First Musings on Satire

            Over the last several months there’s been much commotion over the idea of parody or satire and their connection to western views on the freedom of speech.  I could easily discuss the events surrounding the satirical Charlie Hebdo, Hollywood’s The Interview, and John Oliver’s take on Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, for example.  I don’t normally have a problem with people saying what they believe.  After all, I was raised in America and I am very much a believer in the principles that underlie the Bill of Rights and our Constitution while also acknowledging their imperfections.  I accept the belief that we have an inalienable right to say what we want, to assemble, and to protest.  What I’m having trouble with, however, is understanding the role of satire in a society where I am encountering increasingly more ignorant people who can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what’s false because they simply aren’t familiar with the world around them.

            Among politically, historically or culturally aware audiences, I believe that satire can work quite well.  These readers or viewers can grasp the nuances of the humor involved or see the obvious contradictions in the fabricated stories being passed off as real in sources such as The Onion.  But, in the digital age of the 21^st century and at a time when people read fewer books and articles and more news blurbs and unfettered internet postings I am starting to see the dangers of putting satire out in the world for everyone to read.  I’ve had people tell me about how Pope Benedict has come out of the closet.  I’ve read articles that claim that Busch Gardens has built a 9,600-mile long roller coaster.  I’ve had colleagues tell me that California was purchased by Japan.  And, I’ve had friends talk about how Kanye West interrupted the Grammys yet again (oh wait, that one’s real?).  These all have the potential to be funny.  But, for whom?

            The problem with satire or parody is two-fold as far as I see it.  First, I try to live by the maxim “if you have nothing good to say, then don’t say anything.”  I really don’t see how poking fun at someone’s religious beliefs or trying to trivialize their “sacred cows” does anyone any good.  I am not talking about the things people do.  What I refer to is the dogma and belief systems on which people depend to live out their lives as best they can as good people.  It would never cross my mind to make fun of someone’s genuine idea of salvation even if I think it odd.  I wouldn’t urinate on a cross in front of a Christian.  Nor, would I kill a cow in the presence of a Hindu.  Maybe, it’s me, but I think they deserve that respect.  It’s my acknowledgment of their spiritual essence as people, as human beings, as beings with souls.  The academic in me, however, is willing to inquire about those beliefs and is willing to understand them.  After all, I probably believe in a few things that are very odd to others. 

            Second, I actually like some of the articles in Charlie Hebdo or The Onion, but I tend to know and understand what is real and what isn’t.  I don’t necessarily respect Bill Maher’s sense of humor, though I believe he has a right to say what he wants.  And therein lies my predicament.  When a satirist, however, rights a story that is supposed to read as parody, how many people can honestly see it as just satire? People aren’t as news savvy as we think.  People are gullible and they seem to want to believe anything that’s told to them, especially if it’s negative.  This is where the danger lies.  It creates false beliefs and often gives people hope where there is none.  In the case of religion, it causes people to be unsure about their own beliefs or practices.  In the case of politics, it can intensify prejudices or incite riots.  These are just some problems I can think of off the cuff, but all equally detestable I think.

            So, how do we balance the right to free speech with the right to dignity and respect?   In short, how do we prevent the bullying of people’s ideas and beliefs in a world where we are taught to treat others with respect?  I don’t know.  I honestly don’t.  Is it a matter of simple behavioral changes?  Does it require cultural sensitivity training?  Is it as easy as following our instincts to do right, to quote C.S. Lewis once again?  I acknowledge the right that you have to say what you want about me, but I also acknowledge that I can’t take it personally (especially if I’m in the public arena) in the way that President Correa reacted to Oliver’s comments. At what point should my right to say what I believe interfere with your right to live your life peacefully and non-judgmentally?  People are going to say what they’re going to say., but how I react to it is a different story and, I believe, has been a basic issue in all human communities across time.

Casting Out Emotional Vampires

“Time to Do Me: Dealing with the Emotional Vampires in Your Life”

            Over the last few years I’ve noticed many people being dragged down by their friends.  Actually, it’s something I’ve always seen, but it’s only recently that I’ve become more conscious of how active I am in doing something about that in my own life.  “I’m allergic to drama!”  How often do you hear people say that?  Yet, when you observe them closely you realize that they’re often surrounded by drama and by the people they say they want to avoid so badly.  In fact, they seem to attract drama wherever they go.  They surround themselves with friends who are emotionally and mentally draining.  So draining, in fact, that a term now exists that describes them perfectly: emotional vampires. 

            Very often I’m asked, “How do I get rid of these emotional vampires?” That’s both a simple and a difficult question to answer.  Especially if the emotional vampires in your life, the people who most negatively consume your time and energy, are family members and people you love.  The reality though, is you have to detach.  Somehow, you have to assume responsibility for your own life and for the happiness (or lack thereof) that will define it.  This is not so easy, but it does require a significant decision to take care of yourself first so that you can, in the long run, be everything you need to be for others and take care of others as you’d like.  Allow me to suggest some steps.

            First, you must realize that you are the most important person in your life.  I know this sounds selfish and irresponsible.  But, the truth of the matter is that you won’t be able to take care of those you love unless you have taken care of yourself first.  What good is giving up your health or your job or your schooling because mom needs what little income you can bring into the home, if you will both be in the same spot in the future because you’ve put everything aside for her?  If she is really concerned for your future, then she will know that you need to carry on and “do you” for you to be where you both need you to be.  I know there are setbacks and obstacles that might get in the way, but the goal here is to understand that you are “Priority Number 1” and that no one else is responsible for your life.  This same attitude – and it’s this attitude that is important -- has to be applied to many aspects of your life.  Otherwise, you will get sidetracked and not meet your goals.   This does not mean you don’t lend a helping hand.  It means you find a balance between what’s going to get you from point A to point B and the needs (or wants) of others.

            Second, you figure out what your limitations are.  We all like to consider ourselves good at things, but how often have you sat down and honestly reflected on your limitations, those things that you simply can’t do? Do you try to be all things to all people?  Do you have a savior complex?  Do you have a need to save others?  Let’s face it; we’ve all met people like that.  Some of us might even have dated someone who thought his or her job was to save us.  But, you can’t save people who don’t want to be saved and it’s not your job to save them.  It’s impossible to be good at everything. Once you realize that you are limited, just like everyone else in the world, then will you realize that people must learn to be responsible for their own lives and be dependent on no one else but themselves.  This is an incredibly liberating feeling and frees you of much of the mental burden that comes with responsibility to others.  In other words, you have to simply let go.

            Third, imitate the people you’d like to become.  Have you ever noticed how the people you most respect can deal with all sorts of issues and yet still take care of themselves?  They seem to have a purpose and a vision for their lives.  In fact, they seem to have everything under control.  Take a look at what they do and whom they allow into their lives.  You will see that these people you respect do things thoughtfully and with intent.  They purposely seek out opportunities that will make them better and they never stop seeking these opportunities.  They ask questions such as, “How will this improve my life?”  They don’t simply take risks.  They take calculated risks and do so knowing fully that they are the only ones responsible for whatever consequences come of these risks.  But, you will also notice that these people you admire act, dress, speak, think in a particular way.  In fact, it’s what you admire the most about them.  Do not be afraid to imitate them.  At first, you will feel like you’re simply acting and copying.  Eventually, however, you will assimilate their habits into your own life and add your own flavor.  Be who you want to become.

            Fourth, start thinking about your mission in the world.  I’ve always been taught I was placed on this Earth for a reason.  I believe that about everyone.  Face it.  The reason you’re even reading this article is because you are seeking something greater than yourself right now.  Start thinking about the legacy you will leave behind when you’re time is done.  Have you made an impact on others?  Will you have left the world a better place because you were in it?  If you do this, you will automatically place those emotional vampires we introduced earlier into the background.  They will no longer have the roles they had in your life and you will realize that you’ve expelled them from you life, if not actually, then at least metaphorically. 

            In the long run, only one person is responsible for your life:  You.  You will be on this planet for a limited amount of time and what you do with your life is an essential question.  You can either choose to surround yourself with the negativity of others (emotional vampirism) and not live fully, or you can choose to live your life knowing (and enjoying) that everything you have is a result of your intentions and your actions.  In other words, live fully a life worth living and do it with the knowledge that you can now lead others to be better people themselves.  Try to become the person that others want to be.

From Ashes to Ashes

From Ashes to Ashes… a reposting

Over the last few months, I’ve noticed an interesting rise in the number of religious questions that I get from my students.  And…if they don’t have questions, the curiosity which befalls them when we necessarily discuss Church history in the European context has also been on the rise.  Perhaps it has much to do with the new direction that the current head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, seems to be taking, but somehow I doubt it’s only that.  And then today, Ash Wednesday 2014, I’d received two questions about the day and its purpose before noon and, mind you, I’m on Spring Break!
For those of you who are not Catholic, it might help you to understand that the reception of ashes on one’s forehead serves a number of purposes, none of which I will pretend to place in order of importance.  First, the ashes are a simple reminder that eventually we all turn back into ash through the inescapable reality of death.  In other words, our actions, our memories, our thoughts, and our bodies all leave this Earth for good (assuming that you don’t believe  - as I do - that we are part of a greater universal energy that does not simply cease to exist with our last breaths). Physically speaking, we return to a never ending cycle of nature in which we become the ashes upon which other life is built.  This is perhaps the hardest reality to face, especially if you’re brought up Hispanic and have been taught to never discuss or, God forbid, prepare for death ahead of your time.
Second, I believe that the ashes on the forehead call the receiver to declare his faith outwardly, the very essence of religious symbolism.  In other words, do not be ashamed of that in which you believe.  Be a conscious member of the community to which you proclaim to belong. Know what your community teaches and be cognizant of the tenets of your religious or secular community.  Now, it might be a bit ironic to hear this from me since it’s been years since I’ve had ashes placed on my forehead, but I cannot not acknowledge the importance of the act for those who believe in the Christian faith.  The ashes are a reminder that we, as human beings, are called to something greater than ourselves.  We are, in the end, called to be better than we are today and, hopefully, less than what we will be tomorrow…and somehow or another this always leads me back to the question of legacy (which I will get to at some later point).

Finally, and most certainly not in the slightest sense least, the ashes serve a greater function than that of reminder or of identification.  They call us to our real mission(s) on this Earth, i.e., to leave it a tad bit better off than when we found it.  And this is what led me to want to write this blog post today.  I received a group text from a friend this morning who laid out a simple question: "So, what are you giving up for Lent?"  I’m not sure if anyone else in the group responded, or maybe they did and I was not included, but as far as I know no one else sent a text.  I, however, as has often been the case when I find a question that causes me to think about the greater things in life, felt compelled to respond with something I’ve always believed: "Why must Lent be about giving something up?"
Back in the seminary, a very long time ago, I remember the Lenten emphasis being on acts of commission, not omission.  I remember being encouraged to do something, not to give up something.  We were encouraged to go the extra mile in helping others; to put in an extra hour of prayer; to contribute more to the society around us as in a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen, for example.  And, this always made perfect sense to me.  The way I see it, Lent — whether one is Christian or not — is a perfect time in which to let our humanity show and to let the ideas of all the great teachers (Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, Mohammed, etc) show themselves to be the products of exactly what, as C. S. Lewis writes,  these men were: Great Teachers.  Lent does not have to be simply about sacrificing something for 40 days.  It is much more than that. It is about the basic ideas that these great men of history have taught as human beings.

And this brings me to my main point: the idea of sacrifice.  O.K., so in college I once tried to give up sarcasm for Lent.  Needless to say, I lasted perhaps a day and lost it while in Sr. Jean Flanelly’s Psychology class when I said something sarcastic out loud.  But, that’s not what Lent is about.  What good is giving up sarcasm, soda (Pepsi and the like), or candy when doing so actually is to our social, physical or medical benefit?  What good is giving up bread when, in reality, it’s something we should all be doing?  How do these things (bread, soda, candy, alcohol, etc) benefit society when we give them up?  In my view, they don’t, and therefore aren’t really sacrifices.  Now, time is another matter.  And in today’s Catholic Church (and others, by the way), the greatest gift one can give his or her community is the gift of time and talent.  And here comes my challenge.
Rather than try to figure out what you’re going to give up, try to think of ways by which you can make this world a better place.  Going to the gym for 40 days straight will only help you!  Giving up alcohol will only clean you out.  But, try to commit this period of Lenten sacrifice to one of time.  Help out a neighbor who could use some help with groceries.  Serve lunch at the local soup kitchen.  Take some sandwiches to the firehouse.  I don’t know:  there are so many possibilities.  But, whatever you choose, I think your Jesus, your Mohammed, or your Buddha would be a very happy soul knowing that somewhere in some place there is a person willing to make a difference and to change someone’s world for the better.  Don’t let them down.