Jennifer: I guess this discussion arose from
your own mention of an interest in zombies. This got me thinking. In all
honesty, up until February 2015, I really never gave them a serious thought.
I’ll tell you a little about how my own preoccupation began, and then I’d like
to hear from you.
First, I’m very much into the world of writing and the Arts,
and what it means for Christians to be both writers/artists and patrons of the
Arts. Second, I think TV is undergoing a kind of renaissance, in which the
quality has blossomed. There’s something big writer snobs like me talk a lot
about: “Literary TV.” This TV Renaissance,
so to speak, has totally sucked me in—and I’m no longer dissing TV. Though a
lot of it is sooooo very dumb. Third, trends in pop culture fascinate me. What
leads to these trends? What do they say about culture? About Christianity?
Fourth, I said I’m a snob. I am. I probably shouldn’t say that. Especially in a
churchy forum. But, well, my husband and I—having neared the very end of the
Great American Novel of Television, “Mad Men”—decided to turn on “The Walking
Dead.” Sick fascination? Lurid interest? Zombies are—let’s face it—in. A total cultural phenomenon. So we tried it out.
Sean, let me tell you this: I freakin’ love that show!
Originally, I thought it was dumb (I don’t anymore) and,
line-by-line, the writing was weak. Now, I’d suggest that—despite plot holes
and unanswered questions—the story is pretty strong. But what’s the deal? Sean,
what is your own interest? And should Christians pay attention to this cultural
phenomenon?
Sean: Whenever I start thinking about the zombie
genre, I end up thinking about a movie that doesn't have a single one: Carriers, the 2009 film starring Chris
Pine (the new Capt. Kirk). Quick plot overview: Two brothers and their
girlfriends travel across a plague-devastated America in hopes of reaching a
childhood vacation spot. The group has adopted a set of rules which need to be
strictly followed if they want to stave off infection (ex: Don't try to help the sick because they're already dead). The
course of the trip tests how dedicated the foursome truly is to those rules and
how they react when they're on the wrong side of them.
“Rotten Tomatoes”
clearly disagrees with me on this, but I think it's a great movie. And relevant
to our discussion. It's one that reflects most of the elements that are so
attractive in the zombie genre . First on that list, Independence: and not necessarily the good kind. Zombies are the
quintessential American monster. I mean, it's a hoard of people that sweep
clean the existing government and society, allowing the survivors to set up
their own vision of order. That's American Soul 101. The first scene of Carriers has the kids in a stolen Benz,
driving through a Western landscape, drinking beer and acting like it’s spring
break. It's the picture of freedom from authority, and we love it. It's the
same reason John Wayne was a star, striking out to places where he could make
his own law and play the game however he liked. Looking at “The Walking Dead,”
we see it when Glenn hops in that red sports car and peels out of Atlanta on
the wrong side of the road. Nobody tells us what to do.
Jennifer: First, I just added Carriers
to my Netflix queue. Second, be very careful what you say about “The Walking
Dead.” No spoilers allowed!
Sean: No spoilers, promise. So
theme # 1 is Independence. Theme #2
is the presence of Moral Dilemma. The
zombie genre is able to engage viewers by pushing the moral stakes to the
maximum. It let's us fiddle around with the question of what we would do in
similar circumstances. It's a powerful hook although, more often than not,
zombie movies bungle it. They tend to contrast merely flawed protagonists with ΓΌber-wicked bad guys.
Since we naturally identify with the hero, I think it causes us to belittle our own fallenness. We like to
think of ourselves as Rick Grimes instead of the blatantly evil Governor. Yeah,
we're a little messed up; we make mistakes, but deep down we're pretty okay. We
do terrible stuff sometimes, but it's justified. Carriers never gives us that option. Without revealing too much,
the characters’ attempt to set up their own independence via the rules for
survival proves disastrous. These aren't people who help us affirm the basic
goodness of humanity. In fact, the character we most identify with, the one who
seems the most moral throughout the movie, is the one who commits what is
arguably the worst crime of all. And the film doesn't go on to excuse it. It
just leaves you with the question of how much are you willing to lose in order
to do the right thing.
Jennifer: I can’t wait to see this freakin’ film. (Good point, though, on this
basic goodness issue. Much of the artistic offerings we see do not deal with
the fallen nature of humankind. We are
all Rick Grimes, a pretty good guy.)
Sean: I think you'll
like Carriers. But, finally, the zombie genre is popular simply
because it's violent. Theme #3 is Violence.
I had a professor in college who
occasionally made shows for the History Channel. He bemoaned the fact that the network
required images of sex or violence at least every two minutes in order to keep
the viewers attention. “The Walking Dead” is particularly egregious on this
count. The producers have routinely giggled like sixth graders about how
they're allowed to make the show as bloody as they like. And, ultimately, this
is one of the things that holds the show back. “The Walking Dead” is
consistently able to ride the wave of shock value instead of working on its
many weaknesses.
Jennifer: You know, I’m not totally sure I agree with you on the appeal of
violence, but I would need to think more about it. I don’t think I’m into the
violence and gore. I think I like the other two things you mentioned, though,
and the idea of exploring how the future is constructed by secular society:
that interests me a lot. But I need to think more about it.
Without spoilers,
what would you say are its weaknesses? If you can’t say without revealing plot
stuff, don’t say it.
Sean: I think the main problem is, as you pointed out, the weak
writing. You're somewhere in Season 2, right? By the second half of Season 4,
it's like they realized that dialogue isn't their forte and just decided to
eliminate as much as possible.
Jennifer: I’m
sorry to hear that.
Sean: Pacing is
also a major issue. By their very nature, zombie stories usually turn into
either road trips or sieges. That doesn't give you a ton to work with, and I
suspect that's why we get whole episodes of characters going on supply runs . .
. and not completing them before the credits roll. That wouldn't be a huge
problem if the characters were fleshed out well, but the majority of them have
always seemed two-dimensional. And, again, the extreme violence acts as
camouflage for all this.
Jennifer: I just
want to quickly interrupt you to mention that the road trip element, while not
at all unique to Americans, definitely has a special appeal. So, with this
zombie apocalypse, we’ve got this admixture of elements like the
cowboy/anarchist/renegade, the road trip, and future anxiety. But back to you .
. .
Sean: Carriers is a strong contrast
here. It doesn't get bogged down with voyeuristic violence. The movie draws its
tension from moral choices and relationships, which creates a more lasting
impression than the numbing gore of “The Walking Dead.”
As to whether or not
it's important for Christians to be paying attention to the current monster
zeitgeist, I'd say no. TV and movies can be fun to watch and discuss, but I
don't think they offer much value to the Christian life other than that. I'm of
the opinion that Christians are way too concerned with pop culture trends. It
seems as though this stems either from the belief that the Gospel isn't
interesting enough on its own and needs to be hidden in whatever is popular at
the moment, or from the desire to not be seen as all that different from our
non-Christian neighbors. These positions, if maintained, will inevitably lead
to a watering down of God's Word, a hyper-spiritualization of trivial things,
and the dangerous pride of wanting to be thought well of by the world. So sure,
relax with a movie or a little TV, but I don't think we should consider it more
important than that.
Jennifer: Oh, no, Sean! I hope
you’re up for this. I’m about to totally, unequivocally disagree with you!
Sean: No problem, I like a good back and forth.
Jennifer: Well, first, some kindly affirmation of your thought process! I like
what you’re saying about zombies as the quintessential American monster,
though—and this is probably important—they have Haitian roots, as well as other
important non-American sources.
Perhaps what is even more significant than the monster is the response. The
response to zombies may be the quintessential American response: Zombies turn
us all into cowboys, and cowboys are American.
Sean: I think the Haitian origin of zombies fits nicely into their
categorization as American. They're immigrants! And they change pretty
dramatically once they land here. The Haitian zombie was sort of like an undead
robot controlled by a voodoo wizard. The modern "destroy-the-brain!"
hoard didn't show up until Romero's Night
of the Living Dead. And yes, I do hate myself a little bit for knowing this
much about zombies.
Jennifer: Still, though, why zombies? Doesn’t some other kind of apocalypse
evoke the same response? What is so especially important about the Zombie Apocalypse? Why the masses of
brainless dead people?
Sean: I'm not
sure the zombie apocalypse is really all that different from the wider
dystopian genre. Many of the elements that are common in zombie movies are
found in series like The Hunger Games
or Divergent. I imagine part of the
popularity is due to the violence, but I also think it's just a matter of
fashion. A decade ago vampires were everywhere; now it's zombies. In another
ten years, it'll be Bigfoots or something. Try to turn that one into a
supernatural romance, Hollywood!
Jennifer: I’m a little all over the place here, so bear with me—but one of my
first responses to “The Walking Dead,” when we began watching and I was all
skeptical, was that the brainlessness took something away for me. What? A
challenge? They’re dumb! Why is that the face of the apocalypse?
And this is why I’m
ultimately disagreeing with you. I think pop culture and TV reflects the heart
of the audience, and those interested in zombies are, through their interest,
expressing spiritual preoccupations. I have definitely thought about this in
terms of the preponderance of apocalyptic films (ranging from I am Legend to The Book of Eli, to
barely skim the surface). There are reasons for this preoccupation. They
reflect spiritual anxieties, desires, hopes. Where is meaning found in the apocalypse?
Why is the apocalypse always so lousy, so fearful? The future is inevitably
scary and hopeless. What makes one a hero in the apocalypse?
And, once one has
accepted this preoccupation with the end times, we might turn to a secondary
question. Why zombies, our favorite apocalyptic creation?
So, let me turn it
over to you with this challenge: there’s no such thing as watching TV for the
mere purpose of entertainment. We’re selling ourselves short. We need to take
every thought captive. Even zombies. Especially zombies. TV as mere
entertainment is—dare I say it—distasteful
to me.
Sean: I wouldn't necessarily
disagree with the notion that popular TV and film reflect spiritual
characteristics of the viewers and creators, but a lot of things do that. Your
conversations with your coworkers, the way you spend your money, how you act in
a traffic jam: they all reflect the heart to some degree. So my push-back
question is what makes TV so special?
Or, look at it this
way, do Christians need TV and movies to grow spiritually? Did Christians prior
to the 20th century have a more difficult time increasing in faithfulness?
Clearly not, nor would many of those past Christians point to the pop culture
elements of their own time as being particularly important.
The only thing that
really lays open the heart is God's Word. Scripture describes itself as a sharp
sword able to pierce the intentions of a person. The Spirit works through the
Word to reveal our sinfulness and the redemption of that sinfulness on the Cross.
These are the things that draw us closer to the Lord and subsequently allow us
to love people better. Television and movies can't do that, and so I'm hard
pressed to think of them as having much importance for the Christian life.
Now, I can appreciate
the argument that TV could help us get a bead on cultural issues, which can
potentially be useful in communicating the Gospel to non-Christians. Yet, even
here, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on it. While every time and place has
its own particulars, the humanity of The Aeneid is the same humanity of “The Walking Dead.” That is to say, pop culture
isn't really telling us anything we didn't already know. The longing for
redemption, for example, is always there. It expresses itself in different
ways, but it's not as if Daryl's growth as a character suddenly opens our eyes
to its reality.
Jennifer: Them’s fightin’ words, Sean! I won’t go crazy on you, though—and we
can’t go on and on about this exhaustively, though it’s tempting. I’m stung by
your suggestion that pop culture isn’t really telling us anything we didn't
already know. For me, this raises many, many important questions: Is TV “art”?
Is it a “low-brow” form of art? Is pop culture also “low-brow”? Is Art or TV or
pop culture merely reflective, as opposed to being its own constructive or
creative force? And, finally, is Daryl’s growth as a character opening my eyes
in any way?
Very briefly, I do
want to say this. I really think—and I’ve thought about this way too much—that
TV is an art form, and it’s also undergoing a fairly spectacular renaissance,
as I mentioned earlier, as it moves closer and closer to the novel. Recent years
have revealed something along the lines of literary TV with serialization,
which you find in such shows as “The Walking Dead” or “Mad Men.” Unlike the
classic daytime soap opera, these new shows worry over big, complex themes—the
stuff of Art with a capital A. There’s still a lot of garbage, of
course, and “The Walking Dead” is no Sistine Chapel—but the potential for TV is
there.
And, in saying this,
I would strongly, adamantly, wildly, and ruthlessly argue that Art and pop
culture are not merely reflective. In these things, one may see how reality is
understood, indeed. But, in these things, one may also see reality better and more clearly than one ever has before. Art and pop culture can
offer visions of reality that make sense to us, that help us to comprehend our
world, that enlighten us in unheard of ways. I can look at Darryl and
understand what it means to be a human made in the Image of God—in a way I’ve
never, ever considered before.
I’m going to end
here, just because I have to. Final thoughts?
Sean: First off, let me thank you for the discussion. I had a great time
talking with you about this! Back to the topic at hand...
In regards to what
qualifies as art, I feel completely unequipped to tackle the question. But I'd
love to hear you talk about it with one of the RCC artists! So let me sidestep
that topic and go on to some of the other issues you raise.
My main concern in
this conversation is twofold: one, the static nature of humanity and, two, the
sufficiency of Scripture for godliness. In regards to the nature of humanity,
I'd reject any notion that modern humanity is inherently different from ancient
humanity, and that art is therefore necessary to show us the ever-changing
aspects of mankind (just to clarify, I'm not saying you hold to this idea, but
it seems to me that this is the logical endpoint of the ideas being advocated).
And so it's in this sense that I'm saying that pop culture isn't telling us
anything new. Not that individuals can't learn something from pop culture, but
that, in light of the broad swath of humanity's history, pop culture doesn't
have a new, unique message.
Second, and this is
related to the first point, I believe Scripture provides all we need in order
to grow in Christ. Now, that doesn't mean that God hasn't used His people
throughout the ages to help us understand Scripture, just that there is no
other source of revelation that tells us about increasing in faith. So, with
that in mind, I have to absolutely disagree with you about Darryl showing what
it means to be made in the Image of God in an unheard of way. We see what it
means to be made in the Image of God by looking to the perfect embodiment of
the Image of God: Jesus Himself. If Darryl shows us the Image of God in a new
way, that means Christ is somehow lacking, and, besides being incorrect, leads
to a host of other problems.
Jennifer: Yeah, I
think unheard of way isn’t right.
Sean: Let me use a pop culture example other than “The Walking Dead” to try
to sum up my views. Last week, Christianity
Today posted an article with the eye-rolling title of "The Prophetic
Voice of Leslie Knope," highlighting the main character of the TV show “Parks
and Recreation” and, in particular, her love for friends and community. Now,
putting aside the question of whether or not a message which doesn't involve
God or His Word could ever be described as prophetic, does the message that “Parks
and Rec” sends mean that it's important for Christians to watch it? I'd say no.
While Christians can, and must, affirm the love of friends and community, we do
so because of Scripture's revelation, not because we see it on TV. Indeed, we
see exactly what this love is only because of Scripture. The proper use of “Parks
and Rec” is to treat it as an enjoyable and entertaining reminder of particular
type of love. And that, I think, is the chief purpose of Art (without saying
that “Parks and Rec” does or doesn't qualify for the category), to show us
beauty and glorify the Lord as the source of all beauty. Art is a mirror that's
enriching. Art is not a source of revelation. So, going back to my earlier
statement, go ahead and enjoy TV and movies. Hopefully, the good ones will
remind you of important things. Hopefully, the good ones will be beautiful. But
a Christian isn't spiritually hindered by not watching movies, going to the
museum, or visiting the Sistine Chapel.
Jennifer: Thanks,
Sean. And I love “Parks and Rec.” Though maybe not as much as “The Walking
Dead”! Oh, no! Did I just say that aloud?
If you’re an Artist—or an Artiste—and
you’d like to do one of these ΓΌber-fascinating dialogues (because you know
we don’t fully agree with Sean), let me know.
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