I'm sure no one who reads this blog watched Glee, but I need to make a point. Unfortunately, I've found myself watching the last 2 episodes on Hulu. In my defense, I really do not understand why everyone loves it so much and feel it's not nearly deserving of all the hype. But when every other Facebook status of my feed is about the latest episode, I get curious.
This week's episode began when Finn (sp?), the football playing songster, made a Grilled Cheesus - a grilled cheese with Jesus' face burned into it. Then Kurt, the gay songster, had a fight with his father, who had a heart attack a few days later.
Finn, after some successful prayers to Grilled Cheesus, feels convicted to devote his life to Jesus. He approaches the Glee Club and announces that he wants to devote the week's songs to Jesus. Everyone freaks out and thinks he's super square and gets really uncomfortable talking about Jesus (all but the black girl of course). Kurt protests, claiming religion and gays are not compatible and that he does not believe in God. Second freakout commences, except this time everyone is shocked that Kurt doesn't believe in God. How could he not? How can he know for sure? That's so sad. Let's pity him and spend the entire episode trying to convert him.
I have a major problem with this scenario and I think it is very telling about America's feelings toward religion. I may not be able to articulate this well, sorry, but I still want to say it.
I can't cite this, but I would bet the majority of White Americans identify as Christians. Many of them go to church, and many of them do not but are spiritual. But there are still vast numbers who choose to identify this way, but do not practice anything nor have any daily connection to religion. They talk about Heaven when a loved one dies, go to church on holidays (maybe), and claim that they have been blessed, but ask them the last time they prayed or talked about Jesus to someone else or and you'll see them shift uncomfortably in their seat and cast their eyes about the room.
(*Note - I'm not referring to people who celebrate Christmas yet admittedly don't believe in God, nor those who believe and choose to worship in alternative ways, or people raised as Christian who claim to have no connection to it.)
From my point of view, it's like everyone is expected to believe in God, but not too much. If you're too vocal about it, or make it too much a part of your life, you risk social outcast status. We want to feel protected and have something to turn to during hard times, but those other rules about being virtuous and giving are an inconvenience. We're Christians, but our relationship with Christ is not tangible enough to be part of our identity.
Yes, as a Christian I should not judge others, go ahead, wag your finger at me. I'll claim instead that I'm not judging, I'm wondering WHY. This seriously doesn't make any sense to me. Why are people who supposedly believe in him so uncomfortable talking about Jesus? Why can't I say I go to church, but I also can't say I'm an atheist? And why does a stupid shit show like Glee have to perpetuate this behavior? AND WHY DOES NO ONE NOTICE? I honest to goodness truly don't care what other people believe in, but I care when claims and behaviors don't match. Rereading this just now, I guess I'm just making the age-old complaint against hypocrisy. But it's not even that I care whether people are following Biblical doctrines enough, I certainly don't. It's really the matter of comfort, of why people are so afraid to admit to any kind of real devotion, of why I get nervous about the reaction every time I tell a fellow Christian "I can't, I'm going to church".
There's really no conclusion to this, I s'pose that's the end. Not at all preaching, it was just on my mind.
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I saw the episode. I'll be honest, I sat through it to see if Glee is tied into Fox's conservative agenda. I still need more data on that one. The show really isn't good at all, and this episode was especially irritating. I mean, (like you mentioned) the only really vocal Christian is the black girl who also sings in the gospel choir? And the token atheist has to be gay of course.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a very good point, one that I hadn't thought about before, which is part of why you're irritated isn't it? That this is something unnoticed and unthought of. It's like... one extreme is being an immoral, hedonistic non-religious individual and the other extreme is being a fun-sucking, preachy, biblethumper, and it's apparently socially erroneous to be viewed as either. And then most Christian people do exactly what you said, which is basically half-ass the whole thing.
I made a pretty good friend here who is Christian (she's adorable; she loves going to church and talks about spirituality a lot), and I think I'll bring this up at our next coffee date.
Oh good, I'm glad someone can more succinctly summarize my views. Everyone, just read Katie's comment.
ReplyDeleteI actually do watch Glee. I'm not sure why.
ReplyDeleteAnd I entirely agree with what you say here.
But...
Glee is 100% stereotypes. The show is constructed in a way where every single character is unapologetically the epitome of a stereotype. Actually, I think maybe the reason I like watching it is because it's so absurdly, borderline-offensively stereotype-fulfilling, yet the show manages to have the occasional hilarious, honest, or touching moment, which is confusing and interesting to me.
Anyway, point being, the religion show was, in my opinion, just par for the course for Glee. Yes, the one black girl is Christian, but the one black girl is also sassy, dramatic, and more body-confident than the skinny white girls. Yes, the gay kid is atheist, but he's also flamboyant, dramatic, and interested in fashion. Football players are dumb and obsessed with popularity, so of course Finn easily gets wrapped up in grilled cheesus. Further, I think it's a stereotype of sorts for teenagers to get weirded out by super religious people, so it's unsurprising to me that that was prominent in the episode.
Anyway, like I said, I completely agree with you, but I don't really expect Glee to challenge any societal norms whatsoever. As you said, it's sort of a stupid shit show. Possibly no one notices because no one looks to Glee for that kind of honest representation.