What happens behind the scenes at Gawker? We know you ask yourselves this question every single hour of every single day, and we don't blame you. We are fascinating. Sometimes we order sandwiches for lunch, and sometimes we order burritos. Sometimes we listen to music while we blog, and sometimes we do not. Sometimes Max Read picks his nose, but not always. With all this in mind, we're sharing with you our official "behind the blog post" backstories for all of the posts you clicked the shit out of this year. Next up: Rev. Phil Snider's surprising speech.
Missouri Pastor's Fiery Speech Against Equal Rights for Homosexuals Has Stunning Twist Ending
Originally Published: Oct. 19, 5:28 p.m.
Total Pageviews: 1,273,248
Curated by: Neetzan Zimmerman
The Backstory, from Neetzan Zimmerman:
The Internet is so full of stuff that it's easy to miss many of the things that make it worthwhile. Case in point: Rev. Phil Snider's incredible "plot twist" speech to the Springfield (MO) City Council.
You know this one by now: The good reverend stood up to speak on the matter of Springfield's nondiscrimination ordinance being amended to included protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and it was your typical fire-and-brimstone bromide-a-thon until, suddenly, it wasn't.
In a moment, Rev. Snider flipped the script on its head by revealing that he had culled his remarks from identical rants given by white preachers who opposed racial desegregation during the 1950s and '60s.
The clever and poignant curveball failed to convince the council, which tabled the bill indefinitely, but the impact it had on the world writ large massively outweighed its local losses.
Millions of folks from far and wide viewed the video and expressed their support for the reverend's stance by inundating him with emails, Facebook messages, and comments.
And all over a speech that nearly went unnoticed.
Gawker gets sent scores of tips each day, which, as a microcosm of the net, makes it easy to miss many worthwhile things.
But that day, October 19, the Internet gods were smiling on a late-afternoon email from a first-time caller. The video linked to therein had been posted back in August, but had gone criminally under-appreciated, failing to gain the traction it clearly deserved.
Happily for lovers of worthwhile things, the Internet comes complete with a built-in fail-safe: Whatever we missed stays right where we missed it until it's found.
I'll say.
To revisit the Reverend's fiery speech with the stunning twist ending, click here.