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FREETHUNK BOOK!The Complete Edition
By Jeff Swenson
160 pages, Jam-Packed
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"JUGS, BEAVERS and EXPLODING BALLS"
by Jeff Swenson
First Cynic Comic Strip
collection now in print.
2004-2005
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SITCOM RERUNS, ONE DAY AT A TIME
The L.O.Gs Episode (Lambs of God)
by Jeff Swenson
Audio Clips included, may have to okay Active X Alert in browser.
If you are having Active X Control Alert problems like I was you can download a patch to fix it here. No surprise that one of Microsoft's security updates was buggy.
Either Play the audio in your browser or right click on the download link and save file.
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I never watched One Day At A Time when it originally aired. At best, I was watching Big Bird and probably not comprehending how a bird got that big without being eaten. It's interesting to go back in time and see what was playing in primetime while I was oblivious to the world. And that's how I caught this rare storyline on my On Demand selections from Comcast. I'm surprised TubeTime even posted this 2 part episode called "Julie's Decision." I was shocked to hear a sitcom discuss Christianity in the critical manner that it did with flippant remarks and little jabs here and there on faith. Mind you, this is in reference to a specific kind of Christianity that's hard to describe unless you watch the show; a brand of "Jesus Loves You" feel-good fundamentalism that feels like the birthing process to the mainstreamed strain of fundamentalism we see in churches today who are against gay marriage, support the "New Republicanism" (since the old one had roots in libertarianism and not the nonsense we see today) and various acts of judgmentalism, but also contributes heavily to charity, is active in the community and is filled with upstanding members of society. Kind of like "Fuck you, you're going to hell--would you like a piece of coffee cake?" The show doesn't attack belief in God in general or religion in general, but it does explore it in a way that would never be allowed in primetime today. Okay, I hate to say "never" since anything is possible. Let's just say there would be a slim chance that this storyline would air in 2006. I doubt the networks would risk it unless the show was already established and the cast insisted. It might be shown once and then buried. Sure we have the crude critiques of South Park, the clever remarks on The Daily Show and the in-your-face commentary of Bullshit on Showtime; all shows that go after religion with humor. One Day At A Time, however, was a primetime show on a major network when you had 3 channels to choose from. I can't imagine it ever being played on primetime again. I think the storyline would have been killed as soon as it was proposed. In primetime the most daring thing they do is discuss sex and use glorious amounts of innuendo. Seinfeld was the closest show I can think of that poked fun of Christian Rock and going to hell for living in sin (Elaine's relationship with the supposed Christian David Puddy) but it really didn't make a critique or a conclusion. It didn't explore the society's feelings on the matter, it simply exploited the humor of the conflict much like the episode on abortion. "Julie's Decision" is not just about the humor, it explores the issue of a daughter converting to a faith not of her parents and more specifically a faith that is egotistical, judgmental and annoying to the rest of her family members. It makes her an outcast for taking her religion so seriously. The storyline in this rerun involves the character played by Mackenzie Phillips, the eldest daughter of the family coming home and acting strange (see audioclip 1) and telling everyone that "Jesus Loves You" in an almost cultish, dazed way. The mother of the sitcom family Ann, as played by Bonnie Franklin, isn't offended or thrown off by any reference to Jesus--she was raised a stereotypical Italian Catholic--her concern stems from how Julie is acting, a change in personality that is somewhat frightening and embarrassing. Even Julie's sister is uncomfortable with the way Julie is acting and notices that her friends don't understand it and that Julie is losing some of her own friends. Julie explains the sudden change in her personality as being caused by The L.O.Gs, a great name for a cult if there ever was one. The L.O.Gs stands for "Lambs Of God" and they are a group of young people who have dedicated their lives to serving Christ and witnessing to others. You couldn't wipe the blissful smiles off their face with a mop. |
| In this sitcom world, the L.O.Gs are seen as freaks. Play audioclip 2 and you'll hear the neighbor make a reference that has now been absorbed by mainstream Christianity. The term being "Jesus Freaks." Jesus Freaks were once communal hippies trying to live like Christ. Now you can find the term in Christian Rock such as the more obscure hardcore band named Jesus Freaks and the more well known band DC TALK (that stands for Decent Christian Talk for those of you not in the know) who has a popular album called "Jesus Freak." Being a Jesus Freak in mainstream Christianity is a badge of honor, especially among young people. It can no longer be considered an insult or a deriding remark. However, the chances of a religious person being called a "freak" in a sitcom today would still probably incur the wrath of the religious right and it's doubtful that the network censors would have permitted it in the first place. The term is not what's really important here. It's the view that these L.O.Gs really are freaks; they are outside of society in a manner where they are not functional or approachable. They take their religion too seriously, or rather they take their religion how it was meant to be taken. The rest of us can't relate whether we are religious or unbelievers. Most religous Americans or average American Christians are similar to Ann and Barbara, the mother and youngest sister of One Day At A Time. They don't regularly attend Church, they don't abide by the rules of their religion but rather personalize Christianity so it fits their needs and they don't like being preached to or told they are sinners. They know they are sinners according to the rules of the game but being told so by another "sinner" is annoying and offensive. Their religion is very personal and not for sharing with the public at large--witnessing is out. They feel guilt that they are not more religious than they are but they never do anything about it. In a way, they are secular people trying to hang onto some spirituality because belief in God is necessary for morals as well as salvation in the afterlife. They can't understand how a society can function without belief in God even though they are practically doing it everyday. My own guilty pleasure in writing this article is not to psychoanalyze the average religious American--that can go on forever. My pleasure is derived from the rare sitcom humor found in this episode such as the neighbor lady's groans at being told "Jesus Loves You" (play audiclip 4) and some jokes at the expense of Jesus' die-hard, bumpersticker-slogan-spewing followers. As well as a sitcom mother that expresses the sentiment of everyone who has ever had Bible verses hurled at them. If you play audioclip 6 you'll be amazed to hear the words come out of a sitcom star's lips. I almost said "Amen to that" and I'm an atheist. The characters do not abandon their faith in the second part of this storyline. There is only the realization that you cannot force belief on anyone and that faith in God does not mean you can work miracles with sinners who in reality may have real problems that need real solutions--such as a homeless alchololic that needs treatment. To be fair, this is another Norman Lear production, the same guy who did All In The Family. He and his crew had already proved themselves with the controversial Archie Bunker so maybe they had a greenlight to do whatever they wanted. But regardless of how potentially offensive this was to the devoutly religious this 2 part episode didn't kill the series, it's from 1976 and the series ran up until 1984. It makes you wonder that as a society we may have taken a step back in cowardice concerning our pop culture. Could this episode have aired today on CBS? I don't think so. Normally the primetime programs that are allowed to confront religious issues are dramas or deal with murder cases, not humor. Humor is especially volatile and cracks about someone's faith these days can be seen as a hatecrime. That's no exaggeration. The next strategy in Christianity is to achieve a public concensus that making fun of Jesus or the Christian faith is equivalent to making fun of an individual's race. The optimist in me must point out that because entertainment has diversified so much religious criticism is stronger than ever on cable and channels that are not part of the big 3. The big 3 are an indicator of what the dumbed-down masses want and of where the advertisers go to plug their products. So ABC, CBS and NBC may indicate the majority viewpoint that it's not okay to poke fun of someone's faith. Comedy Central may be saying it is okay and that the minority viewpoint will grow in numbers if we can keep showing how ridiculous religion is. My recommendation as a freethinker is to watch this show on your On Demand selections if it is available and then thank your cable provider for posting it. Whether or not you are a fan of One Day At A Time probably doesn't matter when it comes to this particular storyline. It's enjoyable to watch, there's some quick laughs and you get to see an obnoxious Christian chewed out and learn a valuable life lesson. I've included audio clips in the upper left so you can get a taste of Part one. Part two is a bit darker as the storyline comes to it's conclusion. As usual there is never any sort of atheistic or unbeliever's conclusion when it comes to a TV storyline, but this isn't too bad for freethinking entertainment. A seventies rerun that reminds us of how annoying dogmatic Bible thumping can be. |