Funny right?

See you out there.

Dallas Hyland is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer, and documentary filmmaker with three films currently under his belt. The opinion editor of The Independent, Hyland’s investigative journalism and opinion columns have ranged in topics from local political and environmental issues, to drug trafficking in Utah, as well as the international front, covering issues such as human trafficking in Colombia. On his rare off-days, he can be found with his family and friends exploring the pristine outdoors. Listen to him live as a regular guest co-host on the Perspectives talk show on Fox News 1450 AM 93.1 FM in southern Utah.

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