Forgot to watch the Oscars last week, because of being too holy, and then didn’t watch the long Trump speech, because of being busy reading an actual book, and then didn’t click on any articles about Beauty and the Beast…well, maybe just one or two. Did read this good article about how we shouldn’t dehumanize Hollywood. I mean, I have to agree. It is wrong to deny the humanity of other people, even celebrities.
But I kind of think that is the problem–the denial of the humanity of the other person. I’m pretty sure this is why we are getting to have the presidency of Mr. Trump (see, I’m not saying it exactly, I promised I wouldn’t, oh never mind, I’m being a total hypocrite). I mean, I “forgot” to watch the Oscars, being so holy and all, because I hate being lectured, even somebody as accomplished and beautiful as Meryl Streep. Clearly she doesn’t think my worldview has any value.
On the whole, I hate it when other people tell me how to be and what to think. I hate it when God does it (which is why I, along with the rest of humanity, am someday going to die), and I hate it when politicians do it, and I hate it when Hollywood does it. A deep down part of me is a tiny bit happy when other people say to the celebrity world, ‘you’re job is to entertain me, just stop lecturing me and do that.’ Although the way this was said was unkind and wrong. Not going to argue on that point.
When we all say, “You’re entitled to your opinion” we clearly don’t all mean it. Only some people are entitled to their thoughts and feelings, and all the rest of them that no longer hold such an entitlement voted for Trump.
It’s probably the word ‘entitle’ that is so ugly. Part of getting to live in a country where you’re supposed to be allowed to say whatever you want, where you do in fact, by law, have that right, means that you are technically ‘entitled’ to it. You do get to have it. It’s a birthright, like the rich inheriting money and the poor inheriting embarrassing heroin addictions.
But there’s an ugly side to entitlement. Even if it’s technically true it is aesthetically troublesome. When people act like they’re ‘ entitled’ it’s embarrassing. It’s visually more appealing to act with grace and humility, even while you may be exercising your civic entitlement. When you have a whole culture full of people living in to the fullness of their entitlements, without even the appearance of gracious humility, it gets kind of ugly–witness the political landscape of today. It’s so bad, of course, that even when you do have a right to something and you claim that right and exercise that right, perhaps even with the attitude of a nice gracious person rather than as a jerk, the person who doesn’t agree with you calls foul, cries out that it’s not fair.
When two people both have rights, and those rights bring them into conflict, does anyone have to give way to the other? When we’re talking about speech I think the answer should be no. You both get to keep talking and talking and talking and talking. America has heretofore thought that you could totally disagree with your neighbor about essential issues and still live peaceably side by side.
But human nature doesn’t ever really allow this. Having to live next to someone you think is wrong, or by whom you feel judged, is intolerable. Doesn’t matter whether you both have the right to believe and say whatever you want. Both of you. If you are sick of each other then one of you should be quiet–whoever is weaker and poorer probably.
Unfortunately, the Christian worldview isn’t compatible with the entitlement worldview. As a Christian you don’t have any rights before God. You don’t, as a birthright, get to have anything. You don’t get speech or life or love or anything by virtue of being human. All your humanity does is place you at odds with the One from whom all blessings flow. You are always in rebellion against him, the way I am in rebellion against Hollywood. You don’t want to do what he tells you, and so you can’t have any life or happiness at his hand. Expect that you can by turning around and saying you’re sorry and quelling your rebellion. Which I’m sure would be true for Hollywood. If I would just repent of being a hater and being a Christian then I would get my entitlement to my opinions back, what with them finally being the right opinions.
No, in a cosmic sense, I don’t have rights. I am offered mercy. That’s not the same thing. And, in the smaller sense of America, I think mercy might be a pretty good way out of the bitter divisions rending us asunder. The Christian, like me, who feels shut down and cut out by the free speech of others, could exercise the balm of forgiveness and mercy towards the one I believe to be so wrong. Instead of saying, “Dance monkey dance,” which is an ugly thing to say, I could say something like, “I know you don’t like my opinions either but I’m going to let you off the hook and not lecture you right now, but still Jesus did die on the cross for your sins and I hope you’ll repent and turn back towards him, or something.” Trouble is, I’m not in a sparkly dress on a stage to make such a speech. So my forgiving mercy is but a drop in the great ocean of free speech.
But also, I don’t have to go see Beauty and the Beast. Not to be a lame-o but I wasn’t going to anyway because that movie scared me as a child and I don’t want to see it even now, life imitating animation. I don’t want to have to sit in a theater feeling embarrassed for the actors playing into the prevailing doctrines of the day, bowing to them, exalting them, making them shiny and appealing. I want to stay home and watch YouTube clips of actors yelling at other actors.
I still do have that right, for the moment.
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