Wednesday, June 14, 2006
My Jerry Springer moment
So I was at Mass when the parish notices were being read.
One of them was that Jerry Springer the Opera was coming to the area and that we should write to the theatre owner to persuade him not to put it on because it was a blaspehmous piece of work.
My initial reaction was one of annoyance. Almost undoubtedly, the priest hadn't watched it, so how did he know it was blasphemous.
I have real issues with people quick to judge without knowing the full facts. I found it most amusing when Brasseye was broadcast, satirising the hype of the media's portrayal of paedophilia. Immediately came the bandwagon politicians denouncing the programme before admitting that they hadn't seen the programme and were therefore exactly the kind of people Brasseye had portrayed.
When the Passion of the Christ was released I was initially against it. I'd heard it was anti-Semitic and I'm not a fan of Mel Gibson and his pre-Vatican II stance.
However, I realised I couldn't criticise it without having seen it or I would be as bad as the people that annoy me and I would be a hypocrite.
So I went to see it and it was actually very good and gave me a different outlook to Christ's suffering for us.
Back to Jerry Springer though. I have watched it, mainly on the back on authoritarian Christians wanting it banned. To be honest, not a fan of opera and there are some moments of discomfort if you are a committed Christian. However, that's probably exactly what writer Stuart Lee intended.
I did think, though, should I protest against it. Did I find it offensive? Should we be like other religions in protesting at any slights of hallowed people.
My answer is No. I don't think we will be turned away from Jesus because he is portrayed as wearing a nappy.
We've been around for 2,000 years and we should be bigger than that by now.
Instead of looking to ban, we should be looking to teach and explain, just as the Passion of the Christ was used to explore the Christian faith.
I do have a problem with the people that campaign against Jerry Springer the Opera. Where were they when the talk show was on?
To me, the Jerry Springer show was immoral, sinful and wrong. It was like a Victorian peep show where we looked in on other people's lives getting fucked up and we enjoyed it.
We shouldn't be prying into people's lives like that, taking enjoyment from their misery and sadness and yet that is what happened.
Where were the protesters then?
Sometimes, we have a warped view of what is right and wrong. Maybe we should try and remember that before we take to our soapbox and preach.
And, yes, I'm painfully aware of the irony of that last sentence.
One of them was that Jerry Springer the Opera was coming to the area and that we should write to the theatre owner to persuade him not to put it on because it was a blaspehmous piece of work.
My initial reaction was one of annoyance. Almost undoubtedly, the priest hadn't watched it, so how did he know it was blasphemous.
I have real issues with people quick to judge without knowing the full facts. I found it most amusing when Brasseye was broadcast, satirising the hype of the media's portrayal of paedophilia. Immediately came the bandwagon politicians denouncing the programme before admitting that they hadn't seen the programme and were therefore exactly the kind of people Brasseye had portrayed.
When the Passion of the Christ was released I was initially against it. I'd heard it was anti-Semitic and I'm not a fan of Mel Gibson and his pre-Vatican II stance.
However, I realised I couldn't criticise it without having seen it or I would be as bad as the people that annoy me and I would be a hypocrite.
So I went to see it and it was actually very good and gave me a different outlook to Christ's suffering for us.
Back to Jerry Springer though. I have watched it, mainly on the back on authoritarian Christians wanting it banned. To be honest, not a fan of opera and there are some moments of discomfort if you are a committed Christian. However, that's probably exactly what writer Stuart Lee intended.
I did think, though, should I protest against it. Did I find it offensive? Should we be like other religions in protesting at any slights of hallowed people.
My answer is No. I don't think we will be turned away from Jesus because he is portrayed as wearing a nappy.
We've been around for 2,000 years and we should be bigger than that by now.
Instead of looking to ban, we should be looking to teach and explain, just as the Passion of the Christ was used to explore the Christian faith.
I do have a problem with the people that campaign against Jerry Springer the Opera. Where were they when the talk show was on?
To me, the Jerry Springer show was immoral, sinful and wrong. It was like a Victorian peep show where we looked in on other people's lives getting fucked up and we enjoyed it.
We shouldn't be prying into people's lives like that, taking enjoyment from their misery and sadness and yet that is what happened.
Where were the protesters then?
Sometimes, we have a warped view of what is right and wrong. Maybe we should try and remember that before we take to our soapbox and preach.
And, yes, I'm painfully aware of the irony of that last sentence.
