[lit-ideas] Cultural Enthusiasm Killings
- From: Eric <eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 14:26:22 -0500
Paul: we should declare war on ...'religion' itself.
Religion is a great way to give people
"permission" to express their emotions in public
settings. In my opinion it works as well as or
better than concerts and museums.
In fact, if you go to Carnegie Hall and really
start to enjoy a performance, sit too far forward
in your seat, stand, sway with the music, or give
an enthusiastic shepherd's whistle at the
conclusion, people in the expensive seats will
look at you strangely. There will be a chill.
However if you are in the cheap seats, which is
where all the music-lovers and musicians sit,
it'll probably be okay for you.
Same with the Met or MoMA. If you act bored and
world-weary and stroll around like someone
shopping for Bose sound systems in Target, you'll
fit right in. But if you sit in front of a
painting, writing your impressions of it in a
notebook, tarry too long in front of a painting,
walk back and forth trying to see the painting
from different angels and distances, you'll
eventually get attention from the museum guards
and chill looks from the parading samplers of art.
However in many churches, you can act like a nut,
chorus "Yes, Jesus" to the minister's prayers,
cry, give restrained murmurs of joy...and fit
right in.
But you can't laugh too much in a church. Like
courtrooms, which is what churches are modeled
after, if you laugh, there will be a chill. There
will be consequences. The judge or the minister or
the priest is not Shecky Greene. He or she will
not be amused.
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