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So, here is the mini-sermon I am printing in the newsletter this month:
HOW DO OTHERS SEE YOU?
As adults we put effort into personal appearance, tailoring our clothing and grooming to meet the occasion. We wouldn’t normally wear formal evening clothes to work or torn blue jeans to the opera. We are aware of how we look to others and take care to exude the persona we wish others to perceive.
For the most part we do the same with our behavior. As children mature we teach them appropriate behavior for specific occasions. Through trial and error they learn to be quiet in church or at a movie, that it’s okay to be boisterous on the playground but not in the classroom, and that some foods require the use of utensils other than those provided by God. They learn to address others in a polite and courteous manner and to show respect in their words and actions.
But do we pay that much attention to our communication when we are not face-to-face? The age of technology in which we live allows us to communicate with more people at a faster rate than ever before in history. Instead of penning letters to loved ones, we can type out a missive and send it to the masses. We can also pass along jokes, photographs, and links to web pages.
As Christians it is important for us to remember that not only are we judged by what we do and say, but that the Church is judged, as well. When we forward material sent by others, do we stop to think how it reflects on us or on that which we represent? It is so easy to read the superficial words and laugh, but sometimes we need to consider the deeper consequences of what we are seeing before he hit the forward button.
We should consider whether the joke we are passing on is something that could be hurtful to others. Is the superficial laugh wrapped around a concept that is harmful to someone? Is the underlying message one of racial prejudice? Is it promoting abusive behavior? Is it undermining the unity of our nation? And is the message something that we really want others to associate with us? Maybe we should consider hitting the delete button when forwarded dubious messages and instead sending a heart-felt and hand-written (or at least self-typed) letter to keep in touch with those we love.
Wouldn’t we prefer that the message we send be one that proclaims us to be courteous, respectful, and interested in the welfare of others? How better to proclaim to the world that we are of Christ and striving to be Christ-like?
4 comments:
you hit the nail squarely on the head with this. my mom and i got into it a bit over this a few weeks ago cause she sent me a list of jokes she had been sent by a friend of hers that included some rather racial jokes among some pretty funny clean jokes. as foul mouthed and improper as i can be, there are things that i don't tolerate. things that i was taught not to tolerate by ~her~, and to have her pass those jokes on to me, and several others as well, just rubbed me as hypocritical and quite simply wrong. it dissapointed me that she would do something so thoughtless. in the end we agreed that if it wasn't something she/we would say outloud and in person then she/we wouldn't say it in an e-mail either.
I believe if a joke is only "funny" if you tell it to some friends, but not funny for others, then it is best not to tell it at all. The question in my mind is whether this will affect the large number of inappropriate e-mails I have received at the parish office lately. And am I going to suddenly be less acceptable by some parishioners? If so, so be it.
These are coming from people who in all my other interactions with them come across as good individuals who sincerely follow the teachings of the church. I want to believe they are ignorant of the underlying hate.
I just finished polishing my rose-colored glasses.
AMEN!
On the other side, not contradicting what you're saying, but another point of view I heard expressed by a well-known comedian, I don't remember which one, in a panel discussing "what makes a joke funny" commented that a joke is "always at someone's expense." I listened differently after that, and I found he was right. But, I definitely agree that there are limits when it comes to a race, a religion, an all inclusive tag which says they're wrong, and we're right. Most of our laughing should be done at ourselves.
I think your key word is "ignorance."
Amen, sister. But you still may be too subtle. I trust you know your congregation better than I.
One of my favorite writers observes in one of his novels that all humor is rooted in pain. I think Lit's comedian touches on this, but it really goes even further. In a written joke it is absolutely true. The most inoffensive of written jokes will still hinge on someone's embarrassment. Physical comedy is all about pain. Often times, the more acute the pain is, the better the laugh that results. This, I believe, is why laughter is cathartic, it releases us from pain, even vicarious pain.
That said, this is why the sort of jokes you're talking about aren't really funny--they don't release the pain, they perpetuate it. A joke that causes pain isn't really a joke; it's a weapon.
That's my two cents.
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