Dionysus or JC? The Last Supper or The Last Stand?
Ah, The Olympics. To be honest, I haven’t been interested in watching them since I was a tween with a crush on bendy gymnast, Mitch Gaylord, going for the gold in Los Angeles in 1984. But, I was intrigued by the controversy that arose during the opening ceremonies where it seemed as though a holy moment in Christian history (The Eucharist) was mocked by drag queens and people painted blue. To me, I don’t agree with pot shots taken towards the prophets, particularly one that is revered and respected by over 4 billion people (2 billion Christians see him as the son of God/truth while 2 billion Muslims love JC as blessed messiah) But, I also believe in freedom of expression: theirs for whatever motivated the offensive tableau and mine for simply turning it off because that’s just not something I appreciate.
I remember, as a teenager, feeling the same way about Salman Rushdie and his inflammatory to many, The Satanic Verses. His was a somewhat blasphemous and degrading representation of his view of the beloved Prophet Muhammed, but I didn’t agree that he deserved his own fatwa as a result of his pointless musings. First of all, PM as prophet never attacked his enemies, he simply defended when attacked, so, to me, the fatwa seemed like lunacy which was driving up book sales and driving poor Rushdie into hiding. That wasn't the correct Islamic response, whether or not born from an Ayatollah. Actually, I felt sorry for Salman. I, too, have Islamic and Indian relatives (as well as Catholic/Christian loved ones rounding out the family tree, a couple of Jewish family members too) and to me, his musings seemed born more of self hatred of his history and a loathing of his ancestry. Surely, there was somebody in his family who would be hurt by his artistry and I didn’t get doing that. But, he had the right and write to spew his form of fiction without anybody physically attacking him.
Which leads me to wonder:
How come The Olympic Committee could put on something that was deemed so offensive, so inflammatory, so unnecessary and creative fiction in Hollywood has become so sterilized? I am completely convinced writers of all mediums might spray Lysol on their keyboards before typing a single word to sanitize the entire process of creativity.
Something feels so inherently wrong about that.
This is America. As long as we are not inciting violence and respectfully engaging in discourse, how can anything we write be deemed unholy or unacceptable? If it doesn’t work, turn it off. Tell your friends not to watch. But, don’t curtail freedom of expression, it’s the one freedom I consider most critical.
The only thing we can truly be happy for these days in that regard? Larry David. He’s an equal opportunity offender. And I am there for all of it.
This week, Jeff Schaffer, co-creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm, said that while Curb officially ended on April 7, 2024, he and Larry David are still “talking about talking about stuff.” I, for one, can’t wait. The fictional Larry David character was fatwa’ed as he put it, offended the disabled and many a minority with his brand of shtick, and even offered, in one episode. to have a Klansman’s robe cleaned when coffee was spilt as a result of their “run in”.
Offensive? Sure. Hysterical. Without exaggeration, yes.
Because to me, if we stop the Larry Davids of the world, we have nothing to look forward to creatively. According to some, we should not be looking back for how “egregious” and “offensive” so much of film and television was. Really? I don’t agree. What would have been memorable if held to today’s standards?
If we used today’s metrics, we wouldn’t have anything worth watching. There would be no “I Love Lucy” for the portrayal of her Cuban spouse, Desi, his way of speaking English and Babaloo. Nothing the genius Norman Lear produced would have seen the light of day from Archie Bunker to George Jefferson and everyone in between. No Arrested Development, No Golden Girls for their jokes involving Jews. Mindy Kaling couldn’t have a show for how she wrote humorously about Hindus and Indians and don’t get me started on The Office. The Farrelly Brothers wouldn't have been allowed to have disabled characters in their comedies. Nobody would have signed off on Charlton Heston as Moses, for Yahweh’s sake! The Rolling Stones would not have sung Brown Sugar and David Bowie and his China Girl might have been deported.
I’m not saying the aforementioned were all gems. I’m simply saying none of them influenced my perception of myself or the world around me. Because I knew it was made up and, if I didn’t like it as I have never nor will ever read anything from Salman Rushdie, that’s my right and his write. I appreciate the fact that it’s out there for freedom’s sake, for artists’ expression, and for my informed decision not to think it’s worth the pages it was written on…Write on, Salman, and right the wrong, Olympics, in the future…