When I saw a preview for the chick flick The Vow, I immediately dismissed it. The premise seems so contrived and unbelievable. Besides, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler already acted this out in 50 First Dates {with a fab sountrack might I add}. Would you spend upwards of $10 to see this movie?
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Who Wore it Best: Katniss v. Early Believers
Hubs and I had a super fun night with friends on Friday going to see The Hunger Games. It wasn’t just for leisure either. We were a part of history, and added our $20 to the $155 million historical opening.
Having read the books TWICE, you could say I was as excited as a little boy at his first t-ball game.
When I woke up on Friday, I realized that all of my excitement had come to screeching halt and turned to sadness. It was the same kind of sadness that overtakes me on Christmas morning, knowing that the moments are fleeting and soon all the magic will end. I love the anticipation, the questioning, the hoping, the wonderment and the surprise of Christmas. Once all the presents have been opened and the meal devoured, there is grey melancholy that settles in my heart.
I knew this same melancholy would arrive once the credits rolled. So, before the movie started, I decided I wasn’t going to search for any pop parables. I was going to enjoy every minute of the show. I had a few pop parables up my sleeve already, and given the mass popularity of The Hunger Games, I knew that all that could be said would be said by other people who are smarter, funnier, or deeper thinkers than myself.
What I offer you today, my friends, is something I doubt you’ll find on any other blog or write up about The Hunger Games.
In My Words: #KONY2012
I really appreciate the diverse and well thought out responses you all gave to In Your Words: KONY 2012, Jessica Simpson, iPad 2, and Kim Kardashian.
Now, it’s my turn.
Slacktivism
Proponents of the #KONY2012 cause have been labeled slacktivists, meaning they’ve latched on to a cause that requires minimal {if any} change, action or discomfort on their part. What it simply provides is a warm and fuzzy feeling that I’ve joined the fight against injustice, even though I’ve done nothing more than click a button.
I support the cause of raising awareness over the plight of innocent children in Uganda.
But, my greatest concern is that this entire #KONY2012 phenomenon ends at awareness.
As Loren shared, it just allows you to think that you’re helping the cause when you’re not. You feel nice that you put a bumper sticker on your car, but nothing changes. I think that’s the biggest danger that I can see.
Is the act of posting of a link to Facebook or Twitter truly a response to the commandment to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? {Micah 6:8}
In Your Words: KONY 2012, Jessica Simpon, Miley Cyrus, iPad3 & Kim Kardashian
There are so many pop parables floating around the interwebz right now. I could simply navigate anywhere in my Facebook news feed with my eyes closed and stumble across something postworthy. But, most likely that I’d stumble across a link to KONY 2012.
But, before we get to that, let me just alert you to the other post ideas I’ve taken note of recently.
Miley Cyrus ”Forget Jesus” Tweet Causes Backlash
Miley tweeted an image of theoretical physicit Lawrence Krauss who says, You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, all the things that matter for evolution) weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in stars. So forget Jesus. Stars died so you can live. Parents of tweens everywhere are really not too happy about this one.
Pregnant Jessica Simpson Gets Nude for Elle
In an homage to Demi Moore, Jessica Simpson poses with her baby girl bump on the cover of Elle magazine.
People more likely to take money advice from Donald Trump or Kim Kardashian than from the Bible {fo realz}
And, the biggest one? KONY 2012.
If you haven’t been absolutely blasted with links to this video, you might be a hermit.
Here are a few celebrity tweets about it:
From P Diddy {or whatever he’s calling himself these days}:
Oprah reminds us this isn’t a new cause:
And, Bieber tell us to wipe the grin off our faces:
In case you’ve missed the 30 minute video, watch it here:
There has been some recent criticism over the outcry to the cause, with some raising doubts as to whether social media is an appropriate forum for advocacy and fund-raising.
I wanted to invite you, the readers of Pop Parables, to share your response to this video that will soon see its picture next to the term viral video in the Urban Dictionary.
As with past editions of “In Your Words”, I’ll respond with “In My Words” later.
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Have you watched the video?
What is your initial response?
How do you perceive the response of the general public over KONY 2012?
Got any thoughts on any of the other possible pop parables I listed?
Damsels in Distress
I get so excited when others find the pop parables because it means I’m not crazy. Yay! I hope you enjoy this heart felt post from my {real life} friend, Angela.
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Cinderella. Aurora. Snow White. Jasmine. Ariel. Rapunzel.
The other day while driving along with my daughter, listening to the Tangled soundtrack, it hit me like a ton of bricks. All of the Disney princesses share a common struggle: captivity. I was stunned that I had never made this realization before.
Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons: Bala
For all their beauty and admiration, the princesses all experience a period of captivity. Consider:
- Cinderella is a prisoner in her own home. She must follow her evil stepmother’s orders or face the consequences. At the movie’s climax, the stepmother locks her in the attic in an attempt to hide her true identity.
- The three fairies in Sleeping Beauty hide Princess Aurora in a cottage deep in the forest to keep the evil Malificent from discovering her whereabouts. She spends the first 16 years of her life unaware of who she truly is, and who she is destined to be.
- In spite of her attempts to hide from the wicked queen, Snow White eventually succumbs to the temptation of a beautiful apple. She is poisoned, held captive under a spell until her rescuer comes.
- Even though Jasmine lives the life of royalty, she is far from truly free as she is held to royal law that she must marry a prince.
- Ariel longs for a life she cannot have, and gambles away her freedom on a bet she makes with Ursula, the sea witch.
- Abducted as an infant, Rapunzel spends her days trapped in a tower, longing for a life of freedom.
But, what does it mean to be held captive? What does it mean to finally be free?
Held Captive
We’re told in II Kings that the Israelites were held captive. The Bible also makes it very clear why they were taken into captivity.
All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. {II Kings 17:7}
There was a litany of offenses that the Israelites had committed against the Lord including idolatry, witchcraft, and human sacrifice. Bottom line? Sin. Check out what’s happening in verse 9, too:
The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right.
There’s something so dangerous about the sin we do in secret, isn’t there? It’s easy to kid ourselves and think no one’s watching when we gossip, shortchange our employer at work a bit, cheat in some way or other, or allow bitterness to grow in our heart. We fool ourselves into thinking we’re controlling the behavior.
When in fact, we are held captive by it.
Sold as a Slave
Paul describes the condition of the human heart in terms of slavery:
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do. {Romans 7:14-15}
It’s so easy to fall into the lie that being a Christian means giving up your freedom. On the contrary, when you become a Christian, you realize that you had never been free in the first place.
Paul makes the point painfully clear – it’s as if you’ve been sold to sin. As long as you are in the flesh, you are owned by it. So who is really free then?
I See the Light
When I had the realization about the Disney Princesses, I was listening to a particular song from Tangled called “I see the Light”. In the movie, there is one particularly breathtaking scene where Rapunzel has an epiphany about her life, and what she’s been missing.
Now maybe I’m a bit of a sap, but this scene always chokes me up a bit. And, I couldn’t figure out why….until the other day, as I’m driving down the road and listening to the song. Really listening to it.
All those princesses experienced captivity, yes. None of them were free to be who they were meant to. But what inevitably happens at the end of the story? They are rescued! The handsome prince – remember him?
It was as I was making all this connection that this song touched me in a new, and real way. I love how God can use anything, even a song written by Disney, to minister to us.
I hope you will take a few minutes out and listen to it. (Please note that when Eugene sings, you’ll have to change “she” to “he” about 2-3 times. But you can handle that, right? I know you can.)
All those days watching from the windows
All those years, outside looking in
All that time, never even knowing just how blind I’ve been.
Now I’m here, blinking in the starlight
Now I’m here, suddenly I see
Standing here, it’s oh so clear
I’m where I’m meant to be
And at last I see the light!
And it’s like the fog has lifted
And at least I see the light!
And it’s like the sky is new
And it’s warm, and real, and bright
And the world has somehow shifted…
All at once, everything looks different
Now that I see You.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. {Romans 8:1}
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. {Galatians 5:1}
Praise the Lord, our Prince of Peace! He has come so that we might live happily ever after with him!
Angela Russell has seen the Disney princess movies one-too-many times. She lives with her husband and two children, Keefe and Piper in Tacoma, Washington. She runs a money-saving site, The Coupon Project, and is also a freelance writer.
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