[lit-ideas] Re: Another apology concerning recent papal remarks
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:31:20 -0500
EY:
Look at the bright side. Madonna's gonna crucify herself during one of her
shows. That will distract Christian activists from the Pope's Islamic
fundamentalist problem.
Of course, if Madonna had any guts, she would mock Islam, but her
aesthetic is clearly stuck back in the Serrano Piss-Christ '80s.
Tsk, tsk, Eric, every day you get more conservative. I guess I should start
praying for you daily now, not just on Sundays.
OK, let's put aside the fact that Madonna is most decidedly a material girl
and very good at material gain. She's a genius at it, in fact -- 'she'
being Madonna, Inc., of course -- but we're putting all that aside. I
assume you realize that Serrano wasn't just trying to insult Christians with
his Piss-Christ, rather he was trying to get people to look anew at the
meaning of the symbol at the heart of their beliefs, a symbol that is so
much a part of their world that they hardly even see it anymore. It has,
alas, lost all significance. Extreme irreverence, he wisely decided, would
get people examining those symbols again and discussing their meanings and
perhaps -- just perhaps -- buying his photos. Many thanks to Senator Jesse
Helms in that, btw. Madonna, too, is most interested in reawakening
people's awareness of sacred symbols and how in their unexamined adoption
are being used to prop up social structures that crucify women on a cross
patriarchy. Thank you, conservative Catholics and Russian Orthodox
believers for helping Madonna bring attention to these social injustices.
Now, before you start slamming the Pope for his Piss-Mohammed, you should
reflect on what Serrano and Madonna and the Danish editors have taught us --
the way to get people's attention is by insulting them -- and insulting them
deeply and meaningfully. The Pope's not stupid, in fact, I strongly suspect
that he is very supportive of Bush in his 3rd Spiritual Awakening thing.
God love him for that. So why did he, in so many words, call Islam an evil
religion? The Pope is a scholar, he's not Pat Robertson. The Pope is a
scholar and as such would not have chosen his words unwisely. And as a
scholar he knows that if you throw gasoline on a fire, it won't put it out.
In fact.... Hmmm. Give me a second here
..........................................Well, OK then, maybe my earlier
suspicions are right -- maybe Bush and the Pope are in cahoots. Maybe
they're both look forward to global war, one last Crusade, but only to get
people to appreciate the significance of their religious symbols. You need
to understand that. That makes a big difference.
Mike Geary
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