For those who have been waiting to hear Woodstock
Churchlady’s thoughts on Bruce Jenner’s interview with Diane Sawyer on his
transition from male to female, here they are:
Bruce (right now he prefers to use that name and masculine
pronouns) was honest, open, and even humorous.
He has been dealing with this since was a child, and it hasn’t been a
Wheaties commercial to say the least. He
hopes that by being open about his situation, he will be able to help other
transgender people. He is optimistic
that he will be OK. He is also a
Republican.
Of course, much more is being said. This is confusing stuff. It may even be threatening. If gender isn’t secure, what is? But what
this all comes down to for those of us who are not directly involved and who
don’t even know a transgender person as
far as we know is that it’s all about us.
If we want to do something, we can try to learn from our observations
and, it is hoped, be the better for it.
Most of the reactions I’ve read have been positive,
applauding Bruce’s courage and wishing him well. People will be praying for him and his family
and maybe all transgender people and those who love them. However, there is also the theme, “I was
leery about watching because I really didn’t want to subject myself to anything
having to do with the Kardashians.”
People don’t like the Kardashians.
They see them as publicity hungry parasites who have perfected the arts
of being famous for being famous and flaunting their excessive lifestyle into a
million (Or is it billion?) dollar empire.
I’ve written about the Kardashians in two posts already (“A
Look at Popular Culture”, October 11, 2014 and “Reality Check: The Redeeming Social Value of Keeping Up with
the Kardashians and the Real Danger the Real Housewives”, January 11, 2014). If it hadn’t been for the latest development,
I would think I’d said enough. But even
as I try to get away, they keep pulling me back. An enormous fairy tale wedding and a marriage
that lasts 72 days? Well, these things
happen. Then another marriage. Well, no one wants to be alone for the rest
of her or his life. And another enormous
fairy tale wedding! I know it’s none of
my business, but . . . Anyway, I love
weddings, and it was fun to watch. And some
of us who feel we know better than to go chasing after happiness in the form of
stuff still enjoy looking at other people’s and being proud that we are not
envious.
Thinking about the Kardashian lifestyle, I was reminded of The Great Gatsby, with its gigantic
mansions, weekly parties with full orchestras, and stables of polo ponies. And, of course, the emptiness of it all. But there is a difference. Unlike Gatsby, who
was a bootlegger, the Kardashians have earned their fortunes honestly. And, in spite of the excess, The Great Gatsby is about the search for
love. So are the Kardashian sagas. And, in spite of everything, the Kardashians
value family. They fight, but they make
up. They make sex tapes that go viral on
the internet and get DUI’s, but the prodigals are not thrown out.
The Kardashians do not need me to defend them. And I am not going Churchlady on people who
don’t like the show or saying that hating someone’s lifestyle or television
show means that you hate them. But if we
are thinking about Bruce’s journey, we can also think about the journey his
family is taking and how, since it comes down to being all about us, we can
learn from it. Maybe even become better
people.
(By the way, in case you’re wondering why you would want to
love the Kardashians, maybe if you do, you won’t find them so annoying.)
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