This past weekend, the Golden Globes recognized "excellence" in film and televeision. Ricky Gervais hosted the event and took the opportunity to make some cheeky, yet controversial, jokes about Hollywood stars. Five days after the awards show (which is an eternity on the internet), Gervais' opening monologue is still one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. This is how he ended the show:
Ricky Gervais, who has many times publically stated that he is atheist, reminded me of those celebrities who personify secularity, yet always thank God in their acceptance speeches. Some celebrities, most likely, are genuinely thanking God in that moment; however, it is obvious that other celebrities are nonsensically offering their thanks and just going through the motions of acceptance speeches.
In the past, actress Scarlett Johansson and comedian Kathy Griffin both made public statements about the absurdity of other celebrities’ thanks to God during acceptance speeches.
Claiming actors and actresses who thank God in their acceptance speeches are an embarrassment to the profession, Scarlett Johansson said in an interview, "Some people can be so goofy, especially the ones that say, 'I'd like to thank our Lord Jesus up above!' I'm like, 'For the love of God, keep your mouth shut. That's why the world is so f***ed up because God is focusing solely on your career.'"
At the 2007 Emmy Awards, Kathy Griffin, in her acceptance speech she said, “Now, a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn't help me a bit. If it was up to him, Cesar Millan would be up here with that damn dog. So all I can say is suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now!”
She later explained that her comments were meant to be a satire of celebrities who themselves are controversial yet thank Jesus for their awards.
It seems as though the act of thanking God publically has become such a routine part of awards shows. And regardless of a person’s faith or secular themes they promote, God can still have a hand in helping the rich get richer. The lines between Christianity and popular culture are blurred. Perhaps while these celebrities are selling sex through their work, the mention of God helps these individuals remain moral beings?
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I think you raise a very important issue here, especially with your last sentence, “Perhaps while these celebrities are selling sex through their work, the mention of God helps these individuals remain moral beings?” It’s almost as God is being used here for the sole purpose of presenting a righteous image of the celebrities or helping them sleep better at night.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to politicians, it is important for the general population to relate to them in order to look up to them as role models. A president who has a nuclear family and attends church every Sunday is represented as “the average Joe and his wife Jane next door.” This creates comfort for the public and assures them that these celebrities are human in every way and will not do evil.
Everything that celebrities represent is at the epitome of what Jesus would NOT do: their culture of materialism, their lifestyle of abundance and their attitude towards those who are unlike themselves. Vanessa puts it nicely by saying, “those celebrities who personify secularity.” I mean, surely there are exceptions, but we question those too. Often times, people try to present Oprah as the African American girl whose world was coloured in poverty and misfortune but she turned it all around and now she is giving back to Africa, donating to charities and building a school for young girls. Yet what we rarely ask ourselves is, why is she giving away televisions and cars to her middle class American audience members when there are children with no drinking water in other parts of the world? And if she is contributing to the less fortunate areas of the world…why is she announcing it on television? Is it out of the kindness of her Christian heart? Or is it publicity…hmmm…
The words “Thank God” have been thrown around quite frequently in our mainstream society, and I don’t believe everyone should use them during an awards speech, but I think Kathy Griffin and Scarlett Johansson are just plain rude and make fun of something that some take very seriously (whatever the explanations were after their comments).
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(see my blog for attached pictures and videos)
Hey Vanessa!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, check out my response here: http://jcandpc.blogspot.com/2011/01/response-to-vanessa-thank-god-for.html
BTW I'd also like to point out in regards to Elona's statement about celebs giving to others less fortunate that celebrities get a hefty tax break when they give to charities. Makes you question whether it's from the good of their hearts or for financial purposes.
Your post got me thinking about another group that praises God regularly: athletes.
ReplyDeleteAs a sports fan, I often find it ridiculous when athletes, after a big win, will start their post-game interview by saying, "First, I'd like to thank our lord and saviour Jesus Christ." Former St. Louis Ram, New York Giant and Arizona Cardinal quarterback Kurt Warner was fond of saying this. In Warner's eyes, God, it seemed, had a vested interest in the goings-on of professional athletes.
The thing I always wondered was: do these same athletes praise God after they lose or is God only on their side when they win? Did Kurt Warner thank Jesus after his Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl XLIII? I wonder.
Then something occurred this past NFL season that surprised even me. After he dropped a game-winning touchdown catch in overtime against the Steelers, Buffalo Bill wide receiver Steve Johnson went on Twitter and actually blamed God for dropping the pass. Yes, he blamed God. The Tweet went as followed:
"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!! THX THO..."
While most people ridiculed Johnson's statement as asinine, I found it refreshing that Johnson would not let God off the hook for his drop, even if he still manages to thank God at the end.
But Johnson's tweet was exactly what I was looking for. He brought home the point that if God is with you when you win, he must also play a role when you lose.
I do not know if these athletes and celebrities are consciously making a decision to thank God (OK, Kurt Warner most definitely is), but the end result is still the same.
Whether Scarlet Johannson or Kathy Griffin's quotes are crass or not is beside the point. Think about what Johannson said. At the end of the day, does God really give a darn if Kurt Warner won a football game or if so-and-so won a Golden Globe? According to the people who thank God, I suppose he does.