Okay, so as a religious person (and a Christian in particular) I regularly am shocked by how lame pop culture adoptions of our stuff are. Like this sooooo stereotypical adoption of the seven deadly sins for the City Pages "Best Of" issue. I mean really, a scantily-clad woman dressed like an angel and wearing a 'come hither' look. Please. That is so lame. After spending a week talking about torture in my class at Luther, I know that there are some awful seductions the desire for safety can tempt us to accept. Here's the beginning of the City Pages article, meant to be fun, but actually in its dismissal of sin missing the actual horrors of what we do to one another in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
LET'S FACE IT: Sinning just isn't what it used to be.
Take the infamous Seven Deadly Sins, for example: Greed, Gluttony,
Lust, Pride, Anger, Sloth, and Envy. These days, they don't seem quite
as deadly. Pride is now called "self-esteem." Gluttony is just a
typical American diet. And Greed is rewarded with a government
bailout.So this year, City Pages decided to take sin a step
further and make virtue out of vice. In our 2009 Best of the Twin
Cities issue, we celebrate everything that's sinfully good
about the Twin Cities. Here you'll find the Thai restaurant worth
lusting after, the athletes and artists we envy, the CD store we're
greedy for. Sure, things get a bit naughty (Best Store for Sex Toys,
Best Place to Break Up, Best Caramel Roll), but everyone deserves a few
guilty pleasures.Judging by our Readers' Poll, plenty of Twin Citians
agree. Thousands of you were all too happy to tell us your choice for
Best Strip Club, Best Happy Hour, Best Pizza, and dozens of other
temptations. You'll find the results on page 14 and throughout the
issue.Still, we realize that not everyone is into sin, so we have
something for you, too. For every one of the Seven Deadly Sins, there's
also a Heavenly Virtue. Under each fatal transgression, our fallen
angel from the cover will introduce you to its corresponding virtue,
along with a bit of advice on how to assuage your guilt.For the rest of
us, we have a garden of earthly delights to explore. In fact, why stop
at just seven Deadly Sins—on the following pages you'll find nearly 300
things about the Twin Cities that are "to die for."The hell with
Minnesota Nice. It's time for a little Minnesota Vice.
One could do a riff on the dissappearance of sin, the secularization of guilt and rejection of 'vice' as bad. Sin has never been undesireable, actually. That's the point, folks. That's why discipline and self-control are part of a life lived in love. To hell with Minnesota nice? I hope not, but perhaps. As people drift away from the practice of faith (which they are, in increasing numbers) we might actually have cause to worry. 'Minnesota Nice' has been rooted in a cultural impulse fostered by the stories and practices of hundreds of churches and synagogues that have taught 'love your neighbor'. Pride is self-esteem. That's a good one. No, actually, the danger is that self-esteem is a cover for narcissm. That's one we're actually prone to mistake.
Well. Early morning rants and reflections, not that coherent, but pointing somewhere that could be . . .
anon, and peace,
Chris
Recent Comments