You have undoubtedly felt the repercussions of what has been an absolute and clearly long overdue culture shift: the public condemnation of sexual harassment. Obviously, it isn’t that the problem is a new one. It’s been going on, well, since Sodom and Gomorrah. Nor is it the case that the victims of this scourge have only recently been willing to go public. There is plenty of evidence that victims of such heinous acts have been speaking out against it for years, while their pleas fell on deaf ears. Like the smallest fracture in a dam that turns into a flood of Biblical proportions, so the dam of sexual harassment has burst.
Naturally, you who are the Hollywood elite have quickly jumped on the bandwagon of righteous indignation to call these purveyors of perversion out for what they are, ravenous lions preying on the vulnerable. And the talking heads have been working over-time to analyze this phenomenon with the help of psychologists and cultural commentators galore. Everyone seems to be shocked beyond imagination. And the overriding question, even if left unasked, seems to be, “how could this happen?” Certainly, answers have been offered up. It’s a sickness. It’s a lapse in judgment. It’s a serious misstep. Thankfully, we have gotten beyond the “boys will be boys” attitude. Yet, I wonder if we are really digging deep enough, here. Sure, all of the titans falling is enough to “scare straight” any potential perp. Even so, there are a few significant answers to “how could this happen” that have been surprisingly absent from the discussion thus far. First, we must return to the righteous indignation of those of you who are considered the Hollywood elite. I appreciate your willingness to call a spade a spade. However, I wonder whether you have been willing to acknowledge your own complicity in all of this? Oh, I know, you didn’t harass anyone. But how many of you have acted in oversexualized films which glorify unhealthy sexual behavior? Do you really think that the “anything goes,” “if it feels good, do it” attitude dominating Hollywood productions hasn’t contributed to this tendency toward objectifying women, seeing them as conquests to be won rather than human beings made in the image of God who should be treated with dignity? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that what you are selling is sex and self-gratification. As one perceptive lyric puts it, “It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication.” Don’t get me wrong…I’m not arguing that oversexualized content justifies such behavior, any more than a rough childhood justifies violent behavior as an adult. We all must take responsibility for our actions! What I am arguing, however, is that it would be foolish to act as though your obsession with sex as an industry hasn’t encouraged this kind of sexually deviant behavior. In fact, to take it one step further, I would argue that you, as an industry, are not only guilty of encouraging sexual harassment, you are guilty of sexually harassment! I guess I can say “#metoo” after I was subjected to a movie preview for Fifty Shades Darker, the epitome of oversexualized content, while waiting for my PG-13 film to start. Every person in that audience could rightly claim sexual harassment in view of the semi-pornographic content just in the preview. But though Fifty Shades is the extreme, the reality is, the vast majority of what you pass off as entertainment contains gratuitous sexual content. “How could this happen?” You teach us to sympathize with those who are unfaithful to their spouses so they can pursue someone who excites them; you patronize us with portrayals of morality as outdated, irrelevant, and religious bigotry; and you speak mockingly and derisively of anyone who dares to challenge your liberal standards. Again, I am not saying this excuses sexual harassment, but I am saying that it is time you owned up to your contribution to this scourge. Which brings us to the second answer to “how could this happen?” that is conspicuously absent from this conversation: sin. We are sinful human beings. Like our progenitors, we have rejected God’s way and chosen what we think is best (Isaiah 53:6). You will never get to the root of this repugnant behavior until you are able to admit a repugnant truth—we are not born basically good, we are all born sinfully self-centered. We all need a Savior to forgive us of sin’s penalty and free us from sin’s power. Thankfully, we are in the midst of a season whose message is “Christ the Savior is Born.” Jesus, whose name means Savior, died on the cross to reconcile us sinners with our Maker. Or in the words of another great Christmas hymn: “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild— God and sinners reconciled!’” Hollywood, don’t ignore this wonderful come to Jesus opportunity.
4 Comments
Charlie Bailey
12/31/2017 02:45:20 pm
Greetings Pastor Dan,
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1/1/2018 12:52:25 pm
Charlie,
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John Hansen
1/10/2018 09:50:08 pm
Right on Dan. Hollywood also indulges in, for example, glorification of violence involving firearms, and then turns around and wants more gun control. Another example is entertainment involving driving automobiles in a crazy manner that is then copied by young people who end up dying on our highways. I think part of this is driven by a profit motive. Hollywood believes that entertainment glorifying dangerous and immoral behavior sells, which may not really be true. Another part is ideological, in that Hollywood believes they are entitled to present whatever entertainment they want, regardless of negative impact on vulnerable people.
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Scott Tsao
1/29/2018 06:13:18 pm
I have long given up on Hollywood in terms of going to contemporary movies in the box offices. As a result, I rely heavily on people’s recommendations so that I could check out some ‘classical’ flicks from the public library and watch those movies at my spare time outside my regular volunteering work. For example, a few weeks ago I got a recommendation from the WORLD Radio broadcast that did a review of "Return to Me" (a 2000 production rated PG). Consequently I checked out a DVD from our local library and watched the movie with delight. I wish that I can continue to enjoy those clean and wholesome movies for in-home entertainment. Perhaps we can start a 'Wholesome Move Club' at RBC?
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
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