I saw that stripper movie. You know, the one with every attractive male actor under the age of fifty? It's okay, you can judge me because I judged me a little bit too. But the trailer was just too much to pass up. To be honest, I was expecting to see a movie about Channing Tatum's abs. I figured it would be about as quality as "Rock of Ages" and "Burlesque" combined (it's already slotted to appear on Broadway, which is maybe the most ridiculous thing I've heard since Beyonce named her baby a color). It was not. Turns out it was the kind of movie that makes you face a gruesome slice of real life and think on it. So here's what I'm thinking.
People in general are incredibly good at distorting that which was once awesome. I would be cliche and say, Bible in hand, "The youth of today are corrupted and slutty and should be punished." But let's be real, 1) it's not just the youth and 2) it's not just today. I am pretty certain this distortion of awesomeness has been going on since, oh, practically the beginning of time. Since the moment A and E chomped on that apple/orange/cumquat/whatever.
As I sat through two hours of Matthew/Matt/Alex/Channing/etc. shaking dat thang, all I could think about (besides the general awkwardness of a giant rear up in my face) was how we have taken the awesome thing that is, well, ourselves, and distorted our mindset to the point that it is totally acceptable to use each other for nothing but erotic entertainment. Girls do it to dudes, Boys do it to ladies. All day, err'day people use each other. Not cool. Super not cool when I remember that we were all created for a specific purpose, which is to bring glory to God. How exactly is a night out with the girls to watch some guy take his pants of glorifying to anybody? It's so not. It broke my heart to see a nineteen-year-old kid (even though he's not really nineteen because Alex Pettyfer's IMDB profile says he's 21) fall for the lie that a life worth living is a life full of fun, while at the same time totally lacking in worth. And when C. Tatum (as magical Michael) cried in his truck.
Let it be said that this is not a religious rampage against the strip club industry. Not even. This is one girl's observation of a sad fact: that people are okay with treating each other like toys, because they, we, have forgotten who we are and what we were created to be. We have been crafted in the image of the Creator, y'all. We are worth more, way more, than we give each other credit for.
C.S. Lewis wrote, "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations-- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-- immortal horrors or everlasting splendors... Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses." (The Weight of Glory)
So for heaven's sake, be good to each other.
PS: Ten points to Gryffindor if anyone (like my roommate) understood the obscure "She's the Man" reference in the title.
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