July 11, 2007
Learning Remote Control Control: Cinematic Slobs and Cultural Gluttony
I’ve spent some energy hammering on Christians who scurry into their cultural caves any time someone offers to take them to a movie. There are many reasons why being over protective of your senses is detrimental to a full Christian life and one should hold their fears at bay. Film is a beautiful art that can inspire vast audiences and influence how they see their world.. I think it is one of the wonders of our age. We should watch film with care with our eyes looking through the lens of our faith.
There are many that look at the expanse of world cinema’s offerings and fail to see a rich buffet expressing the thoughts and dreams of humanity. Many only look at the menu stemming from Hollywood and think the movies are little more than a mountain of quickly made Happy Meals. These folks do not take cinema seriously and are likely to spout “it doesn’t matter, its only a movie”.
It’s never – I’ll say that again because it is important – NEVER just a movie.
Those who do not take their consumption of film (and television for that matter) seriously have a greater chance of falling into consuming anything that come across. If movies don’t matter then why would it matter what they watch? It doesn’t have an effect, right? There are many who stuff themselves on media. They binge on films without concern to their content or intention. As long as they are entertained, they are happy.
Believe it or not, gluttony is a bad idea.
As we continue with this site, I’ll explain in detail exactly why movies matter. The short version is that they literally explain you world to you and have an affect how you conduct yourself both externally and internally. If you don’t believe films have an effect directly on how we behave or have any impact on the condition of our souls then answer this – is it bad to watch porn? If you believe (correctly) that the consumption of pornographic imagery erodes that the heart and mind of the viewer then you have already conceded the projected image can affect the audience. Still clinging to the notion that films have no deeper impact? Answer this – tell me what you know about the old West? Dinosaurs? Space travel? The Scottish fight for freedom from Britain? Honesty, give it some thought. Now, how much of what you know comes directly from movies that you have seen? Most likely, a great deal.
A person is lionized when they have a movie made about them. When greats pass away like Ray Charles or Johnny Cash their status in our culture is confirmed when a movie is made about their lives. These memorials are international events that serve to praise the life of the talented. Important events like D-Day, the Holocaust, September 11th and others likewise are given updated gravity when films are made showing their place in history. We look to these films to learn more about these people and events. The films we watch however are controlled filters that fail to give full explanations and descriptions. We walk away with the ideas the filmmakers designed for us to have about these events. Consider Oliver Stone’s JFK. His conspiracy piece about the assassination of JFK was littered with inconsistencies and outrageous claims. Many watched his film and were moved to consider his kooky theories. If films can be used to praise cultural figures and alter the way we perceive our collective past do you honestly think they don’t change the way we see our present and futures?
Films do have an impact on how you think and by extension how you act. It is not a coincidence that our society has coarsened as our entertainment industry has lost the ability to restrain itself. I firmly believe that Hollywood is not reflecting our society any longer. It is the opposite that is true. We react to what is put before us. If we consume a diet of scatological comedies (meaning poop and potty humor) we shouldn’t be surprised that we will begin to repeat low brow jokes in private. If we watch a heavy amount of horror films, our chances of have more fleeting thoughts of committing violence will increase. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the cause and effect.
If you watch everything you conserve nothing within yourself. When you fail to control yourself when engaging the culture you have handed yourself over to those who will play to your base urges. Hollywood is an industry and they will be more than happy to make a buck off of you. The easier the sale, the better. Selling a guy Die Hard or The Transformers is easier than selling him Tsotsi, The Decalouge or Citizen Kane. They do not care about you or your soul, they only care about your wallet. It is like walking down the street and eating from whatever vendors you come across and expecting to remain healthy. It’s not going to happen.
In addition, when you fail to control your intake you’re allowing all matter of worldview and content to enter into your brain – without consideration. It is not sinful to see sex and violence. Sin comes into play by how you react to it. If you allow questionable material into your mind without confronting it with the light of Christ then your chances of reacting to it in a sinful matter (obsessing over sexual imagery or pleasuring yourself in the pain of others, etc.) increases.
It is only by having control BEFORE we consume media, and then reflect AFTER we’re done that we can expect to manage ourselves in a Christian way.
There are many that look at the expanse of world cinema’s offerings and fail to see a rich buffet expressing the thoughts and dreams of humanity. Many only look at the menu stemming from Hollywood and think the movies are little more than a mountain of quickly made Happy Meals. These folks do not take cinema seriously and are likely to spout “it doesn’t matter, its only a movie”. It’s never – I’ll say that again because it is important – NEVER just a movie.
Those who do not take their consumption of film (and television for that matter) seriously have a greater chance of falling into consuming anything that come across. If movies don’t matter then why would it matter what they watch? It doesn’t have an effect, right? There are many who stuff themselves on media. They binge on films without concern to their content or intention. As long as they are entertained, they are happy.
Believe it or not, gluttony is a bad idea.
As we continue with this site, I’ll explain in detail exactly why movies matter. The short version is that they literally explain you world to you and have an affect how you conduct yourself both externally and internally. If you don’t believe films have an effect directly on how we behave or have any impact on the condition of our souls then answer this – is it bad to watch porn? If you believe (correctly) that the consumption of pornographic imagery erodes that the heart and mind of the viewer then you have already conceded the projected image can affect the audience. Still clinging to the notion that films have no deeper impact? Answer this – tell me what you know about the old West? Dinosaurs? Space travel? The Scottish fight for freedom from Britain? Honesty, give it some thought. Now, how much of what you know comes directly from movies that you have seen? Most likely, a great deal.
A person is lionized when they have a movie made about them. When greats pass away like Ray Charles or Johnny Cash their status in our culture is confirmed when a movie is made about their lives. These memorials are international events that serve to praise the life of the talented. Important events like D-Day, the Holocaust, September 11th and others likewise are given updated gravity when films are made showing their place in history. We look to these films to learn more about these people and events. The films we watch however are controlled filters that fail to give full explanations and descriptions. We walk away with the ideas the filmmakers designed for us to have about these events. Consider Oliver Stone’s JFK. His conspiracy piece about the assassination of JFK was littered with inconsistencies and outrageous claims. Many watched his film and were moved to consider his kooky theories. If films can be used to praise cultural figures and alter the way we perceive our collective past do you honestly think they don’t change the way we see our present and futures?
Films do have an impact on how you think and by extension how you act. It is not a coincidence that our society has coarsened as our entertainment industry has lost the ability to restrain itself. I firmly believe that Hollywood is not reflecting our society any longer. It is the opposite that is true. We react to what is put before us. If we consume a diet of scatological comedies (meaning poop and potty humor) we shouldn’t be surprised that we will begin to repeat low brow jokes in private. If we watch a heavy amount of horror films, our chances of have more fleeting thoughts of committing violence will increase. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the cause and effect.
If you watch everything you conserve nothing within yourself. When you fail to control yourself when engaging the culture you have handed yourself over to those who will play to your base urges. Hollywood is an industry and they will be more than happy to make a buck off of you. The easier the sale, the better. Selling a guy Die Hard or The Transformers is easier than selling him Tsotsi, The Decalouge or Citizen Kane. They do not care about you or your soul, they only care about your wallet. It is like walking down the street and eating from whatever vendors you come across and expecting to remain healthy. It’s not going to happen.
In addition, when you fail to control your intake you’re allowing all matter of worldview and content to enter into your brain – without consideration. It is not sinful to see sex and violence. Sin comes into play by how you react to it. If you allow questionable material into your mind without confronting it with the light of Christ then your chances of reacting to it in a sinful matter (obsessing over sexual imagery or pleasuring yourself in the pain of others, etc.) increases.
It is only by having control BEFORE we consume media, and then reflect AFTER we’re done that we can expect to manage ourselves in a Christian way.
Labels: audience, Christian culture, commentary
posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 6:56 AM
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4 Comments:
It seems you confirm my thought that we should be more judicious in what we watch (i.e. the Challies theory) because of exactly what you wrote in that movies do affect us. When we become overconfident in our ability to parse out the negative, we become targets for slipping into poor thought and behavior.
I think the aspect of control prior to consumption can be easily abused. It gets back to discretion.
I agree with Schaeffer's reasoning in how we should engage the culture, but I think he would encourage restraint that sometimes escapes us.
Yes, but being too protective is also poor thought and behavior.
Taking in too much is as bad as taking in nothing. The glutton and the sensitive protectionist both show weak faith and both actions, I believe, stem from a lack of discretion.
Returning to drink from the Challies well again, his dismissal of Evan Almighty, given his online role, was wrong then and continues to be wrong today. His inability to step in and correct his readers was also wrong. It is not discretion for a leader to throw scorn upon something they haven't seen - provided the material is not clearly offensive (hyper-violent, porn, etc.) He was promoting cultural disengagement based on assumptions.
I do agree that he should have confronted those who went anti-movie.
As I read your thoughts more maybe I'll obtain clarity on how you assess when someone is being a cinematic glutton. Right now I'm not sure how you define that since it seems only porn and snuff films are off limits, or rather wrong to watch.
It is a large subject and I don't intend to have the last word with a single post.
There are different ways to approach this. The amount of time one spends consuming material and then the actual material being consumed. I'm speaking of the latter.
The point I'm making above is pretty simple, one needs to understand that watching anything they want without giving it thought or caution is dangerous and to be blunt - stupid.
There are many people out there who give what they view no thought whatsoever. They need a wake up call as much as the cave dwellers I discussed earlier.
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