Response to: Reality TV.... Don't Believe Everything You See!

In your blog entry you discussed reality TV shows and how producers edit a certain way in order to portray a certain idea. In the Mesaros-Winckles article about 19 kids and counting, she discusses how the Duggar family obviously practices the Quiverfull way of living, but they do not mention it on the show or openly say they do. However, the way the show is edited, shows audiences that they do indeed follow it.

Trailers from shows are also strategically edited to trick audiences into thinking one thing, to lure them in to watch the show. However, when the episode is aired, many audiences are disappointed.

An example of this is the show Jersey Shore. During the fourth season, two of the cast members get into a fight. The preview shows one of the guys knocked out on the floor, and getting escorted out of the house on a stretcher. After seeing this preview, everyone assumed the other cast member had hit him and knocked him out.

However, you can see in this video, that he simply knocked his head on the wall. The producers edited it this way to lure people into watching the show, in hopes of seeing a crazy fight.

With the case of the Trading Spouses episode, I’m sure the way the show was edited put a very negative view on Christianity. The lady was already very forceful with her beliefs and the way she was acting definitely put a negative light on Christianity. The way the episode was edited no doubt showed a different, crazier side of the religion. Of course, most Christians are not like this, but it definitely shows that people can act this way. While shows like 19 Kids and Counting are not promoted as a Christian show, it is obvious that they want their message to be received by audiences and perhaps get people to follow as well.

Religious Cheerleaders

In this week's class, we focused on Christianity in television. A great example of a show that promotes Christianity is Hellcats. The show is based on a law student, Marti (played by Aly Michalka), who attends Lancer University. She has to join her university's cheerleading squad in order to get a scholarship so she can afford to stay in school. One of her teammates, Savannah (played by Ashley Tisdale) is a devout Christian who has moved out of her religious household because she left her Christian school to join a secular school.

Hellcats heavily promotes Christian values. Throughout the show, we are shown clips of Savannah and her family discussing their religious beliefs and what Savannah is doing is wrong and against their religion. They also talk about how her parents disapprove of her being a cheerleader at a secular school as it as seen as inappropriate. Savannah's younger sister gets pregnant in the show, and there are a lot of discussions about religious beliefs throughout these episodes.

At the beginning of the show, Savannah’s encounters with her family are very awkward, as she had left their household to live at the school dorm. Her parents almost refuse to talk to her, even though she still practices her religious beliefs. They eventually accept her, but they make their expectations of her very clear. One night Savannah brings a boy for dinner to meet her family, and her parents grill him about his religious beliefs. It is obvious they are not fond of the boy, and suggest Savannah go back to dating her very religious ex-boyfriend. 

Lancer’s rival school is Memphis Christian, who also has a cheerleading squad. However, their uniforms are much more conservative. They do not show any midriff, and their tops are full sleeved instead of sleeveless – clearly showing that you can still be a cheerleader without having to show off your skin.  

It is interesting to see the conflict in the show - having cheerleaders, who are usually portrayed very sexually, versus a highly Christian family, who look down upon secular schools and their cheerleading squad. 

Response to: The Socialogy of Jesus

I definitely agree with your post and how all Jesus characters are women, and demonic characters are usually portrayed by women. They are also usually dressed scantily clad - such as with Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Demi Moore as Madison Lee in Charlie's Angels. The sexy evil characters are usually in lingerie or a very tight, revealing body suit. These women are shown as powerful, sexy, but evil, luring in a sense of danger. They are also masters at the art of seduction - something contrary to what religious people may believe in.

There are, however, womanly Christ figures in movies - usually the angel or fairy godmother. Movies like this include Cinderella and Mama Odie in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog". They play God, making sure they help out the main character(s) when in need or to help save from disasters. They can always hear when help is needed and often appear from nowhere. The fairy godmother is the mentor, showing motherly actions and paving the right path for the character to follow.

As for your question, "Why is being a devil sexy?", perhaps it's because people like a sense of evil or danger. Instead of going for the good person or the hero, try something new. The devilish characters are most always very sexy and seductive, luring people to the evil side with their sexuality.

You said, "We see that a lot of social norms, customs, and culture is in someway a derivative of christianity. It is safe to assume that these same perspectives have found their way to dictating gender roles". If people are dictating gender roles, specifically through films, then does this mean people see women as evil, if they are potraying the devil?

Super Jesus

In this week's lecture, we discussed Jesus films and Christ figures in films. A great example of Christ figures in films are any superhero movies - Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc. They are the saviours, the ones who try and do good deeds and save the town from the bad guys. With the example of "Superman Returns", Superman's father tells him he is going to send him to Earth because "humans lack the light to show the way". There is a clear biblical reference there, which is by no means accidental. At the end of the film, he is stabbed with a piece of kryptonite. This can be related to Jesus being stabbed during the crucifixion. After he throws Lex Luthor's continent into space, he falls back into the Earth into a pose that resembles Jesus on the cross. Superman wakes up from a coma three days later, like Jesus waking up three days after his crucifixion. Also, he is able to fly around and hear cries of help from people needing his assistance. This resembles God being able to hear our prayers in heaven. It seems the story in "Superman Returns" could be a sort of re-telling of Jesus' life; being sent to Earth by his father to do good, battling with Lex Luthor (who could very well be the devil figure), being crucified and then waking up three days later.

In class we talked about how films with Christ figures often have a covert missiological intention to try and convert people to becoming Christian. I believe Superman could be one of these movies, as there are so many obvious biblical references (as stated above). Some non-religious people may be offended by having Christ figures in films because it can offend their non religious beliefs. However, because Superman is such a widely popular figure in popular secular culture, the religious references shouldn't ward off mainstream viewers.