So Larry David, on his show Curb Your Enthusiasm, got a drop of tinkle on a picture of Jesus. The camera zooms in. It appears the image of Jesus has a single tear rolling down his cheek.
“Praise God! It’s a miracle,” two women decide as they fall to their knees in prayer.
The next day The Catholic League president Bill Donohue immediately demanded an apology from David, and the media had something to talk about other than Abdullah Abdullah dropping out of the Afghan run-off. For the media it was comic relief. For many Christians it was a call to arms against those who defile the “sacred.” (Check the comments on Fox’s coverage if you need verification—almost 1400 comments when I posted this.)
Is it offensive? Of course it is. A picture of Jesus on a sitcom may not be sacred, but it, in the Christian’s mind, still points to the sacred in some way. However, I gotta say we miss what’s going on here if we focus on the outcome of David’s heavy flow: a urine tear on a picture of Jesus. That’s not what’s important. David’s stunt was not so much about the urine on the picture of Jesus as it was a satire on religious zealotry. The kind of religious zealotry that continually proclaims one’s own martyrdom with no recognition of how “true belief” denies others’ freedom. Because, you know, if you’re preoccupied with your own perceived harm, when can you see how you have harmed others?
What’s more important here: Defending a water coloring of Jesus on a television show—a show, mind you, that has made its name off being offensive? Or, I don’t know, maybe calling to question some things that really matter? I hear there are a lot of hungry people in the city. Maybe we can be upset about that together.
Or, maybe we can get upset each time the first amendment doesn’t go our way. That sounds productive…
Watch the clip:
youtube.com
Media/Commentary from All Sides:
mediamatters.org
usatoday
firstthings.com
Bill O’Reilly (Video)
