Media, Religion, and You

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Putting aside for a moment the questions from the CNN anchor which border on uninformed ridiculousness about what CNN must acknowledge is at least a significant portion of their viewing audience, this video really spoke to me on a level about the religious discussion in this country.

I've written a little about this before when I was writing up recent book reviews on two nonfiction books I recently read, Rapture Ready by Daniel Radoff (about Christian pop culture) and Quiverfull (the author escapes me, but about the "Christian patriarchy movement"), and how a lot of folks, especially the media, appear to view the religious as a quirky bunch and don't even begin to try to understand how to talk to them, with them, about them in ways that they can understand. This clip inadvertently makes this crystal clear to me - the salesman is utterly flabbergasted by the line of questioning in the second half because her questions make no sense to him. Yeah, guess was - 90% plus of people do believe in God here, we could credibly, demographically, be considered a "Christian nation" regardless of one's views on the matter, and her question is "well, what would Jesus do," as if her entire knowledge of religious thought and spiritual viewpoints comes from a popular fad from 10 years ago.

The battles over religion are going to get worse, not better. The right is in full force right now, and it's going to translate to local and state races in 2009 and the midterms next year. I'm not convinced at all that the less religious - or anti-religious of us in many cases - are going to be able to gain ground with these folks as long as we keep acting like religion, spiritual belief, and religion-as-culture is some sort of quirk or oddity. There's secularism - a heady, worthwhile goal in many areas - and there's burning bridges to make some sort of, well, holier than thou point about how wacky the religious folk are.

This piece could have been a great piece on promotional ingenuity that'd make Billy Mays proud, or even turned into a solid discussion as to how religion and patriotism factor into his business plan and how his customers respond. Instead, it's the mainstream media deciding that he's not to be taken seriously, thus meaning that it becomes the mainstream media deciding that a sizeable minority, perhaps plurality, if not outright majority of people are nothing more than a quaint national joke. That's not right.

Comments

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Putting aside the way she asked them her questions were not wholly out of line. I would rather interviewers always play devils advocate.

That being said I for the life of me don't understand people like him. I mean I was religious for most of my life and somewhat understand the basic idea of faith, but the simpleminded gods, guns, country thing is something I just will never understand. Just because something is popular does not mean it's not a weird quirk.

[kadeshaderow.livejournal.com]

Your picture is that of Christ with the head of a dinosaur transplanted on it.

Change starts at home.

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

Do you think that the majority of people in this country would take the "God, Guns, Guts and Pickup Trucks" slogan and the AK-47 voucher promotion seriously? I doubt it. He's using God and politics to move product.

I think the media would be better off avoiding these kinds of confrontations, though, and let the viewers decide for themselves how to feel about the story. Less commentators, more reporters.

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

Geeze I wish I could fix the sound on my computer. I love nothing better than to discuss religion. While it may be true that 90% of people in America believe in God, using that as proof that we are a christian nation is a stretch. Many non Christians, especially Muslims and Jews, also believe in God. I've met countless people who believe in God but not in organized religion. Their religion is personal and they do not go to church.

I, personally, believe in God but, I don't think I would be considered a Christian, not by anyone who self identifies as such. I certainly don't consider myself one. Even if 75% of the nation considered themselves to be Christian, we still have separation between church and state. Therefore, to be a christian nation is to endorse one religion, albeit a multi-factional one. To do so is to tacitly inform non christians that they are not truly American and, perhaps, that they do not belong here.

Guns and guts

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I have never felt the urge to cower behind a gun. Guns and guts are an oxymoron. As for divinity and deadly weapons, I remember an admonition about a guy cutting off an ear in a garden with a deadly weapon.

The man is a brutal fundamentalist, a truly sick fuck.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The problem with the New Atheists is that while some of them are surprisingly reasonable, others are just as much a bunch of boors as the Fundies they are diametrically opposed and connected to both thanks to that nifty thing called Modernity. The even bigger problem is that so long as empiricism holds sway over human thought in "the West" that Fundamentalism and Irreligion will both be entirely valid and equal claimants to its heritage.

And that, ladies and gents, is why I scrap Modernity altogether out of disdain for irreligion and Fundamentalism. ;P

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

If we developed a Muslim majority should we declare this a Muslim nation? I just don't believe in giving in to the tyranny of the majority.

The fact is that this country is better off without it becoming a theocracy. Not only because one of its founding principles is freedom of religion (and to declare this a "Christian Nation" opposes that principle) but because for far too long we've given in to this mindset.

It IS possible to have morals without religion. It IS possible to find happiness and contentment without it. It IS possible for America to be America without having to favor one religion over another. I think we need to stop worrying about appeasing the religious fanatics in this country and I think it's time for the religious right to open THEIR minds and meet others halfway instead of expecting everyone to go by what they say.

There doesn't have to be a "battle" over religion. Nothing is threatening Christianity in America. The only battle is keeping them from trying to take over the politics of this country, nothing good can result from that.

[kunaifusu.livejournal.com]

This piece could have been a great piece on promotional ingenuity that'd make Billy Mays proud, or even turned into a solid discussion as to how religion and patriotism factor into his business plan and how his customers respond. Instead, it's the mainstream media deciding that he's not to be taken seriously, thus meaning that it becomes the mainstream media deciding that a sizeable minority, perhaps plurality, if not outright majority of people are nothing more than a quaint national joke. That's not right.

That is right for entertainment, which CNN is. One way to entertain is to make the audience laugh, one way to make somebody laugh is to show that you are queer, one way to show how queer you are is to call queer something that your audience think is normal.