Blog Post #1: Adrian Chen’s “Unfollow”
Adrian Chen’s “Unfollow” is about the life and upbringing of a Westboro Baptist Church member by the name of Megan Phelps-Roper. It highlights the doings of Phelps-Roper online and the influences that led to her actions online. Chen uses the environment that Phelps-Roper grew up in as an argument. This argument implies that the church had something more to do with influencing her actions in life and on twitter.
Chen starts off by writing about a post on twitter from Phelps-Roper. She writes “Thank God for AIDS! You won’t repent of your rebellion that brought His wrath on you in this incurable scourge, so expect more & worse! #red.” (pg. 73). Immediately, this statement innacts anger or disgust for the reader. However, as the essay continues, an insight into how Phelps-Roper was raised and how that had an influence on her life.
I believe the larger conversation is about digital life. Phelps-Roper wanted to spread her church’s word, and she found it easier and more effective to take to the internet with it. She gained a huge following and was able to easily spread her grandfather’s preaches. Another other voice in this essay is Megan Phelps-Roper’s voice. Chen quotes her and some of her twitter posts. Some evidence that Chen uses is quotes from Phelps-Roper.
I am still undecided when it comes to Chen’s argument. I understand that Phelps-Roper was preaching her grandfather’s sermons and the bible because that was how she was raised. She grew up in a family that went to church every week and the grandfather was the priest. However, everything she did was still extremely rude. I always believed that all people should be treated equally and I would have thought a child of God would believe the same thing. Phelps-Roper did start to question her grandfather’s words at the end of the essay, so that makes me more convinced of Chen’s argument.
