So I'm siting here watching "The Amazing Race" (quite possibly the second best reality show ever) and something that has bothered me for awhile now is starting to solidify in my mind why. There are MANY things about über-religious nut-cases that really torque me off but i think the elephant in the room in this case is the "God has a plan" mantra-spouting mina birds.
Competitors Brandon and Nicole are a young dating couple who happen to be Christians, so like all things that are "unique" about people on these shows that defining characteristic almost becomes a caricature of that person. [see "Real World stock characters" - Gay Guy, Dumb Jock, Bigot Bumpkin, Feminist Slut, etc...] Obviously there is creative editing going on but that doesn't counter the fact that ANYTHING that happens to this couple is "Gods Plan" and it pisses me off.
It's not just the shear naïvety of thinking that God is sitting in his study thinking "it will really benefit my Grand Scheme for Everything Ever (GSFEE) if Nicole eats these 5 pounds of caviar and Brandon rolls down a hill in a giant plastic ball" that bothers me, 'cause there's enough of that ostrich-sand action going on in organized religion to choke a horse. [please excuse all run-on sentences and mixed metaphors as they are pretty much par for the course at uuuh...yeah...]
What really bothers me is the complete surrender of ANYTHING resembling free-will, which I'm pretty sure separates us from the monkeys. Something goes your way: "Hey, awesome, part of God's GSFEE." "Oh shit, things are fucked. Oh well, it's all part of the GSFEE..." I can understand the later, if things are going bad, its comforting to think that there's nothing you can do about it, the former is what I have real problems with. It's basically reducing yourself to a pawn, though there really should be something lower, 'cause pawn is almost too lofty in this discussion. NOTHING one does holds any consequence to them because it's all part of GSFEE, and as reassurance one can consult those "in" on the GSFEE, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but when that deep-throughouter is a Jerry Fallwell or a George W. Bush: look the fuck out.
It's too damn easy, it's too damn convenient, it's too FUCKING LAZY.
This I know: when I do good:
I did good, when I fuck up:
I fucked up. These are the victories and failures that make me, me and I wouldn't want anyone taking the credit.
And not only that but everything that takes the slightest hint of independent thought is an extreme challenge because they've never had to think for themselves. There has always been someone there to make the decision for them.
Anyway, thats my two bits on this subject for now, though I'm sure it won't be the last time this is discussed.
P.S. ...
Christie is WAY hot. Please don't thing me too hypocritical to say "thank God this week was a non-elimination round..."
# posted by uuuhyeah @ 8:27 AM
