Jun 03 2008
Sex in the City? What kind of message does it send?
Sporting Manolo Blahnik heels and designer handbags, women powered Sex and the City this weekend to the biggest debut on record for a romantic comedy.
“We’re definitely open to another movie,” says Darren Star, creator of the series and producer of the film. “You always want your movie to connect, but no one could calculate how deeply people felt about this.”
Except, perhaps, the show’s rabid fans. Women, who made up 85% of the audience, flocked to theaters dressed as their favorite characters and turned the film into a nationwide ladies’ night out.
“We’ve been waiting years for this,” says Patricia Ackerman, 42, who went with four girlfriends dressed more like they were headed to a premiere than a Saturday matinee. “This is ourIndiana Jones.”
The movie nearly doubled its projections. Most analysts figured its R rating would hold the opening to about $30 million.
But most box office analysts are men.
“I don’t think most guys get it,” says Vonnessa Martin, 39, who caught the Saturday evening show with her best friend in Santa Monica. “This isn’t a movie that I really wanted my husband at. You want to see it with friends who know the characters and feel connected. We treated it like a formal dinner party.”
Read about it here.
[From me]
I admit, I don’t get it. But I don’t think it has anything to do with being a man. I think it has to do with the Holy Spirit. Something about this show and movie are unsettling in my spirit. Call me a prude if you want, but this is pure trash! We live in a time where abortions happen daily. STD’s are rampant. AIDS is a world wide problem. All of these occur because illicit sex. Yet, Hollywood and stupid Americans watch this sleaze. I’m amazed at how many Christians watch this trash. Why?
What happened to responsible movies and TV shows when it comes to sex? What about abstinence? What message does this send to our youth? Yes, I don’t get it.
What do you think?
27 responses so far
Well, I never watched the television series, and I CERTAINLY won’t be going to the movie…not that I would go to ANY movie (not an Indiana Jones fan either).
It is high-fashioned trash–plain and simple. For some strange, yet thoroughly common reason, women (and alot of men also) feel they have to “express themselves” through this kind of “entertainment.”
What is never shown is the DARK side of mis-used sexuality. The broken families, the veneral diseases, the neglected/abused/dysfunctional children, etc. These movies (and their prurient cousins) never show this side of “sexuality.”
But one only needs to look around their neighborhood and the “results” can be seen, without much effort.
Sad indeed.
Phil Hoover’s last blog post..“The Dream”…the snake….
I’m with you and Phil (must be our strong Alabama upbringing). I never watched the show, and I will certainly not be going to see the movie!
It is nothing more than trash!
The movie did quite well at the box office. Is anyone surprised? Oprah, the Today Show, and countless others couldn’t feature the movie enough!
Americans tend to believe that just because something is popular, it must be good!
Wrong!
Ever read the Dune novels? In the later ones that he wrote, Frank Herbert introduced the Honored Matres. They were a race of women who returned to the rest of human space after a long period of mass exodus. They were hellbent on conquering EVERYTHING and they were VERY good at it. And the greatest weapon in their considerable arsenal was… sex.
Each of the Honored Matres was trained in the art of seducing men. And once an Honored Matre targeted you for “marking”, if you were a guy - and UNLESS you had the strength of will to resist her, which most guys did not even care to have - you were pretty much finished. An Honored Matre would seduce a man, and overwhelm the pleasure center of his brain with sexual euphoria. She would amplify his orgasm to such a continuously ecstatic degree that from then on, he would be her slave. In the novels the Matres conquered HUNDREDS of planets this way: making the men of each world, literally, their sexual slaves.
I read those books when I was in high school and I thought even then that there was a lot of hard-hitting commentary about human nature that Herbert was making with that. And where our inability to control our sexual urge invariably leads us: being enslaved.
As a historian, one of the things that has fascinated me is that wherever you look across the span of human history, this much holds true for every highly-cultural civilization…
That a society which practices sexual restraint, flourishes. It especially enjoys growth in the arts and sciences.
Conversely, a society which exhibits loose sexuality, and does not contain itself from sexual expression, ALWAYS falls into decay.
The Roman Empire was once one of the most virtuous civilizations that ever existed (barring spates of being run by absolute nutcases like Nero and Caligula). But over time, as its people began to lose their restraint and indulge themselves in careless sexual behavior, everything began to fall apart. Rome lost its law, its borders, its military, its art (later emperors had to *steal* the artwork from monuments of earlier emperors to decorate their own, because the craftsmanship of their own time had become so shoddy) and even its technology (would you believe that helmets of Roman soldiers in 300 A.D. were MUCH inferior to those of solidiers at the time of Christ?).
Think that can’t possibly be us?
How is there *still* the rule of law in America, when our politicians do what they want regardless of the Constitution? How can we say we’ve still maintain sovereignty when MILLIONS of illegals flood into the country yearly? How can we boast of military might when we are bogged-down in one war with no clear purpose and our soldiers often have to send home for body armor? As for art: notice how many movies coming out of Hollywood lately are remakes?
It’s really quite simple: a guy looking to get laid, will ONLY want to get laid. That is what will dominate his mind. But a guy who learns to *control* that lust, will channel its energies into a richer, fuller life. He will know how NOT to let his sexual desire overpower him… just as he will know how to use that sexual desire in its proper place (meaning with his wife, or with her husband if we’re talking about a woman here).
But as things stand right now, sex is our culture’s soma. And too many of us are lulled into complacency because of it. Because a people who only want sex can ALWAYS be placated. And thus, controlled.
Sometimes I have to wonder if that might actually be someone’s intent.
Chris Knight’s last blog post..THE KNIGHT SHIFT: In Color! Live on WGSR this Sunday night
Well, now you’ve gone and done it, Kevin! Ticking off the Mormons is one thing, but SATC is one you shouldn’t touch!
Seriously, my friends (including my Christian friends) and I all love it, and we generally watch the sanitized version that’s on TBS and late-night tv. It’s not so explicit. No, it’s not the lifestyle we choose to live, but the show is more about the power of friendship than it is about sex. Really.
Texas in Africa’s last blog post..this is the end
TIA,
I don’t get it. Do you think Jesus would approve of the show and movie? Would He go watch it? I don’t get it.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Create a Caption…
I agree with TIA. When I watch it, it really is more about the relationships especially the friendships. As a viewer you cared more about the conversations at the meal times than the experiences that were talked about at the time together. Some of the story lines did talk about the negatives of sex. Not all of them were trying to have sex withi everything that they could. In fact the character who does is some what seen in a negative way.
No, Jesus probably wouldn’t approve. I don’t know if He’d go to most movies or sporting events either. There are elements that we as Christians could learn from in having relationships with people that are different from us. There was also the series long lesson in patience for the right match.
Janna,
But doesn’t comprimising our principles tell us something about our faith?
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Are Mormons Christians?
Yes it does. I didn’t say compromising was right. Perhaps I have cruddy principles because when I talked about SITC with my friends, we didn’t talk about the sex being right or wrong. We would even talk on the phone during the show during the sex scenes sometimes because they really weren’t pivotal to the show or our enjoyment of the show. Sadly for Jesus to be in watching the movie/show with friends wouldn’t have been compromising for him…because He does have that edge of being Jesus that we don’t have. (I’m am laughing at this thought because I really can’t picture Jesus in a coffee shop chit chatting with Philip, Thaddaeus, and Bartholomew.) Now, if I had a more feminine view of Jesus then He could have been involved in those conversations with my friends.
To toss my hat in here (and by no means am I endorsing SATC)…
What’s the difference between watching a show like this or movie and watching a, say, Alabama college football game. There’s no moral standard that they’re pushing on the players, besides to win at all costs. Players play football, not because of the education they’re receiving, but to use it as a stepping stone for the big bucks. And the colleges, which were set up to be educational institutions, are now just cash cows when it comes to sports. It’s about greed and money when we just say it’s about the love of the game. Let’s not even talk about Nick Sabin and what his actions say to the players he’s supposed to be leading (it’s all about the cash boys!). It’s broken, it’s depraved, it’s misguided. But we could also say the same thing about SATC.
Needless to say, I don’t think Jesus would watch NCAA football either. So we shouldn’t be eager to pic up stones in one direction or another.
stuartd’s last blog post..Rethinking Youth Ministry Contest
Stuart,
Please tell me you are joking. There is a huge difference between SEX and sports. Paul obviously watched sporting events because he wrote about them in his letters. You are way off here.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Are Mormons Christians?
All that to be said and I still watch college football…
stuartd’s last blog post..Rethinking Youth Ministry Contest
All I’m saying is that both are morally depraved. Not the sport itself, but the system that we support called the NCAA that says it’s about one thing and is actually about another.
Look at baseball and the mess it’s in now with ‘roids. It’s our win at all costs mentality and get as much $$ as you can.
We’ve made sports depraved and not about the sport anymore.
My point is that certain things convict us and it makes an easy target for us to be judgmental about. Other things don’t morally bother us as much and we let them slide and engage in them. Both are wrong, but it’s all about perspective.
stuartd’s last blog post..Rethinking Youth Ministry Contest
Stuart,
Sports is a-moral. Sure there are snakes in the biz but there are in church too. SIC doesn’t do anything to promote God. But sports helped mold me. Was a substitute for my faith, no. But there are a lot of things we can do or watch that are neither good or bad. TV isn’t bad. There are some shows that are. Movies aren’t bad, but there are movies that are bad. I’m amazed that Christians want to be entertained more than being holy. That is what bothers me. How many sex scenes are too many? How many curse words are too many? There are sights that actually count the words and sex scenes. To me, Jesus would say 1 is too many. Our morals are failing in my opinion.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Are Mormons Christians?
Well I agree with that our morals are failing, no argument there. I’m just saying that if we’re gonna throw stones, then we must be consistent. Otherwise it seems like we’re rating sins.
stuartd’s last blog post..Rethinking Youth Ministry Contest
Stuart,
There is no way the 2 are the same. Sex vs. sport. Who is ranking? Illicit sex is wrong. Sports is amoral.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Are Mormons Christians?
Personally, we think most of what is on TV (and at the movies) is trash. There is no glory to God regardless if it is about sex or fights & curse words during a sports game. (And this is coming from someone who grew up in the Bible belt south as a avid Gators and Alabama fan!) Frankly, we don’t even like most of what we see on Disney or Nick for our kids.
We personally have chosen not to have cable television in our home. Our children do not need to see the commercials which perpetuate materialism and sex or shows that encourage evolution as fact, etc… and us adults don’t need to feed our minds with non-edifying shows.
We do own a TV but our kids only watch adult-approved DVDs and us adults only (occasionally) watch God-glorifying movies such as Amazing Grace or Facing the Giants.
Christine’s last blog post..Petting the Horses
I don’t think sports itself is wrong just like tv shows are not wrong… it is what goes on during sports (& tv shows) that are wrong. (my humble 2 cents thrown in LOL)
Christine’s last blog post..Petting the Horses
Kevin, I am amazed at the numbers of people who see nothing wrong with this movie! Folks, it is rated R! I haven’t (and won’t) seen the movie, so not sure why, I have my assumptions though.
I can’t believe “Christians” who will sit in a movie theater for two hours having their minds filled with profanity, nudity, and all kinds of other immoral subjects, yet will complain when church runs past noon! And, that’s after it beginning at 11 AM.
As far as sports go, I love sports as much as the next person. If they were to broadcast men or women flipping manhole covers, I’d probably watch. As Kevin said, there are immoral people in all kinds of sports, businesses, politics, etc. And, when I see actions coming to the surface that are wrong, I simply turn the TV off or don’t attend the event.
I can do the same with a movie like this, and vote with my wallet. I just wish more believers would do the same, and avoid such movies like this! Then and only then will Hollywood get the true message.
M. Steve Heartsill’s last blog post..Crazy Man on the Loose
Christine,
Amen to the commercials. Luckily we have a way of blocking them. We also have TV guardian that blocks out curse words. But you can’t block sex and sexual inuendo.
Steve,
Amen. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one who thinks this way anymore. When I was in Seminary I was amazed at the movies that future ministers would go see.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Are Mormons Christians?
Facing the Giants is totally immoral! Jesus won’t watch it because it’s so badly made, written, and acted! I think that crap is also immoral and wrong. That’s a whole other argument… [thick, thick sarcasm going on here btw]
But… now I’m tossing around stones and will stop….
stuartd’s last blog post..Rethinking Youth Ministry Contest
When you watch Bama play, you are focused on the game more than all the other stuff. You block that out, right? Well, that is similar to how many woman watched SITC. The sex really was just one element of the show. Now this may scare y’all, but I think SITC helped mold some friendships between women. I think some women are much more open with their close friends about issues. No, I don’t think the show and sports are equal, but I do think the serve different purposes for good and bad. Jesus probably likes parts of both. (and Paul…ugh…we still don’t know what that thorn was or if he actually liked women.)
(I get to go now see my relative who sadly Samantha could have taken after.)
Kevin,
You and I aren’t “that old.” Yet, in our lifetime, the values have and continue to change dramatically. Rhett Butler uttering his famous four letter word would not even take notice among most movie goers today. Between the sex, language, and violence, I believe our minds have been numbed to a large extent. Now, we say things like, “Well, it’s not THAT bad.” Or, “It could be worse.” Or even, as Janna said, “it really is more about the relationships especially the friendships.”
And, the fruit was just a piece of fruit in the Garden of Eden. Look where that got us!
M. Steve Heartsill’s last blog post..Crazy Man on the Loose
I completely recognize and understand your points, Kevin. But I also don’t think Jesus asks us to live in a sheltered box. Jesus was out in the nitty gritty reality of life, engaging with the culture and the people around him. I guess I’m just not really worried about it, because my enjoying the show and movie doesn’t change my essential beliefs.
Texas in Africa’s last blog post..“don’t patronize me, sir!”
btw…none of my friends circle has seen the movie (yet) so if the sex is higher in it then I don’t know
I’ll say one last thing. I’ve already made my plea for more Christian R rated movies here:
http://theramblings.org/2007/03/22/i-want-more-r-rated-christian-films/
stuart’s last blog post..Hypermiling
I went to see the movie. On Sunday. Right after church. Well, not RIGHT after church. I did stop at Wendy’s for an artery clogging single combo before I went to the theater.
I never watched the HBO version of SITC, but I’ve seen the “sanitized” version on CW. It’s not a habit I ever intended to develop, but a few nights of channel surfing during a bout of insomnia contributed to my discovery of the show.
There are a few very explicit (and brief) scenes in the movie, and I’m sure the plot could have progressed without them (well, most of them). The movie, however, IS more about relationships and the complexities of love and friendship.
One character is cheated on by her husband, and she learns about honoring her marriage vows in their entirety, eventually forgiving her husband and reconciling. She’s the same one who got pregnant out of wedlock during the series’ run and decided against an abortion at (literally) the last minute.
The characters are well-written, and it’s nearly impossible to pick out “good” or “bad” people. The struggle of flesh desire versus conscience gets thorough treatment.
The theme of forgiveness is woven throughout the movie. I hate to say it, but I was reminded more of grace by watching this 2 1/2 hours of “trash” than I am sometimes dealing with my fellow followers of Christ.
I’m not making any excuses whatsoever, nor am I attempting to justify my late night viewing selection. If any of my fellow believers have a problem with it, I’ll simply invite them to yank the hockey stick out of their own eye before worrying about the splinters in mine. If a NON-believer wants to engage me about the show, I’m happy to have an opening to discourse with them.
Matt. 5: 6, 10, 20
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
• • •
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• • •
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.