A few days ago I had a discussion with a Xangan who had expressed a fear that she might one day be imprisoned just because of her faith. I interpreted this to mean that the heathens would round up the Christians and shuttle them off to jail. That seemed far-fetched, since Christians hold all the power in this country, and so I scoffed. In a series of back-and-forth comments, she made it clear that those people in power are the Not Real Christians, while she is a True Christ Follower. The Not Real Christians might incarcerate the True Christ Followers because, um, ok I didn’t really get that part.
I still sound kind of scoffing, I know, but mostly I’m confused. What do the Not Real Christians have to gain by persecuting the True Christ Followers? And even assuming they have a really good reason, how can they tell a TCF from an NRC? Frankly, they all look alike to me. Do TCFs wear identifying clothing, like Mormons do? Do NRCs have secret handshakes that mark them as the ones with the power to persecute? Someone explain this to me.
Switching topics to another aspect of pop culture. People have been telling me for months about an awesome TV show called “Glee.” I’m not sure how long it’s been on, but I recently rented the first season from Netflix. Tigger and I have watched three episodes, and I have to tell you, Glee fans, I’m not sure what to make of it. The characters are uni-dimensional and painfully stereotyped. The story lines are as far-fetched as the TCF round-up. It seems to be trying for the smart, sarcastic humor of Scrubs, but phwoosh, misses wide. Does it get better?
Finally, I must apologize to those of you who have been waiting for me to make good on my promise to continue schooling y’all in feminist theory (which, it turns out, has little to do with holding doors or bringing flowers). I’ll get back to it. Just don’t want to bore you to tears. Actually, I’m thinking about blogging the rad fem elsewhere. Xanga doesn’t seem quite the right place for it. Suggestions?
Transvestite Rabbit 
“Glee” is an aquired taste, I believe. Most of my friends, myself included, are former show choir members or karaoke junkies. If you don’t fall into that niche, it’s not going to make much sense or ring in your head and heart. Yes, the story lines start out cheesy, but it gets better, I promise. If nothing else, enjoy the music. I know many people who identify as TCF’s who believe they will be persecuted by the NRFs. But organized Christianity, for the most part nowadays, is about persecution (despite how much they persecute others) from the outside. What I find most interesting is the people who practice Christianity every day as a personal faith, who do not suffer from such concern. They believe what they believe, and if they are somehow singled out and imprisoned later, it’s not going to change the how and why of their very personal beliefs.
I always scoff at the idea that the self-proclaimed TCFs or even the NRC’s are going to be persecuted, when it’s the non-believers who have to keep our mouths shut and listen to Christian babble coming from every corner. How many open atheists do you know in real life? I know quite a few, but I live in a bubble where I also know witches, etc. Outside of the bubble, many of these people would be in the closet. I thought Glee was amusing for about 3 episodes. Then it just got a little weird and boring. The kids/singers are great, and Jane Lynch is the BOMB (haha – I never say that in real life, I promise)… but the other teachers and the various high-pitched bimbo women who like the glee teacher (??), I don’t get it. Yes, I’m still waiting for the “Men are at Fault” portion of the rad fem story…
A: “Forget them, for they know not what they’re trying to do”B: No TV here, which maketh Johnny a dull boy, but only in certain social circlesand C: Sitting on ‘spielkes’ (needles’) here awaiting current policy. Meantime I open doors, but only half-way, and raise flowers in anticipation of need.
I watched the first few episodes of Glee and thought it was mildly entertaining, but not something I felt compelled to get addicted to. I didn’t even know about the death battle between TCFs and NRCs. What with the TCFs fears and the people of Arizona’s insanity I think that the people who are truly in danger in this country are the dwindling minority who are capable of rational thought. If you decide to start posting somewhere else, please leave a forwarding address!
I would like that radical feminism stuff. I have seen some of the NRC in action as they tore down a minister. Did you have an article about friends published recently?
Oh please, please, please post the radical feminism here. I would love to read it.
I’m afraid you have oversimplified the TCF/NRC issue. You have broken down Christianity into two camps when in fact there are at least 8,568,294 (as of yesterday). What makes this even more confusing is that all camps think they are TCF’s and therefore everyone else is a NRC. In a single local congregation there could be 20 different camps or more. Each camp has a single key belief that they feel sets them apart from the other groups and qualifies only them to be TCF’s, such as: what color the sanctuary carpet should be, who brings the best covered dish to the church social, or how much the pastor should be paid. As a rule, the more a camp believes they are TCF’s the more they are actually ASS’s.Down here in the south you could think of the TCF’s and NRC’s as Sunnis and Shiites, only more heavily armed.All of this nonsense is part of the reason I got out of the ministry full time and started going to a church where I can go hang with my pastor at a local bar. I don’t know if he and I are TCF’s but we definitely follow Shawna the day shift bartender. Especially on “Tank Top Tuesdays.”
@ColdSkivvies – Mark, you made me laugh out loud at Starbucks. Embarrassing!
At first I mostly liked Glee just for the fact that it is nice to see a little bit of musical theatre on television. Over the first season, though, many of the characters have been developed more fully and there are some strong moments. Sure, it is a prime time show on a major network, so we can’t expect miracles. Still, the ongoing development between Kirk (the gay character, who at first I found pretty offensively stereotypical) and his father, has caught me offguard and I have a hard time believing this is a show on – gasp! – Fox.