Meanwhile, what’s going on at the Fishwrap (aka National Sodomitic Reporter)?
As I write, this is the featured piece over there.
‘Queer Eye’ shows how grace works
When the U.S. bishops met this past June, Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary of Los Angeles, drew some heavy pushback when he lifted up Canadian psychologist and social media personality Jordan Peterson as a model of how the church could be engaging with the culture, especially the religiously unaffiliated “nones.” Arguably, the pushback might have been worse had more bishops even heard of Peterson and his noxious broth of hyper-masculinity, anti-PC spite and cringeworthy flirtations with Christianity. [NB what things writer doesn’t like! Masculinity… “straight” talk… thinking about Christianity.] But the real missed opportunity here was that Bishop Barron did not instead opt for a model of cultural dialogue closer to home, namely, the hit Netflix makeover show “Queer Eye,” which premiered its fourth season on July 19. [No, you really did read that.]
While still probably an unknown quantity to most bishops, “Queer Eye” [Oh?] at least evinces a joy and a love for marginalized people as each episode finds the “Fab Five” — a makeover team of five gay men — coming into the life of a particularly stuck person and, over the course of a week, fostering transformation across the board in each team member’s areas of expertise — Karamo (culture), Jonathan (grooming), Antoni (food), Tan (fashion) and Bobby (design). Since arriving on Netflix in early 2018, the show — a reboot of an early 2000s series “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” — has garnered a reputation for its intense human warmth and cathartic tears, both onscreen and in the homes of its viewers. [NB what things the write does like.] Others in religious media have called the work done on the show ministry [?!?] as much as makeover. But that’s underselling the dynamics unfolding before our eyes. [Good grief.]
[…]
For a Catholic who’s being honest, watching the Fab Five descend into an individual’s unique mess and dysfunction has an unmistakable Pope Francis feel to it.
[…]
Sorry, friends. I know, I know. You can’t unread that.
Blech.
But… this is what Fishwrap is all about.
The writer was from 2008-2016 an employee of the USCCB’s media office.
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Well, hurray for Bishop Barron, at least.
“But the real missed opportunity here was that Bishop Barron did not instead opt for a model of cultural dialogue closer to home, namely, the hit Netflix makeover show ‘Queer Eye. . . .'”
“Closer to home”? Aren’t the Francis folk denying that there is a crisis of homosexual prelates?
“coming into the life of a particularly stuck person and, over the course of a week, fostering transformation across the board in each team member’s areas of expertise — Karamo (culture), Jonathan (grooming), Antoni (food), Tan (fashion) and Bobby (design).”
Was there ever a more clear way of living the Gospel than teaching a person how to so fully engage these pillars of materialism?
“For a Catholic who’s being honest, watching the Fab Five descend into an individual’s unique mess and dysfunction has an unmistakable Pope Francis feel to it.”
I somehow doubt the characteristics they address in their makeover are how Pope Francis wants his charism to be described.
What a load of rubbish.
That’s enough Fishwrap for a few month. Augh!
Well, you have to give it to that organ of MTD, or Empty Deism if you will: As Fishwrap empties out the vessel of faith, it’s pretty open about what it’s refilling the vessel with.
Things NOT up at Fishwrap:
Circulation
Viewership
Cathecism
Honesty
“Closer to home”? That makes no sense (of course, none of the rest of the article makes sense either, but even aside from their own fallacious morals it makes no sense): A person “thinking about Christianity” is not farther away from Christianity than 5 persons making money off a TV show without a hint of actual Christianity in the show. And no, faddishly fostering a person’s “improvement” in food, fashion, and design is not “ministering” to them, nor is it in any sense Christian of these media celebs – saying so would be tantamount to saying pagan or Muslim mothers feeding their kids a healthy meal is “Christian ministering”. What poppycock! [Not to mention that saying so would be a mortal insult to a Muslim. :-) ]
Listening to Jordan Peterson is actually a good thing, in my opinion.
In fact, he said something that has helped me: “religion is an embodied experience.”
I heard that, stopped to think about it, stopped to think about it again, and discovered quite a bit of value in it.
I mean, really, isn’t that part of what Saint James was saying?
“cringeworthy flirtations with Christianity”
You couldn’t make it up …