The last few years have seen a proliferation of R-rated films featuring female leads and intended for female audiences. Movies like Bad Moms and Bridesmaids have taken the box office by storm as millennial females flock to movies made for them. From a religious standpoint this trend is disconcerting. Now, allow me to preface this by saying, firstly, that I have watched R-rated films of which I am not proud and, secondly, that not all R-rated films are immoral. Keeping those two things in mind, let me share the reasoning behind my concern.
R-rated films used to signal their own inherent box office limitation. Even funny men like Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey were known primarily for their PG-13 work, and this as recently as the 90's. Sure, they would make an R-rated flick occasionally because, well, they could afford to do so, but the money was always better if that dreaded R rating was avoided. Each has even done a handful of PG movies, which, no doubt, rank among their most lucrative. The R rating was braved by those with low budgets and/or artistic aspirations. The tide has turned. R-rated movies, especially comedies, are bringing better and better returns on the investments put into them. Movies like Knocked Up and Superbad paved the way for the seemingly endless stream of "bro" films that have followed suit. Stand-up comedians have always been known for vulgarity, but their movies usually toned that content down somewhat. That is no longer the case. Female comedians, refusing to outdone, have jumped on the train and aired their vulgar material on the silver screen as well.
The advent of "sister" flicks, if you want to call them that, signals the end of shame in our culture. Men have long been stereotyped as the vulgar ones, and rightfully so. Language your grandfather might have used around his coworkers or his buddies would never have escaped his lips around a group of ladies. Ladies were prim and proper and innocent, or so the stereotype went. They blushed at the utterance of swear words and innuendo. I'm afraid those days are gone. Now, let me be clear that I am not advocating a double standard. Inappropriate material is inappropriate regardless of the gender, race, or age of the person conveying or viewing it. It's not okay for guys to make/watch movies replete with smut either. What I am saying is that this phenomenon carries with it telling implications for our culture. Men at least used to try and conceal their inappropriate material from the "women-folk." Now the women-folk outdo them in vulgarity! The fact that women, women claiming to be Christians no less, go and see movies like Magic Mike and Fifty Shades of Grey says something about our culture and the moral decline we are experiencing. Feminism has won. It has destroyed not only the distinction between the genders, but has reduced them to the level of men. Men not only can stop being ashamed of what they watch, but now their wives will watch it with them!
This is what happens when sin goes unchecked. This is what happens when we separate our religious lives from our entertainment. Such bifurcation is guaranteed to promote the moral decline of all demographics. As I said, I have watched films of which I am not proud, especially in my late teens. Those movies were not edifying for a Christian, nor were they becoming of someone who owns the name of Christ. Anyone who says that they are not affected by watching films laden with vulgarity and sexuality is a liar or blind. Such entertainment desensitizes the mind, the tongue, and the conscience. Regrettably, I can testify to that. My preteen self would be ashamed of some of the things that have come out of my adult mouth. There was always, however, an element of shame that came with watching such films. It wasn't simply that I felt bad for doing something I know my momma wouldn't approve of. It was deeper. Even when the initial burning of my conscience was diminished, I still knew better than to parade my behavior around. I would never have been comfortable watching "dirty" movies with my girlfriend, nor would I have told my dad that I watched them. By no means does that make it right, but it speaks to the culture that existed even 9 or 10 years ago.
Our decline will be, I fear, precipitous from here. If the trend is to be reversed, that reversal must start with the men. Women can only be women when men are men, and true men exercise self-control. We must no longer be satisfied with concealing our sin. This double standard must be eliminated. We must be rid of this stereotype that men are dirty, vulgar creatures who can do no better than to satiate their base instincts, while expecting women to be innocent and classy. The world's answer to "liberate" women, too. That answer cannot satisfy to Church of Jesus Christ. We, both men and women, must start applying the Gospel to the entertainment we absorb. Then, and only then, will we return to a time when people knew what shame was.
R-rated films used to signal their own inherent box office limitation. Even funny men like Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey were known primarily for their PG-13 work, and this as recently as the 90's. Sure, they would make an R-rated flick occasionally because, well, they could afford to do so, but the money was always better if that dreaded R rating was avoided. Each has even done a handful of PG movies, which, no doubt, rank among their most lucrative. The R rating was braved by those with low budgets and/or artistic aspirations. The tide has turned. R-rated movies, especially comedies, are bringing better and better returns on the investments put into them. Movies like Knocked Up and Superbad paved the way for the seemingly endless stream of "bro" films that have followed suit. Stand-up comedians have always been known for vulgarity, but their movies usually toned that content down somewhat. That is no longer the case. Female comedians, refusing to outdone, have jumped on the train and aired their vulgar material on the silver screen as well.
The advent of "sister" flicks, if you want to call them that, signals the end of shame in our culture. Men have long been stereotyped as the vulgar ones, and rightfully so. Language your grandfather might have used around his coworkers or his buddies would never have escaped his lips around a group of ladies. Ladies were prim and proper and innocent, or so the stereotype went. They blushed at the utterance of swear words and innuendo. I'm afraid those days are gone. Now, let me be clear that I am not advocating a double standard. Inappropriate material is inappropriate regardless of the gender, race, or age of the person conveying or viewing it. It's not okay for guys to make/watch movies replete with smut either. What I am saying is that this phenomenon carries with it telling implications for our culture. Men at least used to try and conceal their inappropriate material from the "women-folk." Now the women-folk outdo them in vulgarity! The fact that women, women claiming to be Christians no less, go and see movies like Magic Mike and Fifty Shades of Grey says something about our culture and the moral decline we are experiencing. Feminism has won. It has destroyed not only the distinction between the genders, but has reduced them to the level of men. Men not only can stop being ashamed of what they watch, but now their wives will watch it with them!
This is what happens when sin goes unchecked. This is what happens when we separate our religious lives from our entertainment. Such bifurcation is guaranteed to promote the moral decline of all demographics. As I said, I have watched films of which I am not proud, especially in my late teens. Those movies were not edifying for a Christian, nor were they becoming of someone who owns the name of Christ. Anyone who says that they are not affected by watching films laden with vulgarity and sexuality is a liar or blind. Such entertainment desensitizes the mind, the tongue, and the conscience. Regrettably, I can testify to that. My preteen self would be ashamed of some of the things that have come out of my adult mouth. There was always, however, an element of shame that came with watching such films. It wasn't simply that I felt bad for doing something I know my momma wouldn't approve of. It was deeper. Even when the initial burning of my conscience was diminished, I still knew better than to parade my behavior around. I would never have been comfortable watching "dirty" movies with my girlfriend, nor would I have told my dad that I watched them. By no means does that make it right, but it speaks to the culture that existed even 9 or 10 years ago.
Our decline will be, I fear, precipitous from here. If the trend is to be reversed, that reversal must start with the men. Women can only be women when men are men, and true men exercise self-control. We must no longer be satisfied with concealing our sin. This double standard must be eliminated. We must be rid of this stereotype that men are dirty, vulgar creatures who can do no better than to satiate their base instincts, while expecting women to be innocent and classy. The world's answer to "liberate" women, too. That answer cannot satisfy to Church of Jesus Christ. We, both men and women, must start applying the Gospel to the entertainment we absorb. Then, and only then, will we return to a time when people knew what shame was.
Comments
Post a Comment