Thursday, July 29, 2004
Religion in American Mass Media and Society
Religion has probably been around as long as man has believed in god, which is to say, a really long time. So it's no surprise that religion and god have totally pervaded all human cultures and left indelible impressions on the arts of the day. What I am going to discuss here, however, is the impact that religion is having on America today, and what's in store for the future.
Turn on the television, and you'll see countless television shows with people from very diverse backgrounds, upbringing, and religions. But what you probably won't see is an outward display of religion. Almost none of today's TV shows will show people actually practicing religion or have an underlying theme of religion behind them (yes, there are obviously glaring exceptions)... But seriously, did any of the members of Seinfeld or Friends really even talk about their religion except maybe to make fun of it? (And when you turn to a Christian radio station, don't you know it immediately, because they can't go more than 4 seconds without saying Jesus, Christ, God, Sin, Repent, Lord, or some other religious buzzword? Seriously, is there some FCC regulation? Oh well, that's a topic for another time.) On the surface, most characters in today's television could be considered non-practicing.
Obviously this can be attributed to the fact that America is probably the most diverse nation in the history of the planet, and the Big Networks don't want to offend, alienate, or be politically incorrect to any of the many segmented minorities. Even amongst the majority of Christians, there are sects that you can't possibly pander to. So we get a mostly Judao-Christian value system applied to our media. Of course, we have a mostly Judao-Christian value system applied to our laws and our government, so people have largely accepted this, and for the most part, we don't even notice the assumptions the media makes about its audience. But for those of us who aren't Judao or Christian...
What does the future hold for American art and media? The non-religious populace is growing in the US. While these people may or may not believe in a god or gods, they don't practice religion, and they won't want to be harassed by the media, (and society) into believing in someone else's values. To a certain extent I think American media does a good job tiptoeing around offending non-religious people, but there are some unavoidable collisions with God and Jesus.
Right now I think that gay America is fighting the bigoted old people who are threatened by change, but they have largely convinced the young populace. Can this be attributed to an acceptance of the media? Shows like "Queer Eye", "Will and Grace", and "It's All Relative" have brought gay America into the forefront. Once these old people die off, and the younger generation, who has been exposed to this already, takes power, gay people will have the same rights that they deserve.
But what's troubling is that many of the same people who fought for the civil rights in the 60's are the same people who are fighting against the gay rights movement. Many religious leaders in the black community speak out against the gay rights movement, saying that in effect- 'it isn't the same thing... the Bible says this is wrong'. Well, the Bible said slavery was ok, but you didn't listen to that, did you?
What I am trying to point out here, is that people don't become more open-minded. They just become acclimated to what's already out there. What American media needs, is not just a lack of religious characters, but rather, a few outwardly non-religious characters: people who not only don't practice religion, but have done so for reasons other than 'we don't have time to show our characters going to church every Sunday'.
Well, who is going to be this atheistic hero? Ladies and gentlemen, I can be that man. Just put me on a TV show and I'll charm the daylights out of America while subtly ridding them of their need to believe that everyone goes to some kind of religious building once a week.
Thank you, and God Bless America.
Turn on the television, and you'll see countless television shows with people from very diverse backgrounds, upbringing, and religions. But what you probably won't see is an outward display of religion. Almost none of today's TV shows will show people actually practicing religion or have an underlying theme of religion behind them (yes, there are obviously glaring exceptions)... But seriously, did any of the members of Seinfeld or Friends really even talk about their religion except maybe to make fun of it? (And when you turn to a Christian radio station, don't you know it immediately, because they can't go more than 4 seconds without saying Jesus, Christ, God, Sin, Repent, Lord, or some other religious buzzword? Seriously, is there some FCC regulation? Oh well, that's a topic for another time.) On the surface, most characters in today's television could be considered non-practicing.
Obviously this can be attributed to the fact that America is probably the most diverse nation in the history of the planet, and the Big Networks don't want to offend, alienate, or be politically incorrect to any of the many segmented minorities. Even amongst the majority of Christians, there are sects that you can't possibly pander to. So we get a mostly Judao-Christian value system applied to our media. Of course, we have a mostly Judao-Christian value system applied to our laws and our government, so people have largely accepted this, and for the most part, we don't even notice the assumptions the media makes about its audience. But for those of us who aren't Judao or Christian...
What does the future hold for American art and media? The non-religious populace is growing in the US. While these people may or may not believe in a god or gods, they don't practice religion, and they won't want to be harassed by the media, (and society) into believing in someone else's values. To a certain extent I think American media does a good job tiptoeing around offending non-religious people, but there are some unavoidable collisions with God and Jesus.
Right now I think that gay America is fighting the bigoted old people who are threatened by change, but they have largely convinced the young populace. Can this be attributed to an acceptance of the media? Shows like "Queer Eye", "Will and Grace", and "It's All Relative" have brought gay America into the forefront. Once these old people die off, and the younger generation, who has been exposed to this already, takes power, gay people will have the same rights that they deserve.
But what's troubling is that many of the same people who fought for the civil rights in the 60's are the same people who are fighting against the gay rights movement. Many religious leaders in the black community speak out against the gay rights movement, saying that in effect- 'it isn't the same thing... the Bible says this is wrong'. Well, the Bible said slavery was ok, but you didn't listen to that, did you?
What I am trying to point out here, is that people don't become more open-minded. They just become acclimated to what's already out there. What American media needs, is not just a lack of religious characters, but rather, a few outwardly non-religious characters: people who not only don't practice religion, but have done so for reasons other than 'we don't have time to show our characters going to church every Sunday'.
Well, who is going to be this atheistic hero? Ladies and gentlemen, I can be that man. Just put me on a TV show and I'll charm the daylights out of America while subtly ridding them of their need to believe that everyone goes to some kind of religious building once a week.
Thank you, and God Bless America.
# posted by Stuart @ 10:35 PM 
Comments:
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This is all a bit TV-centric isn't it? I think you're vastly overestimating the extent to which television programs--and the rest of the [insert overused word that starts with 'm']--shape public opinion. Public opinion really isn't shaped by anything, let alone sitcoms and reality TV. Public opinion is an abstract concept, and the only reason people talk about it in scientific terms is because we insist on trying to measure it that way--then we use those scientific measurements of an abstract concept to make important decisions.
To say that the media shapes public opinion is like saying that swimmers at a beach are shaping the ocean. Do the world's swimmers have an effect on the shape of the ocean? Yes. Is that effect significant? No. The position of the swimmers is determined by the ocean, not vice versa.
What you're UNDERestimating is the power of church--not THE Church, but church. Churches are the axes of most communities. They're where people go to bond with their neighbors and think about the social issues they're usually too busy to bother with. They're where they go to connect to the centerpiece of their world views and self-images.
This is what they're not ready to give up. They can be convinced on issues. The text of the bible itself, as you pointed out, is no longer believed to be infallible by most Christians. They even accept atheism as an acceptable lifestyle! But there's a vast difference between convincing religious people that it's okay for you to be an atheist and convincing them that atheism is right for them.
The real 'atheist hero' won't be the lovable wacky neighbor on a sitcom, he'll be the person--or group of poeple--who creates and sustains a network of atheist community organizations that serve the same social purpose as church. Unthreatenning, meaningful community gatherings where we think about the social issues we're usually too busy to bother with.
That's what I think, anyway.
To say that the media shapes public opinion is like saying that swimmers at a beach are shaping the ocean. Do the world's swimmers have an effect on the shape of the ocean? Yes. Is that effect significant? No. The position of the swimmers is determined by the ocean, not vice versa.
What you're UNDERestimating is the power of church--not THE Church, but church. Churches are the axes of most communities. They're where people go to bond with their neighbors and think about the social issues they're usually too busy to bother with. They're where they go to connect to the centerpiece of their world views and self-images.
This is what they're not ready to give up. They can be convinced on issues. The text of the bible itself, as you pointed out, is no longer believed to be infallible by most Christians. They even accept atheism as an acceptable lifestyle! But there's a vast difference between convincing religious people that it's okay for you to be an atheist and convincing them that atheism is right for them.
The real 'atheist hero' won't be the lovable wacky neighbor on a sitcom, he'll be the person--or group of poeple--who creates and sustains a network of atheist community organizations that serve the same social purpose as church. Unthreatenning, meaningful community gatherings where we think about the social issues we're usually too busy to bother with.
That's what I think, anyway.
# posted by 
: 12:40 PM
: 12:40 PM
I also reccomend that these gatherings be called "Blurch," which would be short for, "A Bit Like Church."
# posted by : 12:48 PM
: 12:48 PM
I certainly don't think Christians will be by and large converting to atheism- there's too fundamental a difference between believing in god and not believing in god. But there isn't a lot of respect around for atheists amongst Christians (obviously, the more open-minded accept it). I think it needs to be mainstreamed a little bit. But you're right. I probably did overgeneralize TV and apply it to 'the media'. But you can't argue that ours is a TV nation. That being said, being exposed to atheists, gays, other cultures, at community gatherings are also important. So it is important for atheists to give to the community (if not, it only reinforces the image that only religiously-affiliated organizations give charitably.)
But that's just my two cents. Thanks for commenting.
But that's just my two cents. Thanks for commenting.
Oh, I think you're right. I was just feeling argumentative, and being bored at work sealed the deal. But I think the fundamental problem our kind faces is not a lack of acceptance. Christians accept us, and they acknowledge our right to disbelieve. But, since we're supposedly only five percent of the population, and they're something ridiculous like 80%, they would prefer that we remain politically marginalized. The fact that we excercise as much influence as we do is pretty amazing, when you really think about it.
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# posted by : 7:09 PM
: 7:09 PM << Home
