Religion and Entertainment TV
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Thought and
Reflections
Read the following report (“Faith in a Box”) produced by the
Parents TV Council. It takes a look at the 2005-2006 TV season:
Note that the report indicates that there were 1,425 references
to God or religion in their sample frame (one reference or portrayal for every
1.6 hours of TV). The report suggests that 35% of these references or
portrayals were negative. The report summarizes examples from a wide variety of
programs.
Let’s begin by talking
about how “religious” people (or people’s religions) are reflected in
entertainment TV. Here’s a link to an interesting article:
In this article, the author makes some interesting
observations, one of which is to question the accuracy and fairness of how
religious individuals are portrayed:
In prime time, television characters often come in one
of two varieties: all-religious, all the time, or completely without religion
in their lives. Neither rings true.
"People in the entertainment industry have
trouble with this," said Quentin Schultze, a communication professor at
Calvin College. "Often it feels like a Christian character has been
dropped in. It happened on 'L.A. Law' and often comes across as an attempt to
pander to a religious subculture. Religious people look at it and think,
'That's not how I experience spiritual life.' Secular people look at it and
think spiritual people are wacky. It's a real problem."
And not one unique to religion. TV characters are
often defined by a particular trait, whether it's age, gender, skin color,
sexual identity or religious beliefs.
Do you agree with
this observation? Can you think of examples to support it, or to challenge it?
The article makes
reference to the 1990s TV series “Christy,” which starred Kellie Martin. Based
on the Catherine Marshall novel, it was set in a poor, backwoods Tennessee
community in the early 1900s. It addressed some interesting issues and included
portrayals of a Quaker missionary (portrayed by actress Tyne Daly) and the
local reverend (portrayed by Randall Batinkoff). It addressed faith, charity
and and interesting mix of religion and folk medicine.
Here’s a clip:
How would you assess
this portrayal of religious people? Is it negative or positive? Is this really
about religious people at all? What I want you to think about is whether the
assessment (negative vs. positive) is in the eye of the beholder. Do we
consider portrayals of or own religion to be most typically negative? If so,
why do you think this is?
The article from the Post-Gazette seems to be supported by a
more recent study. Here’s the link:
The study suggests
that nearly 60 percent of the people surveyed did not think that religious
characters were treated fairly or presented accurately.
Here’s how the
article summarizes and describes “religious” TV characters seen recently on TV:
Wholesome families
The Camdens on 7th Heaven: It was like Full House with more kids and a pastor-dad.
The Duggars on 19 Kids and Counting: The ever-growing Baptist family is a part of the Quiverfull
movement, which upholds children and procreation.
The Osmonds on Donnie and Marie: Their show is said to have done more for the image of Mormons in
America than missionaries themselves.
‘Fallen’ Christians
These rebels break the
expectations set by the Christian parents, as if to say, no one can follow all
the rules, especially if you want to have any fun.
Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls: Because of a strict Korean Christian mother, as a young rocker
Lane kept her makeup and huge music collection under the baseboards of her
bedroom.
Quinn Fabray on Glee:
Quinn went from being in the Celibacy Club to a pregnant teen, and her parents
made her move out.
Stereotypically strict
evangelicals
Their squeaky clean moral image
can get ridiculous (and hilarious).
Kenneth Parcell on 30 Rock: Before becoming a page, the charismatic Christian got a degree
in television studies and Bible sexuality at Kentucky Mountain Bible College.
Angela Martin on The Office: When asked to bring three books to a desert island, she picked
the Bible, A Purpose-Driven Life and The DaVinci Code.” She
said: “I would take The DaVinci Code so I could burn The
DaVinci Code.”
Ned Flanders on The Simpsons: Their mustached next door neighbor is, in Homer’s opinion,
exceedingly lame.
Thoughtful Catholics
Seely Booth on Bones:
Booth is partnered with the show’s namesake, and the debate over God and
morality–Booth taking a Catholic position, Temperance “Bones” Brennan, an
anthropological point of view–is a part of their relationship.
Josiah Bartlett on West Wing: President Bartlett discusses faith in personal and political
context, and the show even exposes the struggles of belief during challenging
times.
Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street: The detective’s Catholic upbringing informs his
ideas on right and wrong. At one point in the show, he references his education
saying, “the Jesuits taught me how to think.”
Jewish urbanites
Ross Gellar on Friends: Ross’ (and Monica’s) Judaism really only seemed to come up
around Hanukkah time, but he was very earnest about making sure his son favored
the story of the Maccabees over Santa.
Patti Stanger on Millionaire Matchmaker: Patti sees religion as a crucial part of a couple’s chemistry
and her own Jewish notions of God, love and family influence her matchmaking
style.
Seth Cohen on The O.C.: He’s the Jewish character who brought us the fusion holiday of
“Chrismukkah.”
Other faiths
Kelly Kapur on The Office: Though she doesn’t really know a lot about Diwali, she invites
the whole office to join her community for the Hindu holiday.
Kareem Said on Oz:
In a prison in Baltimore, Said leads a group of Muslim inmates and struggles
over his violence and a relationship with a non-Muslim woman.
Plus, there are plenty of shows
that rely on powerful religious themes and symbols to varying degrees.
Lost is an obvious example, but the
Christian concepts of grace, hope, redemption are so central to humanity and
such compelling story elements that most (good) shows will incorporate them.
More to think about…
I’ve given you the link to one of the more interesting
moments on the classic TV show, “All in the Family.” In this scene, Archie
takes his grandson to be baptized, because the boy’s parents do not believe in
God. When Archie discovers that the priest is Chinese (remember the ultimate
goal of this show was to lampoon bigotry), he sneaks in to the sanctuary do the
baptism himself. He provides us with his own form of religion. The question, of
course, is if, in many ways, Archie simply reflects all of us. So, tackle the
question: is this a positive or negative portrayal of religion?
Here’s the link:
I’ve also given you a link to a scene in which Archie
confronts the local priest and expresses his concern that his wife, Edith,
might convert to Catholicism. What this, and then think about the question I
just asked.
Another interesting
question explores how “deity”—this would include angels and God—are portrayed.
I want you to reflect on your own observations, but I thought I would include
some clips from “Touched by an Angel” and “Joan of Arcadia” because they offer
some interesting contrasts. If you are not familiar with these show, google
them to learn more.
“Joan of Arcadia” is about a teenager who speaks with God.
In this case, God appears as different types of people. Here’s a link with an
example:
Then, of course, we have more traditional representations
from shows like “Touched by an Angel.” At the beginning of this assignment, I
included a couple of links for that show as well. One is quite interesting,
because it shows how one angel, Monica, is dealing with her own crisis of
faith.
These shows tend to present an interesting side of “heavenly
beings,” focusing on humanness and even weakness.
Now, take note of how
clergy are portrayed. I’ve given you links above to an interesting sampling
of shows, including, “7th Heaven,” “Amen,” the “Flying Nun,” “Father
Dowling,” the priest on “M*A*S*H,” and the “Book of Daniel.” I’d like you to
consider what these all seem to have in common (plus any others you might want
to consider).
The “Flying Nun” is significant in TV history in many ways.
It features a very young Sally Fields, who plays a nun in training at a convent
in Puerto Rico. The show aired in the early 1960s. It was one of the first to
feature a woman in the lead role and to include clearly “Hispanic” characters. You
have to remember that up to this time, TV was very male, white, and middle
class. To help you understand the clip, Sally Field’s character, Sister
Bertrille, is young and petite. The sisters at this convent wear nun’s headgear
(for lack of a better description) that is large and has wings of sorts. Sister
Bertrille is so light apparently, that when wind picks up, her nun’s headgear
(with the wings) causes her to become airborne and to fly. Hence, the title,
the “Flying Nun.” Watch the clip and you will see.
The “Book of Daniel” is an interesting case study. Only 13
episodes were produced, but only three or four were shown. The show premiered on
NBC in January of 2006 and was cancelled that very same month. Eight stations
refused to air the show at all. Surprisingly, KSL did air the show, which could
be characterized as a very edgy version of “7th Heaven.” It focused
on the life of an Episcopal priest and his family living in upstate New York.
The priest is addicted to narcotic pain pills and his wife has a drinking
problem. They have a gay son, a promiscuous daughter who was arrested for drug
possession in the pilot, a brother-in-law who steals church money, etc.
Obviously, this is not “7th Heaven.” But what made this show
controversial, particularly among Christian organizations, was the fact that
Jesus would frequently appear to the priest (only seen by him) and question
church teachings. I couldn’t find a clip
that I was comfortable with, so I’ve included a photo from the show.
I’ve given you an interesting reading from a scholarly
journal that talks about this particular program. It quotes some of the
audience criticism of the show:
They take our savior Jesus Christ and reflect
him as an everyday Joe. How disrespectful….Our savior is to be worshipped and
adored and not treated as your buddy riding down the street with you in the
passenger seat of the car.
Please read the article and respond to it in your blog for
today.
I realize that we have focused traditional Christianity. We
will look at how both news and entertainment media look at specific religions
(e.g., Islam, Judaism, etc.) later in the class.
Blog Assignment
In your mind, what would constitute a “negative” portrayal
of a religious individual or of a particular religion? Can you think of
examples you may have seen while watching television? After reviewing the clips
and readings for today, how would you characterize the portrayal of religion in
entertainment TV? Does TV openly mock religion and deity as suggested in the
journal article about the show, “The Book of Daniel.” The producer argues that
he was trying to “honor” Jesus and show respect. Based on what you’ve read from
the article, do you agree or disagree? Explain why.
I feel like there is a lot more negative portrayals of religion than positive ones. It is often openly mocked and belittled. Here's a couple of links to some Park and Recs clips that make fun of a cult religion.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysz0ZBVU1yQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ7qjlEM4mo
Now don't get me wrong, I think these are hilarious. But I also know that they aren't true. Now if someone who wasn't religious watched this who knows what sort of crazy ideas they would have come up with? To them all religions are weird cults who knock on their doors and preach about death. And that's how I feel religious people come off in entertainment. Their either seen as crazies who preach all the time or they're so uptight about doing what's right that they never have any fun (think Angela from The Office).
I feel one of the main reasons this happens is because religion is an easy subject to make fun of with very little negative feedback. When I see a show make fun of religion, sure it may upset me, but I'm probably not going to call up the station and complain about it. Now if the same show had gone and made fun of a another race or lifestyle they would of had calls from all over the nation. It's cheap and easy humor. Anyone can do it and most people (including religious ones) would just sit back and laugh with the joke.
A negative portrayal of religion is something that is false, disrespectful, or exaggerated. One example is in the movie, "Easy A." Marianne is a character played by Amanda Bynes who is a prissy, strictly religious Christian. She overhears a lie about the main character Olive and spreads it around the whole school. This causes the main conflict and Marianne's religious clique then tries to get Olive to leave school. The movie conveys Christians as stuck-up and hypocritical. In most cases the media symbolizes religion in a more negative then positive way.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to show a negative approach to religion because most of the time what is shown isn't true. Entertainment shows are solely that, fake. Everything is written out in a script and actors are told what to say. It is more easy to make fun of religion than display its truth because it's what brings in more viewers. Humor is more attractive and entertaining than something more serious and spiritual.
When watching the clips such as "The Flying Nun," "touched by an Angel," and "Joan of Arcadia," it was hard not to laugh at how cheesy they were. Its easy to see why religion on tv is not taken seriously. In the article on, "The Book of Daniel," I disagree that the creator was trying to honor Jesus. The show was filled with immoral acts and personally without even watching it, it is obvious it didn't invite the Spirit.
News is one of the few programs on TV that almost every person is willing to allow into their lives. Since this is the case, reporters and journalists can have a major impact on people's perception of the world. News broadcasters feed viewers information which viewers then soak up and incorporate into their own opinions. People expect reporters to be trustworthy because they have no reason to believe the reporters are not trustworthy.
ReplyDeleteMany different reporters have to broadcast the same information, so it has to be consistent with what everyone else is broadcasting. Since news stations are essentially being governed by each other, all the information broadcasted should be the same. And it generally is the same! Which happens to be the problem. Religion seems to have become the center of everyone's jokes. Religious people are portrayed as strange, superstitious people. They act different than everyone else and therefore should be treated different than everyone else.
As stated in the article "Faith in a Box" every news station is spreading some kind of negative news about all religion. Since the news stations – the trustworthy news stations – are bashing religion than people start to develop the same type of perceptions. Then, since the news bashes religions, Hollywood decides it should hop on the bus and bash religion too. They don't come right out with rude insults, but they always have to throw in the token weird religious person to be at the butt of all their jokes. Opinion leaders such as news reporters and television shows are why perceptions of religion have become negative.
Overall, there are more negative portrayals of religion than positive. Religious figures in television shows are usually deemed as “freaks” or “weird.” In Rob Owens article he said, “TV characters are often defined by a particular trait, whether it’s age, gender, skin color, sexual identity, or religious beliefs.” I definitely agree with this observation. For example, in high school my friends and I use to watch the television series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. This series is centered around the story of a fifteen-year old, Amy, who gets pregnant in high school. One of Amy’s friends, Grace, is a devout Christian and is mocked because she wears a purity ring and plans to be abstinent until marriage, literally everything her character does and says in centered around her Christian beliefs. I think one of the biggest negative portrayals of religion in the media is the idea of abstinence. I feel like the media glamorizes affairs, and cheating and mocks those who are maybe religious and/or faithful to their spouse.
ReplyDeleteEspecially in our own religion, I think the media does a good job of characterizing Mormons in a negative light. I googled “t.v. shows mentioning Mormons” and the results nearly all had characters who were making fun of what we believe
(http://www.deseretnews.com/top/2240/13/Friends-2001-17-Mormon-references-in-movies-and-sitcoms-Part-1.html ). For example, in the series Gilmore Girls, a character named Jackson makes fun of his wife Sookie and Lorelai and calls them Mormon polygamists. After watching all of the YouTube clips, I also thought about other forms of mass communication where religion has an effect; I thought of the Broadway show “The Book of Mormon.” I have never seen the musical, but from what I have heard the entire show mocks our faith. I definitely agree with the article that said religious characters aren’t treated fairly on television.
After reading about the t.v. series The Book of Daniel, I am surprised to hear that KSL aired the show. From what I read in the article, the show does not honor Jesus nor show him respect. The show is filled with characters that are all behaving immorally yet are receiving visits from Jesus? Religion is something that is so personal to each and every person, so I think anytime that t.v. shows come in and have a character that is stereotyped as super religious, it is going to offend somebody. I find it interesting that the things that are so personal to us, like our faith, are ridiculed the most by the media.
In the example of Archie baptizing his grandson to prevent him from being baptized by a Chinese man, I find that to be an extremely negative reference to religion. It alludes to the idea that religious people are bigots and racists, that they fear anything different than the familiar. Archie even called his own son-in-law a childish name: a “dopey atheist” making it obvious that he felt negatively towards atheists.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of a Modern Family episode where two of the main characters, Mitch and Cam, come across a Christian rock band. Cam refers to the group as “judgie.” He is wary to meet them at first, having preconceived prejudices against the Christian group because of their beliefs. Throughout the episode, the group is shown as ignorant to the real world, with a blissfully stupid perspective. At the end of the episode, the band preforms in front of Mitch and Cam. Their performance asserts and affirms Cam’s worry that the Christians would be judgie when they sing a song that explicitly judges gay people.
This portrayal of religious characters on TV and in movies is seen again and again, damaging how non-religious people preconceive the masses. It is dangerous to instill this perspective on the media because forms prejudices. The way religious people are portrayed in the media makes many feel adverse to religion.
Although I notice mostly negative religious characterizations in the media, there are still a few examples that remind viewers of the positive aspects of religion. In the clip of “Christy” I found that the young girl seemed charming, sweet, and relatable to humanity’s purist characteristics. She seemed optimistic, kind, and cheery, all characteristics I personally associate with religious people. Another example that portrays all of these positive emotions is “7th Heaven.” This show portrays a religious family, a father as a pastor, and a large family in their daily lives. The content is makes religious people seem more relatable because they are shown as normal and friendly, when so often they are portrayed otherwise.
I disagree with the idea that portrayals of our own religion are most often negative. With another example found in Modern Family, there is a character who is Mormon, from Utah: Andy. He is sweet and cheery, kind and wholesome. While I believe his religious portrayal is a very defining characteristic of his character, I believe it is portrayed in a positive light.
Finding positive and negative portrayals of religious characters depends on what kind of media a viewer consumes. When someone only consumes anti-religious media, their religious perspective may be skewed negatively, creating and fostering prejudices towards those who do believe in a religion. I do feel like negative religious portrayals are often more focused on because they cause controversy. As one Quentin Schultz in the Old Post Gazette article said himself, “Good drama requires conflict..How do you develop conflict within respect to religion?”
In many shows it seems like the character who is Christian, is usually the one who is the most judgmental and will bully someone else because they are not as "perfect" as themselves. This gives people the idea that all Christians are that way.
ReplyDeleteHowever, then I think of the movie, "The Blind Side," where Christian values are upheld in the Tuohy household. Sandra Bullock, in my opinion, does an amazing job with the role of Leigh Ann. She stands up for Christian values to her friends who have a lot of judgement about her bringing in a big black boy, Michael. Perhaps the reason that religious individuals, the Tuohy family, are portrayed more positively in this movie is because it is based on a true story. It captures real events and how religion was able to influence them through good and bad times.
A positive portrayal of religion and religious people should include normal, every day people who go through the day faced with challenges. Sometimes they will make mistakes and sometimes they will conquer the day, but religion should be a personal thing that each individual lives differently. There will be some like "7th Heaven," where religion is a more central part of their lives because their dad is a reverend. There will be some like characters from "The Office" whose religion is brought up on occasions because it is not as important to them. I appreciate it either way when religion is a part of the characters life.
Portrayals of religious characters and religion become negative when the show generalizes the way that everyone lives their specific religion or when religion is not mentioned at all. This happens when the show has inaccurate information about a religion or present a stereotype. For instance, "South Park" is known for making fun of Mormons and other shows mentions how Mormons are polygamists. Along with that, as mentioned above, one of the most common portrayals is the stereotype of how all Christians are judgmental. However, for many TV shows and movies, it seems that religion isn't even a thing. This is really common on end of the world movies and it drives me crazy how the mention of God is nonexistent.
While I've always noticed that religion is usually portrayed negatively in the media I've grown up watching, it is rare for it to offend me. I think that since everyone has flaws, it doesn't bother much when a religious person like Angela from The Office is shown as mean, uptight, and hypocritical, because that doesn't attack the evangelical church's beliefs directly. Essentially every character on TV has plenty of flaws, and the religions they belong to are usually not too important to the show's drama (at least in the ones I've watched). What gets under my skin more is when the beliefs of a church are directly mocked, especially with inaccurate portrayals of what that religion is about. For example, Big Love is a show that blatantly attack Mormonism and makes it seem as though the abolished practice of polygamy is still part of the Church today because they don't clarify that the offshoot groups of "Mormons" that they are talking about aren't affiliated at all with the LDS Church.
ReplyDeleteI don't think many programs are guilty of inappropriately portraying religion and religious people (besides "Book of Daniel" and "Big Love" and a few others), but it's still sad that half or more than half of the depictions of religion in media are negative and don't accurately display the normal life of a religious person who isn't a church leader. It would probably be better for the media to just leave religion out of things and not attempt to either praise nor attack different religions because it seems like it's too difficult to do it accurately and in a way that won't mock or offend anyone.
What I found interesting about reading the faith in a box article was how reality tv seemed to talk more about positive faith than sitcom did. So, as we see with those on the biggest loser who in essence praised God for giving them a new life, these were there real feelings. But sitcom actors seeking seeking a humorous appeal said very crude negative things about some religions. In my experience watching tv, I think it's more rare to see someone seriously bagging on religion, blaming their bad luck on it or depicting their lack of education in relation to their religious affiliation, where fictional tv shows seem to show that more often like in the Simpsons.
ReplyDeleteNow to the question of if tv is opening mocking religion... I would say more often than not, it's a yes. I think even of myself as a kid watching my disney Channel and Nikolodeon. It was very apparent in those G or PG rated shows that religion was not a huge part of the character's lives. They may have had a wedding in a church or a Christmas celebration, but for the most part, religion was not a very integral part of their lives and more often than not, was used in some crude or mocking context if it was used at all. More explicit films, like those referred to in the assigned reading, depict more mocking and negativity.
There are also positive depictions of many films that are often shown on tv. Two of my favorites are Home Alone and A Walk To Remember. What is interesting about these two is they show the evolution of the characters' reactions to religion and its changes throughout the movies. In Home Alone Kevin is at first intimidated by the church and its attendees and admits he's never prayed. Its obvious that religion has not been integral in his life. Once he finds himself truly alone and in need of help, he finds solace at the Church and as he prays to God. He acknowledges the true meaning of Christmas. There are still opposing forces to the church, but the main character is changed, thereby causing the viewer to side with him and desire the same change in religious views.
In A Walk to Remember, the same thing happens. The main character, Carter first views the church and its attendees as outdated, naive and even stupid. But as the film progresses and he sees his life change from Jamie's influence and example of Godliness, he changes his views. These examples portray religion as first negative, but then positive. So I do not think it's an all or nothing depiction of negativity. Also, the demographic of religious people changes across different shows too, so in that regard, allusions to religion in tv are not holistically consistent.
In regards to "The Book of Daniel," I do think the overall premise of the show is derogatory based on the types of characters and family life if emphasizes, but since I have not seen the entire series (and I guess neither has anyone else) I cannot say for sure if it was all created negatively. There may have been positive aspects like in other shows that include both sides.
The offended responses from religious people about “negative” religious portrayals come from the mentality that outsiders do not, indeed cannot, understand religion. Thus, to a religious person, a portrayal about their religion that isn’t exactly accurate will almost always seem offensive and negative. However, as I’ve observed from my own religion, different people practicing the same religion may practice it in unique ways. Consequently, some portrayals will be accurate to some, while inaccurate and offensive to others. In my mind, negative religious portrayals are portrayals which stereotype people.
ReplyDeleteAngela from The Office comes to mind. Angela believes that she is pious while committing grievous sins. In spite of her own mistakes, Angela continues to be judgmental and look down on others. Because of this TV portrayal, people will stereotype religious people as judgmental and two-faced. I think that if TV characters took credit for their personal beliefs and admitted personal failings instead of being viewed as representatives for an entire religion, that religious portrayals on TV would be less offensive.
In real-life every person is different. There isn’t one set mold for Catholics, Mormons, Baptists, etc. I think that if TV presented a more balanced view of religion, people would be able to better relate to the TV characters, and a more accepting view of organized religion would prevail.
I think that the media is a double sword in the effects it has on how we perceive religion. First, I believe that media can create a positive attitude toward religion. It can have the power to bring people closer to God and believe in a higher being. I can think of many times where I have watched a TV show and felt uplifted by the message. For example, one of my favorite TV shows is called Parenthood. Though this show is not overtly religious, they do teach uplifting messages such as that you are not alone, forgiveness, hope, and the importance of family.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I do believe that media also has a negative effect on how we view religion. This negativity is often the majority of what we hear and see. Hollywood craves drama and uses that with respect to religion. Whether it’s a church leader having an affair or a deacon who is addicted to drugs, it always creates conflict. As a result, we view organized religion as corrupt and have negative attitudes toward it because that is what we see. However, that is not reality. Though we do hear about things like this occasionally in the news, it is not as much as we see it on TV.
I think TV also portrays religious people to the extreme. For example, in an episode of “Close to Home,” “Cindy states that she spoke to the Lord, that God told her to kill her husband and that God's hand guided hers as she stabbed her husband to death. Cindy says that she knows that murder is against the law, but that she answers to a higher authority.” There are many other examples of this on television and consequently makes individuals believe that religious people don’t think for themselves and innately naive.
I took a creative writing class last year and at one point we came to the discussion of religion in creative writing. My professor read a quote from a novelist whose name escapes me and whose works I do not know. Nevertheless, I still fondly remember one set of quotes from the author: “what is the responsibility of a Christian fiction writer?” My class spent about ten minutes speculating on what elements were necessary for a “good Christian writer”. Finally my professor completed the question with the author’s answer as quoted: “there responsibility is the same as any writer’s, to write authentically, to write well.” I was rather shocked at first by this statement but it came to make sense rather quickly. What’s important about writing character is to display authenticity. What works every time is a compelling effort to make the characters come to represent their views from an organic sort of growth and reasoning. As a reader or an audience, we don’t appreciate characters that are two dimensional, whose entire personality is crafted from the start and who quickly become a shallow imitation of their own punchline. Instead, we value the opportunity to follow a character, connect with their lines of thinking and feeling and watch as they show us through action, what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question of what makes a fair representation of a religious character, I think that it would be best to show an authentic representation. Religious characters don’t need to be a perfect, they don’t need to be terrible hypocrites either. There entire personality doesn’t need to be distilled into a few punchlines that grow cheaper by the day. I think what would make a great set of religious characters are ones that are presented with realistic struggles and who make human (flawed but honest) efforts to bring their actions into harmony with their principals. Anything less than that is an unfair portrayal, just as it would be with any sort of character, religious or otherwise.
I have actually found Netflix’s Daredevil series to be a rather interesting and nuanced look at Catholicism. The main character is a catholic raised lawyer by day and street level crime fighter by night. Each episode, the audience gets to see him have a legitimate internal debate on the nature of the crime fighting he does and the moral place for Catholicism within any of it. There are a number of scenes throughout the series where we see the main character go to confession, and rather than getting a stuffy and overly puritanical tongue-lashing from his priest, the priest is able to offer a lot of spiritual advice while interjecting both warnings and encouragements to the man he knows is secretly fighting crime. What makes the story work is that the character is imperfect and regularly makes mistakes, but he is always trying to do the right thing. He constantly chooses to be merciful to the criminals he stops, and he often receives harsh criticism for it, but he ultimately believes that he can make a difference in fighting crime while avoiding the loss of his faith.
As I looked over all the material, I felt like there was on common theme throughout the whole thing: things don’t sell if it’s just normal. This is where I think the negative portrayals come into play when you televise religious individuals. For example, one article talked about a man named Norman Lear. Although he was a “genius,” produces would never put him on air because he wasn’t exciting enough. They want extremes or unusual people. This doesn’t reflect the reality of the religious majority. Other TV shows like The Office remind me of this. Angela is a character that is the most religious, but is also extreme in her views and very judgmental. People laugh and then tend to associate religious people as narrow-minded and judgmental.
ReplyDeleteI think TV may not always mock religious itself, but just mock religious people. I guess this then indirectly mocks religion as a whole. As far as the Book of Daniel goes, I see some mocking, but I also see them making religious characters more “relatable” by framing them as messed up people. Once you bring someone down at a lower level, there’s no need to rise as a whole. That’s the sad part about this show. It’s trying to make religion less creditable since we’re seeing religious people on the show have major issues. Once that’s accomplished, people no longer think religion does much and they don’t want to be associated with it. I disagree that the producer was trying to honor Jesus. If he’s mocking religious people, his mocking their Savior.
I feel like TV and the media does mock and degrade religion and God, but more often than not, religion and God is left entirely out. We live in a world of political correctness where people are too afraid to touch religion -- for or against. While before, religion was an easy subject to make fun of and talk lightly about, Religious extremism has made the subject much more serious. Beliefs on the role of religion are becoming more polarized --maybe causing people to veer away from the topic as a form of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteWhile TV and entertainment may still openly mock Christian based religion -- It seems like there is a real fear of using Islam and other middle eastern faiths in satire. For example, I can't imagine an Archie-esk TV show about a Muslim man. The subject of religion in the media has changed and become more serious.
But jumping back to Christianity, I do think the media paints a negative picture of Christian faiths, specifically through its followers. From Archie to Flanders, religious figures are seen as behind the times, old fashioned, and unable to think for themselves. Although many shows like 7th Heaven have depicted religions as family oriented, the majority seem to be depicted as unreasonable and uneducated.
DeleteI feel that in most of these examples that I watched, religion was portrayed more negatively. You could tell that there was religious background to all of these shows, but it was more in mockery form. The shows weren't trying to make you believe a certain thing or even explain what their religion was about, it was all for entertainment purposes. It makes me wonder if the churches are trying to get a point across to the people or if it is solely for entertainment. I was interested to see how common christian based tv shows and movies were. I found this from newsmax.com. It talks of some current shows that have come out that many people have watched that show and explain religion. For example: Son of God, The Bible and the Book of Daniel are just naming a few. I have not seen these movies but I think they are more serious trying to show the christian background that they possess but the same question follows as before, are these movies for religious belief promotion or plain entertainment for the community? It is hard to say because some I think could intentionally mean something, but others it is hard to tell.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that, while the media may create a negative narrative about religion and religious people, I feel like the media does this to all sorts of stereotypes. Very rarely is the cheerleader actually kind to others on TV, and the quarterback smart. If you really look at why most comedies are so popular (i.e. The Office, Gilmore Girls, Easy A, and many more) is because they are making fun of and challenging popular stereotypes in modern society. The only reason we seem so concerned about how religion is being portrayed is because almost all of us are religious, so of course we feel a sense of attachment to the idea. But, what about the cheerleader? What about the football quarterback? I have spent the past few years of my life competing in pageants. I did this for a number of reasons, not the least of them being that it has helped to pay for my education. Now, just imagine to yourself, what the media has told you about "pageant girls." Aren't we supposed to be dumb, ignorant, and full of ourselves? I can tell you for a fact that this is not true! But yet, the media chooses to reflect it as so because it is a popular stereotype that our society has deemed as "funny."
ReplyDeleteI think that in some cases, as the article mentions, God and religion is mocked. I think religious people are sometimes made out to look like cult-worshipers and priests are made out to be hypocrites. Obviously we know that these kind of people do exist, it doesn't apply to every religious person or every leader, and it certainly doesn't mean they are that way because of their religion. I wish the media, and society for that matter, would stop looking at religion as a character trait and more of hobby. I mean that in the sense that people can be mean and ignorant and self-righteous whether they are religious or not- kind of like how a girl can do pageants and still be smart. But then again, if we didn't play on these stereotypes, what would be funny about our TV shows anymore?
I think that the best way to combat these negative or false ideas is to first stop believing stereotypes ourselves. If we want people to see us as well-rounded human beings we need to stop looking at others as boxed-in people too. We can't just accept what the media is showing us as truth, but rather see it as a reflection of our own society's beliefs and ideas. If we don't like what we see, then change it. Do something different that will positively impact the rest of the world and their usual stereotypes.
I consider myself to be very religious, and I have never found myself truly offended by any media portrayal of a religious person. While I agree that more often than not, the religious characters are portrayed in a negative light, I've never felt that it was put that way to reflect a broader stereotype of all religious people. Most of the time, entertainment media uses common characteristics, and lifestyles and spins them to make them humorous for the sake of comedy. Almost all of the characters listed from the article about religious characters in television were comedic characters, or they were regular people, but they used the religious aspects to poke fun at the person themselves. For example, Kelly Kapur on the Office. All the characters on the Office are funny, so it's not her religion that makes her funny, but their is a humor to the fact that she invites everyone to celebrate a holiday with her that she basically knows nothing about.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to describe the two most common religious stereotypes in television, I would call them, clueless, or corrupt. How often is there a goofy pastor or priest that doesn't hardly even know what's going on, or a person who claims to be a saintly religious character who is living in a way opposed to their proclaimed "morals"? While this is the case, I think the television just as often makes fun of non-religious based characters in the same way. How many clueless characters can we find in the media that aren't overtly religious? Or how many "bad guys" exist in television that have no link to religion at all? I think the media always uses certain kind of characteristics to up the entertainment factor, and the fact that these characteristics get applied to religious people isn't offensive to me, though if I had to categorize it as negative or positive, I would have to say negative.
From what I read about the Book of Daniel, I think once again, it's negative, but I personally don't find it offensive. You always have to be careful when you are representing something that is so dear to people, but just as many of us who view the Lord as a holy being deserving of worship, there are people also who are completely comfortable with him being portrayed as an "average Joe," so I think everyone needs to know what they believe, and choose the media they want to associate with accordingly. If they disagree with certain aspects of the portrayal, that's their right, but they shouldn't feel like it affects them personally, as they already have a way to worship that is not televised, that doesn't rely on the media to explain to others who they are.
Religious characters in movie and television shows are typically displayed as snotty kids who are too good for everyone else. Typically, they are seen as condemning those around them. An example of this concept would be Amanda Bynes' character in "Easy A". She condemns everyone else in the school for their unrighteousness, but then puts herself on a pedestal for being a true Christian. Typically, religious characters are wealthy, well-known, and controlling. We have seen this concept for years in many media sources. An earlier example in literature would be "The Scarlett Letter" where a woman is banished from a town for her sins, instead of being loved or forgiven. The head religious figures in the book are wealthy and the ones who condemn her for her actions.
ReplyDeleteIn our world, we would much rather watch horror and exorcisms than an uplifting, religious film. The movie theater will fill up with fans for gore and violence, but few will attend a movie that carries religious standards. Religious movies are also ridiculed and torn to shreds by most critics for being unentertaining.
There is also a lacking for saying prayers in movie and television shows unless the times are completely desperate (Championship Football Game, Natural Disaster, Hospital Experience). Rarely do we see a family sit down to say grace at family dinner or good night prayers together. When did the world decide to only look to Christ when there was nothing else to look at? Why has He disappeared from our focus?
I think that a negative portrayal of a particular religion means putting a negative spin on whatever stereotypes that religion/individual has – as opposed to putting that stereotype in a good light. For example, some shows make fun of the Jewish stereotype of being very greedy/stingy. Others portray good religious people as nice but extremely boring. In both cases those stereotypes aren’t necessarily bad things – being conscious of money/finances and also being nice – but they are spun in a bad light. In the case of television, they do it to get a laugh (oftentimes the stereotypes are funny to be seen played out on TV), but do it at the expense of that individual/religion.
ReplyDeleteI think that in some cases like South Park or Family Guy, religion is openly mocked in order to get a laugh. But the majority of times the mocking comes in the form of subtle slights that tear down the religion rather than build it up. I think the statistic that “indicates that there were 1,425 references to God or religion in their sample frame (one reference or portrayal for every 1.6 hours of TV) and that 35% of these references or portrayals were negative” is interesting. That statistic is actually much lower than I thought it would be. This is saying that the majority or references are either neutral or positive! The problem is that we remember the negative more than the positive, so for it to be 35% negative is actually extremely high.
From what it sounds like, the show “The Book of Daniel” is a bit more faith eroding than faith building. Families and individuals do struggle with some of the issues brought up in the show, but I think the way those issues are handled probably leaves room for improvement. I watched a little bit of the show, and the tone is kind of depressing because the family seems to have no hope, especially the dad. For me, the show didn’t reflect the benefit of having God at the forefront, but just showed the downsides of life. I probably didn’t watch enough to have a thorough opinion, but hopefully there is a silver lining at the end of each episode that I didn’t see.
I find it ironic how the media mocks and laughs at religious characters but when real people pray on TV it is praised. When I see people praying or going to church on TV it seems more realistic. As we’ve learned in class the majority of people agree that they are somewhat religious, therefore seeing other people practice it on TV makes it more legitimate to believe.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the characters portrayed on TV shows (and there are multiple examples) too often seem dumb, over religious, the annoying one, or that guy trying to convert or influence other characters.
I believe the media is afraid of offending people. They avoid what they don’t understand. This is how religions can be negatively portrayed. There are so many different beliefs; society can’t completely understand all of them. I think it’s very negative when an important leader, prophet or God of whatever religion is portrayed incorrectly or inappropriately. Then again, everybody has a different level of what is offensive and what isn’t. I often see this when the media talks about the LDS church. Generally, the media don’t speak very highly or very often of it because they don’t understand exactly what we believe. This being said it’s really easy to make fun of the church or not mention it at all. On the flip side, media often have an idea of Christians and I think associate a majority of religions with Christianity.
Although there are perhaps unwritten social rules to what may be considered rude or negative or offensive, for the most part, I’d say it comes down to personal conviction and attitude. Some things I’d say are perceived to be negative and offensive include making the religious character appear crazy or irrational. We see this a lot, and as a culture (including myself, eat it up). Take the example of the bishop in Princess Bride. “Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us togeva today…” I think we, though religious as we may be, are able to laugh at it, because it is so different from what we know true religion to be like. For those who may not be religious to begin with, there may be a reinforcement of their doubts towards religion, but who knows. I personally thought those videos along with some things I see about Mormons are hilarious. I am able to find them hilarious, as I seek to understand the mindset/experiences of those making them.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, I believe it all comes down to perceptions. If we didn’t know the doctrine and truth about God and how He works, our church teachings like prophets, angels, word of wisdom, may indeed seem pretty crazy, and stereotypically crazy-religious-person-like. In our perception, its not weird that an angel appeared to a teenage kid and told him to go get some gold plates on the hill. I’m able to laugh at such things, because they would be funny in a mindset that sees it from one point of view. We can also laugh at Archie Bunker’s perception of religion, because from a non-Catholic point of view, all those things he says that people laugh about, do seem pretty crazy, and non- sensible. (I also just liked how the synth music was so consistant with each religious film.)
Perceptions are Perceptions, and should be taken as such. I have found that the more I learn about a human or a religion or any certain subject, the more I appreciate and respect them. With few exceptions that include taking the most sacred of ordinances, etc (temple), once that real respect is there, I find no reason to be offended by other, perhaps ignorant perceptions.
I think the reason that religion is typically portrayed negatively on television is because what sells is humor. And it is a lot easier to make fun of someones mistakes and flaws than it is to make fun of something positive. It makes an audience laugh to see a pastor call his employee 'fat,' because it doesn't seem natural.
ReplyDeleteI've also noticed that television tends exaggerate stereotypes. Whether it is about religion or just another common trend among a specific group of people. They play on those stereotypes, build them up and almost blow them out of proportion. Mother figures are super up tight, while fathers are often portrayed as very lazy or ignorant. Because religious people have rules, they are portrayed as EXTREMELY prude/strict/boring. Religion falls victim to exaggerated stereotypes all the time.
The most interesting things to me, is that religion is very private and very intimate, yet it is one of the most exploited and attacked traits of a person, today.
It may be easier to accuse television of being critical toward religion, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case. I think there are a lot of things that don’t fall in line with religious ideals being portrayed on television, but I don’t think television is generally cruel toward the concept religion. Just because HBO’s Game of Thrones is notorious for sex and violence doesn’t mean it is criticizing religion. In fact, the fictional religions in Game of Thrones are at the forefront of many plot points and characters’ motivations. And just because it’s fictional doesn’t diminish the value of believing in a higher power, praying, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, there are select shows who do treat religion with an accusatory and critical tone, like South Park. But not all comedies deal with religion unfairly – in fact, treating religion with humor feels more natural to me than treating it seriously in a drama. I’d much rather watch lighthearted comedy surrounding Mormonism, even if it’s slightly critical, than watch a television series that deals with the gospel’s heaviness and seriousness.
One thing that I don’t hugely enjoy, though, is religion being used in reality TV. It’s important to note that reality television is very different from documentary, as documentary tends to highlight truths and be generally courteous to subject matter, even if the subject matter is highly controversial. But reality TV is essentially using religious practices for entertainment. It doesn’t matter if I agree with the religion being highlighted –like in Sister Wives or 19 Kids & Counting – I don’t think it’s appropriate to essentially take someone’s religious practices and beliefs and say isn’t this crazy? Other than that, though, I appreciate what’s being done with religion on TV, in the sense that it’s bringing God and belief systems into the picture, even if it’s through fictional religions.
ReplyDeleteI feel like all the shows I watch, and movies I see put religion in negative light. One of my favorite shows is Parks and Rec. There is this religious couple in it that are portrayed as uneducated and idiotic. I have wondered while watching those episodes if I am seen as that way because of my beliefs. But one of my other favorite TV shows is the office. Although they have the same humor the way they have portrayed religion has been very different. In The Office there are a few episodes where the characters talk about their religions and it’s very positive and “normal”. One episode is called “The Christening” where two characters baptize their baby. The whole episode is positive and respectful.
Looking back on it now, I feel like seeing religion portrayed by Hollywood as normal and everyday as very rare. I remember seeing Les Mis in theatres and thinking about how spiritual the movie was and how it was untainted by Hollywood.
I feel the same as one person mentioned in the New York Times article with the football team praying. When I was watching the 2016 Track and Field Championships I was taken aback by how many of the athletes praised God and publicly accredited their success to a higher power. I remember asking myself the last time I heard someone so openly pronounce their faith on TV. It seems so weird and different to see this on TV.
Religion in Television is most often portrayed in a negative light. Although the praying before football games, or family prayer in shows like "Duck Dynasty" are showed in a positive light, the negative portrayals usually go into more detail, outweighing most positive media.
ReplyDeleteThe best example I can think of would be Flanders in The Simpsons. Although his intentions seem good, he is depicted as simplistic and narrow minded. His good deeds are more imposing than inviting. Even worse, In South Park, Joseph Smith is depicted as idiotic. The media's attack on religion makes people of faith seem illogical and uneducated. I feel like this depiction makes it increasingly more difficult for non believers to understand the process of gaining a testimony through faith. As long as scientific/atheist viewpoints are depicted as more logical and enlightened in the media, gaining a positive viewpoint of faith through the mainstream media lens will be more and more difficult.
We need more producers who understand the process of faith to develop a voice in the media, in all genres.
I think that a negative portrayal of a religion or religious person would be when they are clearly mocking something very sacred to the religion or a sacred act that is done. I also think that a negative portrayal would be anything that depicts the person or religion as the “bad guy” or just a bad personality. For example a lot of media portrays religious types as bigoted and closed-minded, stuck in the past, these kinds of people are viewed in a negative light. But I think that this is true in real life, there are crazy religious types who do fit the negative stereo types portrayed in the media. However, I do not think that all stereo types portrayed in the media are negative, just as not all religious people fall into those stereo types.
ReplyDeleteSouth Park is one show in particular that fearlessly make statements on many different religions. Now there are many who would say these are negative portrayals; however, I have a different view. Now South Park pokes fun at literally everything and everyone, which decreases the negative, because no one is every singled out exclusively. I feel like South Park actually aims to point out all the negative stereo types that exist about every religion in our society and plays up these stereo types so much to expose just how ridiculous they are. The creators are both atheist, but have said in an interview, “we’re atheists who don’t hate religion, who are fascinated by it and kind of admire it”. They actually depict many good religious people who call out those who are using religion as an excuse to be cruel. There are several instances where there are religious people are portrayed in a positive way. For the most part, whenever South Park portrays Mormons, they are always depicted as incredibly nice and welcoming to all kinds of people.