Of Cowboys, Christians and Carol Channing
The IMDB reports:
Brokeback Mountain actress Michelle Williams has been disowned by her former school because of her role in the controversial gay cowboy romance. Williams, who attended exclusive Santa Fe Christian School in San Diego, California, has been blasted by the school's headmaster as "offensive" for acting the long-suffering wife of a homosexual ranch hand, played by Heath Ledger. Jim Hopson has branded the Oscar nominee a poor role model, and hopes his education establishment won't be linked to the film's themes. He tells the San Diego Union Tribune, "We don't want to have anything to do with her in relation to that movie. Michelle doesn't represent the values of this institution. Brokeback Mountain basically promotes a lifestyle we don't promote."
I don't get it. If they don't promote the lifestyle, than it will have to stay and repeat the same grade, only influencing younger children each year it's held back. Wouldn't it be better to get that nasty lifestyle promoted and graduated and far, far away from SFCS?
I also don't understand why Hopson is worried about her becoming a role model as a beard. Does he think that someone, somewhere is saying, "Gee, Michelle Williams acted in a love story that just happened to be about gay men. I wonder what school she went to that would lead her to grow up and make a choice like that?"
So, looking for answers, or perhaps some religious guidance, I turned to the Santa Fe Christian School's website where Hopson cyber-greets us all with the non-warm and forbidding words of the Old Testament lord:
Hello, and welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Santa Fe Christian has been faithfully serving the Christian community of North San Diego County for more than 20 years. As an inter-denominational college-preparatory school, we seek to offer our students an outstanding academic curriculum based on a Biblical worldview. We have a nurturing, motivated and dedicated faculty that desires to teach our young people that true success comes from standing tall in their chosen professions while kneeling humbly before their God. From preschool through upper school, Biblical principles are integrated into every aspect of the curriculum, and students are encouraged to embrace a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Ah, the "Biblical worldview," when you could see more of the world as it was flat and a mere two thousand or so years old, and we could all see better when we were younger. But if you ask me, the rest of the greeting seems pretty ripe and racy for a Christian school. You'd think Hopson would be more sympathetic to gay-themed films if he suggests people should "kneel humbly before their God." And when he says "embrace a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" he must, sadly, be waxing metaphoric. If waxing anything is allowed at Santa Fe Christian.
The kicker that Hopson should chill out, though, is his school's homepage trumpets the Spring musical Hello, Dolly! Now what could be queerer than fostering a love of musical theater in teens!
Brokeback Mountain actress Michelle Williams has been disowned by her former school because of her role in the controversial gay cowboy romance. Williams, who attended exclusive Santa Fe Christian School in San Diego, California, has been blasted by the school's headmaster as "offensive" for acting the long-suffering wife of a homosexual ranch hand, played by Heath Ledger. Jim Hopson has branded the Oscar nominee a poor role model, and hopes his education establishment won't be linked to the film's themes. He tells the San Diego Union Tribune, "We don't want to have anything to do with her in relation to that movie. Michelle doesn't represent the values of this institution. Brokeback Mountain basically promotes a lifestyle we don't promote."
I don't get it. If they don't promote the lifestyle, than it will have to stay and repeat the same grade, only influencing younger children each year it's held back. Wouldn't it be better to get that nasty lifestyle promoted and graduated and far, far away from SFCS?
I also don't understand why Hopson is worried about her becoming a role model as a beard. Does he think that someone, somewhere is saying, "Gee, Michelle Williams acted in a love story that just happened to be about gay men. I wonder what school she went to that would lead her to grow up and make a choice like that?"
So, looking for answers, or perhaps some religious guidance, I turned to the Santa Fe Christian School's website where Hopson cyber-greets us all with the non-warm and forbidding words of the Old Testament lord:
Hello, and welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Santa Fe Christian has been faithfully serving the Christian community of North San Diego County for more than 20 years. As an inter-denominational college-preparatory school, we seek to offer our students an outstanding academic curriculum based on a Biblical worldview. We have a nurturing, motivated and dedicated faculty that desires to teach our young people that true success comes from standing tall in their chosen professions while kneeling humbly before their God. From preschool through upper school, Biblical principles are integrated into every aspect of the curriculum, and students are encouraged to embrace a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Ah, the "Biblical worldview," when you could see more of the world as it was flat and a mere two thousand or so years old, and we could all see better when we were younger. But if you ask me, the rest of the greeting seems pretty ripe and racy for a Christian school. You'd think Hopson would be more sympathetic to gay-themed films if he suggests people should "kneel humbly before their God." And when he says "embrace a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" he must, sadly, be waxing metaphoric. If waxing anything is allowed at Santa Fe Christian.
The kicker that Hopson should chill out, though, is his school's homepage trumpets the Spring musical Hello, Dolly! Now what could be queerer than fostering a love of musical theater in teens!
posted by George at 4:44 PM
2 Comments:
George...you are too good at this. You must be getting tired...with them just lined up waiting for you to pick on them.
Look, someone solicited a comment from this headmaster, he did not go to them. Seems like they were just looking for a controversial soundbite. And is anyone really surprised that a Christian school isn't supportive of a movie whith gay themes? Or of a former student who chose to take a path inconsistent with the beliefs they foster?
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