Monday, February 10, 2014

2014 Grammys Reflect a Not-So-Subtle Cultural Shift

Beyoncé's Erotic
Performance
Only if you never watch TV or read newspapers would you not know that the cultural highlight of the Grammys two weeks ago was a mass marriage ceremony (conducted by Queen Latifah) that included 33 straight and gay and transgendered couples. During the ceremony, the song “Same Love,” aka, the gay marriage anthem, was sung by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. This Grammy moment was a not-so-subtle reminder of the cultural shift that has taken place in the last decade. 

Most Americans opposed gay marriage just ten years ago (both Presidents Clinton and Obama did), but now it is not only acceptable; it is celebratable. And, anyone who espouses, pun intended, a conservative biblical standard of marriage is said to be (phrases from the song “Same Love”) “playing God,” and “paraphrasing a book written thirty-five hundred years ago.”
                               
Yet, the Grammys didn’t just reflect a shift in views about marriage. The level of sensuality throughout the evening seemed to reach a new high—or should I say ‘low.’ Do the Grammys reflect the values of mainstream America? Probably not. But they do impact them. One wonders what cultural shifts lie ahead in 2014.

2 comments:

  1. Good morning Greg,
    I fear that the salt (both the flavor and the preservative functions) has lost its influence in this world.
    Today, entertaining artists (like yesteryear) feel that in order to entertain, they need to push the envelope as well as shock. Without that shock value, actions do not get publicity.
    I have heard people in the business say that "Chariots of Fire" (winner of an Oscar for the music) could not get made today. That is sad, because there are stories that need to be told, but because they do not fit within the entertainment worldview, they will remain only known by those closest to them.
    There are some "R" movies just a couple of decades ago that would now be a PG-13. In a macro summary interpretation, this is the movie world reflecting to us that our world has changed such that decisions that 17 year-old young adults were making (sometimes with parents' consent) are now made by 13 year-old kids today.
    I am uneasy.
    Godspeed!
    Larry Q

    ReplyDelete
  2. A new movie about Noah is coming out soon, as well as a movie about Jesus. I am watching closely to see how these movies present God's character, and of course, the character of Jesus. God is so holy in Noah's life and of course Jesus was so Holy. Can that quality be captured in these films. I doubt it. Reducing these stories to 90 minutes may do more harm than good.

    ReplyDelete