Somebody dug this up. I wonder if it will break in Louisiana. With the New Orleans "Vampire" image, it might even help. "Dan Conley's Journal."
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Bobby Jindal's Demon
On the Political Wire website today there is a brief about Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal's December 1994 article in the New Oxford Review about his personal experience with a demonic possession.
I've read the article, but it is not in a format that I can post on the web. In it, Jindal details his relationship with a woman he knew when he was in his early 20s and exposes a very painful experience she went through that, depending on your point of view, was either a deep psychological trauma with religious overtones or a full-out possession by Satan.
My view of the article is that Jindal is entitled to his personal religious beliefs, even if he chooses to expose them in a very public, potentially embarassing manner. I appreciate the seriousness he brings to discussions of faith and I'm intrigued by his journey from growing up a Hindu to embracing Catholicism.
But there are some things about the article that do disturb me. For one, I think Jindal is exploiting a very painful episode by a close friend to make a point about his own faith. He says that he changed the names to protect the innocent, but the actors in the drama all know who they are and it probably wouldn't take much digging for an intrepid reporter to find them. I think it would be absolutely horrible if this woman, who may very well have serious psychological issues, is forced to deal with this incident in a very public manner today because of an article Jindal felt obliged to write in 1994. I beg reporters to stay away from this woman this weekend, she could be suicidal for all we know.
Second, I think the story has so many elements of Magical Realism that are typical of Indian films and literature that I'm never quite sure whether Jindal is playing it straight or exaggerating his own personal experiences for effect. If he is playing it straight, then I cannot explain the tortured prose and bizarre, veiled description of his relationship with "Susan."
Trust me folks, if you have any appreciation for the English language, you really don't want to read this piece. Be happy I did it for you.
danconley.com |
