A very nice article, nothing heavy. In fact it reflects the minds of the people today on how they actually perceive Buddhism. Very little people know about true Buddhism if you look at what the author had said "walking pass a nightclub called Buddha.." or the infamous Buddha heads sold everywhere for decoration purposes. Nothing wrong, but it just show the lack of knowledge in us that causes us ignorant.
How many people actually know head to til the Buddha story? Then what happens after Buddha's time? Hence people take the compassion and skip the wrathful deities. Because it is easier to relate to. But now we have having a controversial issue on a wrathful deity, banned, unlike and evil. Wow, it brings new interest to people, to research, to learn, to discuss, to take a stand, to be neutral, to investigate... Inevitably, we gain insights, more knowledge about Buddhism. All I can say is how skillful His Holiness is. What an accomplishment!
Even the most ignorant person will heard about the controversial and His Holiness name. The mystical side of things like Tibetan Buddhism's reincarnation, the tulku systems bring a new light into the Western and Asian's world. This allows the Lamas spread teachings in different directions and hence the dharma flourish. It is not easy as the world has degenerated, however the Shugden issue caught our interest. At least we know why is he wrathful and not a spirit.