The valedictorian of my high school class chose not to speak during our convocation service. In his place then resided our Assistant Principal, Dr. Vernon Sills. Unfortunately (at least in my humble opinion), Dr. Sills was mostly seen as a joke at our private academy (Madison-Ridgeland Academy). He'd only been with the institution for a few years, and you could tell he really didn't care for any of us or his job. Plus, the man was simply tough to look at due to the fact that God had done him no favors in the looks department, at least at this point in his life (Medicare years). All in all, it was easy to simply cringe whilst encountering him traversing the halls, all the while on the constant lookout for troublemakers.
Within his speech, Dr. Sills emphasized to us Class of 1990 high school graduates to cultivate our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves whilst venturing out into the world. By doing so, he extrapolated regarding the importance of proper nutrition and exercise, relational connections and faith (via Christianity). What he left out though was anything at all related to our sexual prowess, and of course, this made good sense.
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Television was a huge part of everyone's life in the 1980s. There were only a handful of channels via CATV (by today's standards), therefore the limited amount of programming had a monumental girth in terms of its influence on our big hair / mullet culture. For example, millions upon millions of viewers watched evening soaps like Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, and Knots Landing week after week. The characters, portrayed by stunningly beautiful actors / models, infiltrated our everyday narratives, propelled forward by yet another hourlong episode the upcoming Friday night through the fall / spring.
The white people dedication to these TV soaps was akin to our current blind devotion to Facebook and other forms of social media.
EVERYONE LOVED WATCHING THESE TV SHOWS. I simply cannot emphasize that word EVERYONE enough in this regard.
Why was this? The leading men. It was almost always centered on the beauty and sexual prowess of the leading men.
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I'll never forget seeing the scene I posted above. Not only was it pivotal in demonstrating how preposterous these idiotic narratives were (this scene was the retcon of all retroactive continuities at the tail end of one of the later seasons of Dallas), but simultaneously, all of this "intellectual audience abuse" was instantly forgiven once we'd had the opportunity to join Mr. Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) in the shower - of all places. Now, by today's standards, this is a very familiar scene / ploy. Therefore, you really need to reverse time a fair bit here to realize two things. One, was the reach this soap opera had in terms of its broadcast viewership, and two was the scene itself. Go back and watch it again. Pay attention to just how intrusively perceived (startled) then welcomed the camera is directly inside the shower. As if to say, I'm turning everything over to you, viewer, leaving nothing whatsoever to the imagination.
What this moment said so clearly to me as a boy was the following: Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build. Your sexual prowess / value as a male is indicative of your looks, your voice, your build.
And, of course, all of these items I had no control over. At least as I understood it. You may ask, why exactly did this make such a distinct impression?
My parents, like most others, orbited their entire week around forthcoming episodes of Dallas. Everyone talked constantly about this rich white people soap. You can read to your heart's content about the show here. I cannot underestimate its impact culturally during this time. Every character became like a part of our family, but this was especially true of the leading men (& to some degree their character's wives).
As children, we typically adhere to / respect / revere that which our parents gravitate towards / elevate, and as such, if Maw & Paw are BOTH hyped up for the same thing, there's a darn good chance it's going to make a decided impression on the offspring. This occurs by demonstrating to the little sinners to pay attention, look sharp, digest, believe because we're all on board here.
It comes down to relaying / demonstrating trust in something / someone to your children and the powerful influence this can have on your child's gullible mind.
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Now let's fast forward 21 years. For many younger men, the film 300 represented their first exposure to what I'm describing above but at a much more explicit and stylized level. And one could argue, because this was film, that it had just as much impact via its cinema presentation as all the hours upon hours that Dallas had whilst being screened on my 'rent's 19" RCA CRT TV.
I've heard younger Samson guys discuss how their first screening of 300 at the theater similarly served to radically imprint within their psyches the exact same hyper-warped magnitude of cultural relevancy, though graphically demonstrated within a R-rated film.
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But what's really going on here?
There are some really hot guys out there, many of which have made TV, film, video game, etc. production companies millions upon millions of dollars with their looks / charisma onscreen. But these men are one in a million. Plus, the production companies have to be successful in locating actors who're vain enough to participate in this soulless visual patronizing.
God gave us eyes to see other men with. This is a fact. But most, if not all of what we see on TV, film, or in video games is not at all in line with reality. TV / film / video games expose us to photographic (or near photographic) imagery of individuals that are far less real than anything we might encounter on the street, in school, at work, church, etc., and of course, there's no more impressionable medium relative to entertainment. Particularly towards children.
Recognize the end goal of TV, film, video game production companies: It is only to make lots and lots of $$$$$. They're uninterested in whom their content influences or how. They take zero responsibility for your impressionable soul.
As a Christian, this should truly be a disturbing truth.
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