Religion is dead
Of course, I'm being facetious. Anyone who lives in Houston can tell you that religion is alive and well and currently resides in mammoth churches roughly the size of a professional sports stadium. You think I'm joking, don't you? The expression "everything is bigger in Texas" isn't just an empty boast. If you don't believe me, come down and check it out yourself. On second thought, don't. Houston really isn't worth the trip.
The reason I brought this up, suprisingly, is because of something I saw on everyone's favorite gameshow "The Family Feud". (Maybe it's everyone's second favorite game show...hard to beat Bob Barker and his Barker's Beauties.) Working the evening shift I have the luxury of watching an immense amount of bad TV while taking care of many things at home during the day. It's a guilty pleasure, but when there's work to be done at home I have no issues with keeping the TV on in the background. But I digress. As the two lovely ladies walk up to the podium with the big red buzzers and platform for the idle, yet waiting, hand, our pleasant and witty in that daytime TV kind of way host announces with a smile that the top nine answers are on the board for the following category: Name something you'd find on the front of a Christmas card.
Now, any idiot can probably come up with all nine answers, which is to say that neither of these families was able to do so. They definitely aim for a target audience with these shows and the contestants really aren't allowed to be too smart. As the round goes on they ramble off those things you'd imagine would be on the front of a Christmas card: Santa Claus, a christmas tree, presents...Jesus? Yes, of course, Jesus. It's only fair since he's the guy that put the Christ in Christmas. Remember, this was a survey of 100 ordinary people. Take a guess where Jesus fell on the list. That's right, number 8, which amounted to something like 9 people out of 100. Sad to say, when thoughts of Christmas float around the heads of this representative (I hope not) sample of the American population, only 9% actually associated Christmas with the man (god?) for which the holiday is intended.
Of course, I am by no means a religious man and don't claim to be a good Christian (or any type of Christian at all...us Jews are funny that way) but even I associate Christmas with Jesus. Maybe it's because I'm not Christian and I haven't been brainwashed by our American commercial culture to believe that the holiday is all about buying and, well, more buying. That's not to say, of course, that there's no one left who believes in the sanctity of the holiday but, like most aspects of American life, we tend to forget the origin of thinks and look forward to the sales at Target.
Somehow my belittling the people on the Family Feud turned into an attack on American Christians. Didn't see that coming...sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone, unless you were on Family Feud.
Today there was a category asking what store married women wished their husbands owned. Two contestants said Target and Walmart. Ugh. People have no taste anymore...
Still can't upload photos.
The reason I brought this up, suprisingly, is because of something I saw on everyone's favorite gameshow "The Family Feud". (Maybe it's everyone's second favorite game show...hard to beat Bob Barker and his Barker's Beauties.) Working the evening shift I have the luxury of watching an immense amount of bad TV while taking care of many things at home during the day. It's a guilty pleasure, but when there's work to be done at home I have no issues with keeping the TV on in the background. But I digress. As the two lovely ladies walk up to the podium with the big red buzzers and platform for the idle, yet waiting, hand, our pleasant and witty in that daytime TV kind of way host announces with a smile that the top nine answers are on the board for the following category: Name something you'd find on the front of a Christmas card.
Now, any idiot can probably come up with all nine answers, which is to say that neither of these families was able to do so. They definitely aim for a target audience with these shows and the contestants really aren't allowed to be too smart. As the round goes on they ramble off those things you'd imagine would be on the front of a Christmas card: Santa Claus, a christmas tree, presents...Jesus? Yes, of course, Jesus. It's only fair since he's the guy that put the Christ in Christmas. Remember, this was a survey of 100 ordinary people. Take a guess where Jesus fell on the list. That's right, number 8, which amounted to something like 9 people out of 100. Sad to say, when thoughts of Christmas float around the heads of this representative (I hope not) sample of the American population, only 9% actually associated Christmas with the man (god?) for which the holiday is intended.
Of course, I am by no means a religious man and don't claim to be a good Christian (or any type of Christian at all...us Jews are funny that way) but even I associate Christmas with Jesus. Maybe it's because I'm not Christian and I haven't been brainwashed by our American commercial culture to believe that the holiday is all about buying and, well, more buying. That's not to say, of course, that there's no one left who believes in the sanctity of the holiday but, like most aspects of American life, we tend to forget the origin of thinks and look forward to the sales at Target.
Somehow my belittling the people on the Family Feud turned into an attack on American Christians. Didn't see that coming...sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone, unless you were on Family Feud.
Today there was a category asking what store married women wished their husbands owned. Two contestants said Target and Walmart. Ugh. People have no taste anymore...
Still can't upload photos.
posted by The Rube at Thursday, June 08, 2006
6 Comments:
When I lived in Japan my family and I hopped on a cab to go to church on Christmas. The cabbie (and this is in the dead-center of Tokyo, mind you) asks us why we're going to church, because we'll miss all the sales and shopping. Ends up the dude had NO idea Christmas was a religious holiday. He thought it was a day designated specifically for shopping. They should put that dude on the Feud.
Great post! I'm continually shocked by the growing stupidity in our nation. Just yesterday I saw Kofi Annan on TV and thought it was Nelson Mandela. I'm an idiot--but not so much of an idiot not to know who Jesus is (of course, I am a Christian, so it would be very, very bad if I didn't know that). However, I also know who the president is, who the vice president is and so on and so forth. I can even identify ALL 50 STATES! So, take that teenagers of America!
• Thanks, Dave. I have made two trips to Houston, now I know how you feel about it. ;-) About the stupidity of the general public, there is a clip on onegoodmove.org about a local fox news story that about this guy who invent a machine that runs on water. The reporter bought it line, hook, and sinker. At work I am amazed at the number of people that have no science, math or technical skills, which might be import in a refinery; thank god they are going to retire soon.
Santa, eh. Jesus, eh. Thanks to Katie's dad's grilling skills, I tend to associate Christmas with a really moist beef tenderloin. It helps me to avoid the commercialism of the holiday :-)
We asked a group of 100 Americans which Family Feud host, past and present, is the ickiest to kiss? Richard Dawson, Ray Combs, or Richard Karns?
Survey says: Yeti-like, furry Richard Karns. Bleah. Although Richard Dawson came in second for flagrant tongue overuse on an unsuspecting guest.
You forgot Louis Anderson. I imagine he beats out Richard Karns any day of the week...
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