In today’s television world no religion is safe from being used as humor on television. Most comedy shows will have at least one episode’s plot centered on a religious topic. Throughout the episode they will poke fun and at said religion. The following three clips will be of three different shows making fun of Judaism, Christianity and the Bible, and Palestinians.
My first clip is from the show Arrested Development that ran for only three seasons on television. It is about a dysfunctional family whose father is in prison for fraud, doing business with Iraqi officials, and other offenses. In this clip the father “converts” to Judaism to try to show that he is becoming a better person so that he will get a lighter sentence at his trial.
The second clip is from the show South Park. South Park has made fun of just about every religion there is to make fun of and has become very notorious for having no censor for any religion and will make fun of anything in the name of comedy. The video does not start until 0:18 and you can stop watching at 2:10.
This third clip is from Family Guy and the main character Peter Griffin complaining about his Palestinian alarm clock.
This final clip is going to springboard me to my finals thoughts and question for the class.
I do not believe that Lewis Black is alone in his feelings. It is easy for us to lose track while we are here living in the BYU bubble. We lose track that society really does not care about religion. I was living in California during the Proposition 8 campaign. While we were canvassing the neighborhoods trying to get people out to vote, I noticed an interesting trend. Most people who were fence sitters were not really worried about the religious or moral implication of the proposition they were more worried about the impact it would have on how schools taught sex education or some other topic of the proposition.
I believe that television has caused religion to be such a mockery that it is not viewed in a serious light. I think that religion with each new television episode that mocks God, Allah, Jesus Christ, Mohammad, Judaism, ECT. is losing it authoritative figure that it had in the past and is viewed by each new generation as something that only crazy people believe. I believe that television is not the only factor but a big one in forming this new way of thinking.
So my question is how do we get people to care again about religion again and what role has television played in causing this disinterest? Also how can how can television play a realistic role in bringing back the interesting religion?
This question is not meant to bring interest to the LDS church just religion in general.
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i think it's difficult for a producer to make a show that teaches religious values from a specific religion, so they stray away from it. to teach about islam will turn away a larger group of viewers than making fun of islam will. in order for a show to have massive appeal and still teach a positive, religious message, individual religions can not be named specifically. for example, "lost" had religious themes from multiple religions running through it, but rarely, if ever, did you hear the name of a specific religion mentioned. this allowed viewers a more accessible experience, since they didn't have to bring all of their biases and opinions that are attached to names like "christian," "catholic," "jewish," etc...
ReplyDeleteit's unfortunate that when religion is named, it is harmed, but when it's name remains hidden, it thrives...
I think it is important for the consumers of media to distinguish between entertainment and life lessons. It is true that TV shows and other media sometimes become the only source of information on religion for some people, but those who are truly interested in religion should be able to distinguish or be prompted to study more and find out the truth about the difference between entertainment and religion.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the fact that producers feel the need to single out religions and get very specific with criticism is evident of the mind set of most media consumers. It isn't enough to make a joke about religion as a whole anymore. It is often necessary to single a group out, and usually a minority group, to get a laugh. I find that very unfortunate and a possible foreshadowing of intensified religious separation and discrimination.
This is an interesting question. This may be a very general statement but from what I’ve seen I think that religion is portrayed on a surface level, usually poking fun at religious stereotypes. Media does this because most people are only familiar with the stereotypes rather than the actual teachings of religions. People are more comfortable with more general information. If media portrayed true doctrines and teachings of a religion on a deeper level, all of a sudden it wouldn’t be so mainstream anymore.
ReplyDeleteOn Tyler’s comments, I think that when religious themes are portrayed in media, they seem to be hidden almost like subliminal messages. When they don’t define a religion the show, like Lost, almost becomes a religion itself.
I agree with Jake that I think it’s easier to poke fun at a minority group, because that’s something the mainstream can usually relate to – being different from that minority group. It’s a shame that media tends to do this, but for them it’s the ‘safe zone.’
I'm just going to tackle one of the questions:
ReplyDeleteHow do we get people to care about religion again?
Define religion for society. What is religion? Because of television and all types of media, I believe that audiences are confused with what religion is. Is it a place where families and individuals learn of how they can live happier lives by following a Supreme Being? Is religion a radical cult that in order to reach to heaven one must commit suicide and kill others as sacrifices? Or an outdated and conservative institution that has rules and guidelines that only "restrict" individuals from realizing their full potential as human beings?
I believe that the majority of society doesn't understand what religion, true religion, is. And if so, who is the one that can define it to them? Will they listen to a Rabbi or say that he's ridiculous because of that funny hat he wears? Will they listen to an Islamic leader or are they afraid he'll brainwash him to kill someone? Will they listen to a Mormon prophet or think that he's a bigot?
It's sad, but true, that at devasting times in history, is when the majority of people remember God or a higher Being. We've seen it with the Israelites when they crossed the parted Red Sea, Laman and Lemuel when they are shocked by Nephi and during the devastating 9/11 attacks nine years ago. But how long did that remembrance last? For some it didn't even register.
Now, I don't believe that there is no hope for television and media. There are a lot of great things happening. I think the best way we can help religion get back into television is by helping remind people what religion is: love, support, goodness, trust. And the way we can do that is by living up to the things we know true and by helping others recognize in themselves that they know it's true.
- Emily Borders :)
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ReplyDeleteI think the sad truth is that television will NOT be the means to fueling America's interest in religion. As one of the authors in this weeks reading said, producers are "in the unenviable position of trying to please all of the people all of the time, or at least trying never to offend anyone."
ReplyDeleteI think the first part of that comment still holds true. Producers try to appeal to the widest audience base because THAT's what makes the most money. However, modern-day television content seems to contradict his second point. The most successful programs today are those that rely most heavily on sarcasm and biting humor. Our generation thinks it's funny and, because we appreciate it, it's what sells. So instead of never trying to offend ANYONE, producers now try to victimize the smallest number.
One way they do this is by targeting minority groups, as Jake said. The other is by mocking religious stereotypes. In doing so,(1) the humor makes sense to the masses and (2) producers know they will not seriously damage their relationship with the religious group they're exploiting because true believers of that faith no there's no truth to their claims. Did any of us stop watching Friends, The Colbert Report, or Seinfeld because of some stereotypical shot at Mormons? My guess is no. And smart producers know it too.
So I guess my point is, it's not profitable for media writers to stop targeting religions so people will take religion seriously and/or care because religious humor sells (see above). And even the most devout church-goers will not give up their favorite primetime program because it took a small shot at their faith (sad, but true). So I don't see any real way we can use television as a means to help others see the value in religion. I think it'll be outside influences that offer this enlightened perspective. That's just my take on it though...
The second chapter of our textbook points out that for years television networks have steered away from any sort of religious material in order to offend as few people as possible. The topics of religion seem to be touched on more frequently by news channels, but in many instances these programs focus on negative aspects of the religion or simply follow some current controversy with religion.
ReplyDeleteYesterday on the radio I was listening to a local talk show that was debating if Glenn Beck was good for the LDS church or if he had more of a negative impact. I think if people are to care more about religion then people who are in the spotlight, such as Glenn Beck, must talk about it more.
I agree that religion is mocked and marginalized in every form on TV. From South Park to Bill Muray (sp?) to this Lewis Black fellow, religion is looked upon scronfully and distastefully. We live in a world where we are all about "me." Our indulgences and desires should be catered to first and foremost. Religion does not do that for people. It is not that attractive compared to the entertainment laced me society most favor. Before media can have any influence on society, society norms have to be changed within the family first. Only then can media have a dramatic effect on the masses.
ReplyDeleteTelevision has shown absolutely everything the world has to offer ... it leaves nothing to the imagination anymore. People have always used religion as a way to cope and try to understand what is going on in the world. With the ability to see everything that is going on, it leaves very little to the imagination and therefore we no longer have to rely on faith and hope to try to figure out what’s going on. If a person is truly interested in a certain religion, then they should take the proper steps in investigating rather than going off of what a television show says. I believe that the role television is playing to cause disinterest is that it can force people to believe something that might not always be the way it really is. For example, if "Family Guy" mocks the LDS culture or makes fun of something within that religion that is giving people of the non-LDS faith ideas as to what or how the LDS faith is. Also, it can be damaging to the show itself. If a certain show makes fun of a religion there is a good chance that people of that religion will get offended and stop watching. Therefore, causing the show to lose viewers.
ReplyDeleteAlso, television has become our entertainment. It eats up time like it’s nothing. Whereby in the past, with limited TV viewing options, people had a lot more time on their hands to spend in church and participating in church functions. Now, it’s just as easy to stay home and watch a church service on TV or a Sunday football game or movies on 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We no longer have the need to get out of our houses and meet up with other people.
I agree completely with Jake in the sense that consumers need to take the first step in distinguishing between what is entertainment and life lessons. Hopefully they would be able to tell when a television show is pushing its limits on trying to be funny and what actually is truth. A majority of the world is affiliated with some type of religion and most shows like, "South Park" or "Family Guy" usually are created by people who don't have those beliefs. Therefore, they could careless and write whatever they want to get a good laugh. When we watch shows like these we are adding the gasoline to the fire. When the producers see people are watching they will continue to write these crazy things about religions. So one thing i believe that would help bring back an interest in religion is stop watching shows like that.
Television can be used to show the good that people can do with their church… helping people in disasters, feeding the poor, community service events, etc. It can also be used to televise the church services and expose many more people to a particular religion and what it has to offer. Sometimes people think a particular religion is scary or unsure of what their belief system is and this would be a great opportunity to exposure and educate the public.
Nice post. I don't know that the downfall of interest in religion is completely caused by TV. If every show on television began portraying religion in a positive light we wouldn't have a much better situation. People's disinterest in religion is caused by media but not in the sense that the media mocks religion but in the sense that the media is offering many more fun alternatives.
ReplyDeleteWith the media we can watch youtube, get on facebook, chat online, watch TV, go to movies etc. Most of these choices are more fun then going to church and listening to someone read from a very old book. I am not trying to speak bad of church but it is not the most exciting place in the world. Look around you at church and see how many people are on their phones playing games, texting etc. Can we blame TV for this? No. The cause is that technology is allowing us to bring that fun into church. Even though I think if you are going to go to church you might as well pay attention or not go, it makes no difference. The media is coming and it's all access fun all the time is what is causing a disinterest in church.
Nice work, I really enjoyed your posts and you've got some good choice in clips.
Travis Meidell