Your outrage is their industry

Yes, I saw the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Yes, I thought they were mocking the Last Supper. Yes, drag queens replacing Jesus disturbed me. I am a man of Christian faith. Not all people share my belief.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

Galatians 6:7

In case you have been living under a rock, here is my Five Bullet Brief of this article surrounding the controversy. Yes, I know it is an article from the Associated Press. Yes, I know AP leans left. Gees, I just wish I could find a non-bias news outlet to quote from. But non-bias news outlets no longer exist. I’ll make that point in a minute. Here’s the brief…

• The 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris was a bold and fearless display, showcasing a dedication to diversity and global understanding.
• The ceremony was marked by flamboyant displays, such as a practically naked singer painted blue and a blonde-bearded drag queen, promoting freedom and LGBTQ+ visibility.
• Some people, including bishops, were upset by the ceremony, criticizing some performances as evoking biblical scenes, particularly a modern interpretation of the ‘Last Supper’.
• Despite the ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, clarifying that his vision aimed to celebrate diversity and French gastronomy, not to mimic the ‘Last Supper’, some felt offended.
• Paris organizers defended the concept and apologized to those who felt disrespected, emphasizing that the intention was to spread a message of love and inclusion.

How was that at my own attempt at being unbiased? I nearly became ill when I typed “diversity and global understanding.” Blah blah blah – I’m just using their own buzz words. Let me just spurt out a couple random thoughts…

Thought 1

To “be offended” is a choice – one you make. I remember a sermon by Pastor John Stocker at Resurrection Christian Fellowship (now Rez.Church) that has stuck with me through the years. He compared “offense” to a bag of rocks. Sure, you can “be offended.” You can pick up the rock that is offense and put it in your bag of rocks that represent the number of times you have “been offended.” You can carry that bag of rocks around with you wherever you go. But carrying that big old bag of rocks (offenses) is exhausting. Drop the bag of rocks. You are the one who chooses to be offended.

To many, the opening ceremony was “offensive.” But if you are a believer, you also know that God will not be mocked, and to whom does vengeance belong? Not you. So drop the bag of rocks. Yes, they are using mass media and the olympics to spread evil. I share that opinion. If you are a Christian, it is important that you recognize that. Please have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Thought 2

Boycott the olympics. Watch the olympics. I don’t care – you do you, boo. I truly feel compassion for the olympians who have made it their life’s work to participate in this event. They are the top athletes in the world in their chosen sport and now the event which was to showcase their life’s work has been tarnished by this controversy. Regardless of what you think of the organizers and producers of the opening ceremony, let’s try to at least hold these athletes in esteem and view them with the respect they deserve.

Thought 3

Sure, the olympics are being held in France. The French do not have a Bill of Rights. Poor souls. Most – probably all – who read my words will live in America and we do have a Bill of Rights. Lucky us. Let’s respect it. The very First Amendment that protects your God-given right of the free exercise of religion also protects the God-given right of the producers of the opening ceremony to exercise free speech by depicting the Last Supper – or the Feast of Dionysus (it’s all perspective, isn’t it) – using drag queens. The 1A cuts both ways.

Thought 4

What a shame. There is something pure about the olympics and olympians. They persevere. They work incredibly hard. They gain a spot on their respective country’s olympic team and hope to represent their country with honor. The Olympic Games are something we should all be able to watch – regardless of political persuasion – and enjoy in “bipartisanship.” In 2024, even that simple and pure expectation has been ruined by “politics.” It didn’t and it doesn’t have to be this way.

I am a few days late in commenting on the opening ceremonies. Like everyone else, Friday evening I watched in pre-recorded time the spectacle. Through my filter and my beliefs, my God was mocked on international stage. But I choose not to be offended. See the above reference to offense. Instead, I just was saddened. I immediately knew that the event would generate “outrage,” and in 2024, outrage is an industry.

Outrage is grist for the media mill. I knew on Friday night that millions of words would be written and spoken. 24-hour news channels, countless hundreds of talk shows, thousands of podcasts, and millions of social media accounts demand more grist for their media mills. And nothing – nothing – generates more grist than good, old-fashioned outrage. Words for days.

I spent a 41-year career in media. I know the schtick. You produce a product – a radio show, a TV show, a podcast, a publication – target that product at an audience. Build the audience. Grow the audience. Gain their loyalty. Then monetize their attention spans. Fox News. CNN. MSNBC. The Blaze. Insert your favorite talk show or website or podcast here. The formula remains the same.

The product has an audience and the audience has an expectation. Nothing feeds an audience more than feigned outrage. Because in 2024, facts and journalistic credibility don’t build an audience. Emotion does. We no longer wish to be informed. We wished to be entertained. And nothing entertains more – and subsequently further drives us into our divided silos – than feigned outrage.

The Olympic opening ceremony generated just that. Outrage to be feigned. Audiences to be grown. Ratings through the roof. Money to be made. Your outrage is their industry. Rise above it.

Let me close with a message – well, it’s not mine, it’s Paul’s – to my fellow Christians. Read the apostle’s words written in his letter to the Romans and do so with the filter of what you saw in the opening ceremony. Don’t provide grist for the media mill. Don’t be outraged. Love those who “offend” you.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord . Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 12:14-21