I fell on the ground

So there's this controversy about the movie "The Golden Compass." I haven't seen it, so I don't yet have an opinion on it. Wait. See that? I'm not making snap judgments. Whoa. But I have heard what the controversy is about, that the movie promotes atheism and the idea of "killing God." So of course the Christian right has gone apeshit.

When was the last time there was a huge media controversy about, say, a sexually explicit song lyric? An inappropriate popular toy marketed to children? A style of dress or a dance craze or a television show...and so on.

You don't hear a word from the right-wingers about "superman that ho."
You don't hear a word about Bratz dolls.
You don't hear a word about size 6X string bikinis.
You hardly hear anything anymore about video games that teach people to kill.
You hardly hear anything about rap lyrics that glorify violence, materialism, and promiscuity.

"Oh, but it's different. The Golden Compass is targeted at children! Children don't hear the inappropriate rap lyrics!"

Bull. Shit.

And it isn't just children that matter. It pisses me off to see people my age who act pious and religious and conservative all day, all week--until the weekends, when they put on low-cut glittery tops, low-rise jeans, and dry-hump every guy in the room to the beat of the latest heinous hip-hop song. Likewise, it pisses me off when those same conservative right-wing-parroters organize frenzied boycotts of a movie they haven't seen because it "apparently" has atheist themes...but they're quite okay with consuming the cultural product that is the vulgar rap music.

I may or may not see the movie, and if I do, I may or may not like it. I would never, ever, EVER deprive myself of a point of view or a context or a reference. If you want to have an opinion on something, right-wing America, you had fucking better be informed. I read websites and articles that I know will make me mad. Know your enemy. Anything else is ignorance.

Oh, and by the way? Maybe The Golden Compass is an atheist text. I don't know that, but for now we'll presume it is. Isn't it just fair to give the atheists some airtime? I mean, I'm a Christian and don't personally agree with atheism, but for the sake of fairness...let's not shut out beliefs that don't happen to correspond with our own.

If your faith is strong enough, it will not be swayed by anything, especially a movie. If your faith is not strong enough, you have better things to do than argue about a movie.

I believe in informed, enlightened, intellectual discussion. I believe in open-mindedness. I believe in faith. I believe that God thinks we're hilarious but loves us anyway. I believe that we, as humans, have better things to do than arguing. I believe that Jesus would be ashamed of the public image of Christians nowadays, but overwhelmingly proud of the efforts of some individuals. I believe that he would love us all anyway. I believe that intellect and faith are not opposites. I believe that God gave us the ability to think for ourselves. I believe that we should not form our opinions from the opinions of others--and that includes religious leaders. I believe that religion is corrupt but God is perfect. I believe that God decided, about 21 years ago, that the world needed a lesbian with Asperger's Syndrome who would be passionate about music and art and the written word. I believe that I need to be who God wants me to be. I believe that The Beatles were, in fact, the best and most influential band in history. I believe that mass media and popular culture are insidious, corrupt, and disgustingly enticing. I believe that listening to the radio is pointless and cheapens the experience of hearing music. I believe that the people you love the most can be the most frustrating.

My best friend told me today that she doesn't know what I believe. Period. Might that possibly be because you don't listen to me? And might I be slightly less willing to explain everything when you make me feel like everything I believe and feel is somehow wrong?

So there's that. I'm upset, but apparently a Talk will be happening soon, so it should be okay.

In other news, I'll be 21 in less than 24 hours!

I'm exhausted. More later, and perhaps it'll be more cheerful.