Pinga
Who are our Gods -- another take
Posted on: 01/12/2009 23:43
Are you by chance a fan of : Big Bang Theory, Dharma & Greg, Two & a Half Men, Cybill or Grace Under Fire? If so, then you know the works of Chuck Lorre Productions.
As part of the closure, you will often see a vanity card. If you have PVR, you may have paused on it to read them.
Here is one...tell me what you think? who are societies God's.
CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #224
EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHT
The CAMERA PANS across the headstones and crypts as we HEAR:
JOHN (V.O.)
Some people say there's no god. I disagree. I think there're actually four gods: The god of money, the god of medicine, the god of war and the god of technology. Like it or not, these are the gods that rock our world. I mean, when stuff goes seriously wrong who do you call? Your priest or your lawyer? Your rabbi or your doctor? Your minister or a cop? Your monk or the smug little geek who set up your home entertainment system? But while the gods of tech, medicine, guns and money give us the illusion of being safe, they don't give our lives meaning. For that we need other gods. And who are these other gods? Well, look around. They're sports stars, movie stars, rock stars, the occasional political and business figures, cute chicks who become princesses, and rich chicks who don't seem to require food. These are the deities who connect us with our abandoned inner selves. Their joy is our joy, their suffering is our suffering. We love and fear them, and occasionally crucify them. Which is a long-winded way of getting to what I do for a living. I buy and trade relics: the physical remains of dead gods.
The CAMERA FINDS: JOHN, a happy-go-lucky, long-haired guy in his late twenties. At the moment John is digging up the body of JIMI HENDRIX. In between shovels he looks up, smiles and WAVES AT THE CAMERA.
1st Aired: 3 November 2008
Comments
Serena
Posted on: 01/12/2009 23:54
Pinga asked [quote=
Here is one...tell me what you think? who are societies God's.....The god of money, the god of medicine, the god of war and the god of technology. [/quote]
I would agree with the god of money. I know people who have two or three jobs. They work all the time. It is like the middle ages where some people are working 15 hour days again.
Not the god of medicine but close the god of youth and beauty. Nothing wrong with looking your best but some people spend thousands of dollars on one outfit. It costs me $20-$25 for a haircut but some people will drive 1 1/2 hours to Edmonton to spend $125 on the same hair cut. Then there is tatoos, body piercing, nail jewellery, 50 purses, 200 pairs of shoes, etc. The god of war possible I wonder if it is not the god of money in disguise. The government and their buddies make lots of money on war machines.
The god of techonology. Sure. I am not sure I could live without my computer and internet. I am also quite attached to my cellphone, text messaging, tv, sattellite, dvd player, ipod, blackberry.....
Pilgrim
Posted on: 01/13/2009 00:16
Who are societies gods?
I think all too many in the world today worship Money, Power, and Fame. Mankind has got the world in the mess it is because of the attempt to accumulate more wealth and or power. Over the past 100 years mankind has been willing to sacrifice the environment if necessary in order to have a higher standard of living. If this requires bulldozing the rain forrests that remove a lot of the carbon dioxide from the air and supports a lot of the animal and bird species; it is considered worthwhile if it will earn more money. Destroying large areas of the wilderness to develop tar sands to make money is similar. While many people worship the god of money, no matter how much of it they accumulate it is never enough. It is not a very satisfying god.
killer_rabbit79
Posted on: 01/13/2009 12:38
Once a month, I have to sacrifice a floppy disk to the god of technology using my sacred microwave. In return I get to see a floppy disk blow up.
I thought the monologue (that's what it is right) was more meant to be funny than serious, although it does have its basis in reality. I consider computer literacy, medical awareness and economic responsibility to be ideal qualities in our society, if one wants to use Chuck Lorre's metaphor, we could say that these are pious qualities.
Might I also add as an aside that these gods Chuck Lorre mentions remind me of the gods found in ancient pagan religions. Does everyone notice that they are metaphorical and not literal gods?
Arminius
Posted on: 01/13/2009 14:02
I think the god of delusion is the worst, because it makes us see the delusional world of our arbitrarily created concepts as real and true.
Our best god, of course is the zero GØD of the synthesis.
Pinga
Posted on: 01/14/2009 18:32
great comments so far.
Yes, Chuck Lorre's posts are generally a comment on today's society or a reflection on society. They are witty and creative. You can read them all on-line.
I find it an interesting post to ponder the way we use the word god in society. I hadn't thought of how it was used in ancient times (thanks killer for that)
Does it indicate there are hierarchies of gods even today. If so, then is the issue the worship of those gods or is it when they become higher or take away from that time when we worship God.
Is it the difference between god and God? ie, can someone be all powerful within say oncology..brilliant in one's field and people show you great reverence recognizing how good you are. Is the issue with the worshiping, or the acceptance of such worship.
I jokingly refer to an account we have as god. It is similair to root in unix as it is all powerful to the application. In a way it is the apps god/master...it can give & take away system life. What does it do when we allow the use the word god in our life for things or people?.
(ramblings on the theme)