Tuesday, 05 March 2013

• Adam, Eve and Oscar: Who Said You Were Naked?

  Did anyone watch the Oscars? Yeah, neither did I. However, I did read that the show's host, Seth MacFarlane, of Family Guy and Ted fame, performed a controversial song called We Saw Your Boobs. In the number, he specifically named Hollywood actresses and the movies in which they appeared in the buff.

  I'm sure you've heard about the song, too. It's all the rage. And I do mean "rage." Some Hollywood women have been fuming over it, calling it "misogyny." The academy defended MacFarlane's tune and called it "artistic expression." Makes sense, right? If a woman can take off her clothes and call it art, why can't MacFarlane make something pointing at it and call it art?

  Dawn Woollen wrote an article for the Huffington Post citing exactly why Seth MacFarlane went too far. She talked about a film called The Invisible War, nominated for best documentary, which informs the viewer of sexual abuse in the military, especially against women. Some of the victims were there in the audience as guests, Woollen said, so imagine what they must have felt when the show's host sang a song about the objectification of women.

  Woollen wrote of the documentary, "I was struck by the military culture that ignores, and through it's [sic] fundamental lack of punishment, one could argue, even permits sexual violence." Before going any further, I was thinking this: "I'm struck by the film culture that ignores, and through its fundamental lack of punishment, one could argue, even permits the sexual objectification of women."

  The problem with Woollen calling out MacFarlane for misogyny is that she's placed the blame on the shoulders of a hired hand. What about the film industry? Why isn't the radical paradox here on the fact that The Invisible War is nominated by an academy of movie professionals, most of whom have been involved in portraying or defending both lustful and sexually violent situations "for the sake of art" but actually for the sake of money?

  Woollen was acting like MacFarlane brought some huge elephant in the room. He didn't. That elephant was already there. MacFarlane only drew everyone's attention to the elephant and made a joke about it!

  Now, I'm certainly not out to defend Seth MacFarlane. His reputation for vulgarity and blasphemy goes without saying. But still, I couldn't help but recognize that this controversy seemed awfully familiar. Could it be that the women who've been offended by MacFarlane's number are actually upset for the shame they feel -- because someone told them they were naked?

  After Adam and Eve willfully sinned against God, eating the fruit He told them not to eat, their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked. So they sewed coverings for themselves and hid. When God was walking through the garden, He called out to them, "Where are you?" Adam said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself."

  And God replied, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

  Suddenly there are people in the academy, and sympathizers outside the movie business, who realize, "We're naked." They didn't think about it until someone pointed and laughed. Then, just like how Adam and Eve both made excuses and redirected blame for their sin, they're making excuses and blaming someone else.

  Philippians 3:19 speaks of those who "glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." But in Revelation 3, Jesus said to the church of Laodicea to clothe themselves not in the things of this world, but in the things of Christ, so "the shame of your nakedness may not be seen." He says, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent."
  
  What do you think of MacFarlane's song?  Why do you think it's so controversial?  What does the uproar over "calling out" celebrities and their nakedness say about our own spiritual nakedness? 

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