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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 12:21

Scandal 7: Jesse James

Written by Adam Ericksen

Jesse_James

 

My wife doesn't know this, but ever since I saw the movie "Speed" in 1994 I've had the hots for Sandra Bullock.  (If my wife can have McDreamy, I can have Miss Congeniality.)  Yes.  The movie was barely tolerable.  And, while I'm comfortable enough in my (apparent) manhood to admit Keanu Reeves is a pretty good looking guy, he's arguably the worst actor of his generation.  But, hey, Speed began my 16 year-old crush on Sandra.  What can I say, I'm faithful. (You get where I'm going with this, right?)

mcdreamy_1                        miss_congeniality

                                  McDreamy                                               Miss Congeniality

 How do I love thee, my dear Sandra?  Let me count the ways: She's a fairly attractive young lady.  More than that, she's downright quirky (again, Miss Congeniality was the perfect role for my beloved) – which only adds to her charm.  And she’s bubbly.  The website IMDb claims that her high school classmates voted her "Most likely to brighten up your day." Indeed, Sandra’s been brightening all of my days for the last 16 years.

 

So, back in 2005, when I heard Sandra was going to marry Jesse James I experienced a bit of cognitive dissonance.  What was my dear, sweet, innocent Sandrasandra_and_james doing with this guy – a former bodyguard of heavy metal bands?  She should marry someone much more like … well … me.  I hoped this wasn’t another case of the good girl going after the bad boy.   

 

But then it happened.  The whole thing is sad.  I mean, Michelle “Bombshell” McGee?!?  C’mon, dude.  And then I start thinking about their children and how difficult it must be for them to see their daddy’s infidelity play out on the public stage.

 

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Wednesday, 09 December 2009 13:05

Scandal 6: Tiger: A Goat and a Cheetah

Written by Adam Ericksen
I don’t want people to misunderstand me, so I want to be clear from the beginning. I in no way want to defend the sexual transgressions of Tiger Woods. I hope he will take personal responsibility for his actions and find the help he needs to deal with his past.  I also hope that Elin Nordegren, Woods’ wife, and their two children will be able to find the healing they need to deal with this situation.
It is easy to blame Tiger for cheating on his wife, Elin. Personally, it makes me sick. My stomach becomes queasy as more and more allegations of affairs surface. A feeling of self-righteous indignation comes over me as I read news websites informing the world about “TigerGate.”
That’s when I know I need to step away from the Internet. There is always a good chance that whenever I feel self-righteous indignation I’m missing the bigger picture.
The United States has a hyper-sexed culture. For example, take the cultural phrase, “If it feels good to you, do it.” That phrase infects everyone living in the United States. (I don’t think that’s much of a hyperbole.) In other words, you have the freedom to do whatever feels good to you, including sexual acts. We sense that there is something wrong with this phrase, so we sometimes add to it, “as long as you aren’t hurting anyone.” This allows us to neglect the complexities inherent in the statement. The problem is that our actions hurt people in multiple ways that aren’t always easy to observe: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Another problem is that we get absorbed in “What feels good to us” and neglect other people that are involved in our actions. Take another phrase: “What two consenting adults do in bed is of no concern to me.” Really? Then why do so many of us get upset when Tiger Woods has sex with another consenting adult (or ten other consenting adults)? Because we know that more people are affected than Tiger and his sex partners – his wife, his children, his fans.
Sex is everywhere in our culture. You can’t drive on a major highway in this country without seeing a scantily clad woman on a billboard. I can’t watch television without being told that women are sex objects for my personal pleasure. Right now on Facebook page there is an ad that asks, “Who Has Googled You?” with an image of a young blond female with breasts the size of basketballs sitting in front of a bed. Could anyone miss that message? Ironically, Facebook knows that I am a youth pastor, and the ad below the “Who Has Googled You” ad is an advertisement for a Young Women’s Conference called “Awaken.” The ad states, “Attn: Youth Pastors! It’s time for young women to rise up and step into all that God has called them to be! Come join us for the Awaken Conference!” Apparently women are called to be both holy and the object of my sexual fantasy.
I am caught in the same cultural trap that caught Tiger Woods. That trap is a double bind.  “Look, but don’t touch,” is a pernicious phrase that points to that double bind. The truth is that once someone has looked, it’s very difficult not to touch. It is naïve to think otherwise.
Again, I hope Tiger takes responsibility for his actions and repair his life. I hope Elin and their children can find healing. Even more, though, I hope that this event causes us to take a serious look at the different ways our culture fosters this type of behavior. Tiger Woods is guilty, yet he is a scapegoat. The anger and disappointment we have for Woods distracts us from facing the sexual deviancy embedded throughout our culture.  Only when we realize that truth will we begin to deal with these problems.          
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Wednesday, 15 July 2009 15:09

Scandal 5: Sarah Palin and the Media

Written by Adam Ericksen
Sarah Palin confuses me.
Palin stated in her resignation speech on Friday, July 3rd that, “People who know me know that that besides faith and family, nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska.” She went on to list an impressive array of accomplishments her administration has achieved during her short stint as Governor of Alaska. You may be asking a similar question: If she loves Alaska so much, and if she has been such an effective Governor, why is she resigning?
The media.
“But you don’t hear much of the good stuff in the press anymore, do you?” asks Palin in her speech. She claims that time spent defending herself against media attacks “hasn’t been cheap – the State has wasted THOUSANDS of hours of YOUR time and shelled out some two million of YOUR dollars to respond to ‘opposition research’ – that’s money NOT going to fund teachers or troopers – or safe roads.”
She claims to be the victim of the media, but the media is largely responsible for her fame. The more she claims the morally superior status of victim, the more attention the media gives her. It seems as though Palin and the media have a mutually beneficial relationship. Palin needs the media because the media keeps her relevant. The media loves Palin, because, let’s just admit it, she makes for good television.
This leads me to question Palin’s sincerity when she claims the role of victim.
Was it necessary that the State defend Palin against the media? Of course not. That wasn’t the media’s fault. The wasted hours and two million dollars spent to respond do “opposition research” (whatever that means) is Palin’s responsibility. Maybe the most responsible thing she could have done was to resign. It seems as though she couldn’t handle the heat, so she got out of the kitchen.
Near the end of her speech, Palin quoted some wisdom posted on her parents’ refrigerator door, “Don’t explain: your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe you anyway.” I don’t think of myself as an enemy of Palin, but I have a hard time believing her explanation. It seems too convenient and self-deceptive.
Do you believe that the nasty media has driven Palin out of her beloved Alaska?
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Tuesday, 14 July 2009 14:39

Scandal 4: Michael Jackson: The Rise and Fall of the King of Pop

Written by Adam Ericksen
“I knew Michael as a child and watched him grow over the years. Of the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was THE most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched. He was truly one-of-a-kind.”
-Dick Clark
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Tuesday, 09 June 2009 11:04

Scandal 3: Lebron James

Written by Adam Ericksen

Since high school, Lebron James has been “King James” and a “man among boys.” Arenas across the US are packed when the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town, with Lebron fans holding signs that read, “We Are All Witnesses.” (Thank you Nike.) We praise him for his determination and competitiveness – qualities that remind us of another legendary figure of recent memory. Many are beginning to suggest that we no longer have to wait for the next Michael Jordon. Lebron is the second coming.

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