As soon as my extremely-slowly-but-finally-surely recovering tendon permits, I plan to dance. Not publicly, nor proficiently -- just enthusiastically around the house when no-one's watching. It is an undertaking from which I expect to derive great delight (ineptitude notwithstanding [1]), and I lament that I did not avail myself of the opportunity more frequently prior to being robbed of it by injury.
For now, I must be content to sate my terpsichorean cravings vicariously. And the weekend just gone was the perfect occasion -- ZooNation's Some Like It Hip-Hop at the Peacock Theatre in London. OK, so the soundtrack was hardly Jay-Z, and the four of us comprised almost the entirety of the "nearly-30-to-my-mother-in-law-would-probably-rather-I-didn't-say" contingent amidst a slew of excitable 12 year olds, but it was super-fun: I just love watching people being really really good at what they do, especially when 'what they do' is lots of imaginatively choreographed leaping about. They were all so energetic, and muscular, and vibrant, and evidently disciplined. Impressive stuff.
And, in fact, the show delivered even more, by my reckoning, than the expected display of physical proficiency. I was really rather heartened by the simple but thoughtful message underpinning the minimalistic plot: In a city blighted by the misogyny and bibliophobia of a heart-broken governor, macho arrogance is glorified; women are subservient, barred from all but the most menial jobs; education is scorned and hard to come by; underperformers and misfits are ruthlessly dispossessed... When Jo-Jo and Kerri are kicked out of the city for noncompliance, they sneak back in, disguised (comically unconvincingly) as men and, along with their book-loving brainiac buddy Simeon, prove themselves worthy of employment. Only, their frustration with the ongoing oppression and ignorance (which they now get to witness from the 'inside'), and the blossoming romance between Jo-Jo and Simeon, make it difficult for them to maintain cover. Finally, they are found out and kicked out all over again. This time -- with the help of Partridge, a lonely outcast whose confidence has blossomed since he began enthusiastically exploring Simeon's left behind books -- they mobilise a sort of peaceful challenge to the established male-dominated order, in which love, education, and mutual respect win out and even the cranky governor is humbled and transformed.
For a broad-brush exploration of sensitive themes the overall effect was remarkably subtle and constructive. This was no naive, girl-power, man-hating rant; the struggle which played out was not between men on one side, women on the other, but between men and women together against the harm done to both by oppression, ignorance and broken inter-gender relationships. Nothing radical or new for da yoof of today in the audience, one would hope; but still, not all of the messages from popular culture (especially some tranches of the hip-hop scene) are quite so affirming, and it was refreshing to see something so, well, straightforwardly wholesome presented.
And now, as is my wont, some biblical parallels. The Bible is often perceived as sexist; there are some difficult verses, some problematic pericopes. But my belief in and understanding of the Bible is rooted in and informed by the person of Jesus [2], and accounts of his life and teaching show him consistently welcoming, valuing and affirming women -- often in radical, culture-challenging ways. There are lots of examples to choose from but in the interests of not simply copying out half the New Testament I thought I'd go for a few which mirror some of the particular themes from Some Like it Hip-Hop (SLHH).
First of all, education -- a powerful force against oppression generally and widely recognised as a global priority for female empowerment. I really enjoyed the way that SLHH bigged up learning to their young audience: "stay in school, kids", and all that. The sad and obvious reality is that women in many cultures and times have been deprived of this opportunity; in Jesus' day they were not expected to learn, nor would they generally have been permitted or enabled to [3]. By way of contrast...
Secondly, SLHH emphasises the importance of friendship and understanding between men and women, aside from and beyond sexual interest. (In fact, one thing which was especially refreshing was the modesty of the costumes -- inevitable, perhaps, given that the two leads spend most of the time in men's suits!) John 11 documents further conversations with Mary and Martha in which the depth of his relationship with them and care for them becomes even more evident, and it is clear from elsewhere in the gospels that he had many other female followers and friends:
As a final example, SLHH highlights the achievements of women as contributors to progress (alongside men, that is, not instead of them): the brave actions of male and female characters lead to positive change for the entire city. Jesus likewise involves women just as men in the massive, world-transforming events which begin to unfold in the wake of his resurrection. Indeed, he sends a woman (whose testimony as a witness would at best have been treated with suspicion according to most sources [4]) as the first proclaimer of this bewilderingly good news...
[1] I persevered with ballet classes for many fruitless childhood years, fully earning the maternally-coined sobriquet "Fairy Elephant".
[2] My reluctance to talk about the difficult parts now is not because I don't think that there's anything to say about them but because my desire to bottom out every question and objection in everything I write is a) obviously unachievable b) extremely arrogant and c) results in the exactly the kinds of convoluted and unreadable contributions which largely populate this website.
[3] This statement from first century rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanas implies active opposition to the education of women: “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than that they should be delivered to women.”
[4] E.g. this quote from first century Jewish historian Josephus: "But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex…since it is probable that they may not speak truth, either out of hope of gain, or fear of punishment." (Josephus, Antiquities 4.8.15) Christian scholars frequently point out that anyone composing a fictitious resurrection account would be extremely unlikely to select women as the primary witnesses if they wanted their story to sound credible.
For now, I must be content to sate my terpsichorean cravings vicariously. And the weekend just gone was the perfect occasion -- ZooNation's Some Like It Hip-Hop at the Peacock Theatre in London. OK, so the soundtrack was hardly Jay-Z, and the four of us comprised almost the entirety of the "nearly-30-to-my-mother-in-law-would-probably-rather-I-didn't-say" contingent amidst a slew of excitable 12 year olds, but it was super-fun: I just love watching people being really really good at what they do, especially when 'what they do' is lots of imaginatively choreographed leaping about. They were all so energetic, and muscular, and vibrant, and evidently disciplined. Impressive stuff.
And, in fact, the show delivered even more, by my reckoning, than the expected display of physical proficiency. I was really rather heartened by the simple but thoughtful message underpinning the minimalistic plot: In a city blighted by the misogyny and bibliophobia of a heart-broken governor, macho arrogance is glorified; women are subservient, barred from all but the most menial jobs; education is scorned and hard to come by; underperformers and misfits are ruthlessly dispossessed... When Jo-Jo and Kerri are kicked out of the city for noncompliance, they sneak back in, disguised (comically unconvincingly) as men and, along with their book-loving brainiac buddy Simeon, prove themselves worthy of employment. Only, their frustration with the ongoing oppression and ignorance (which they now get to witness from the 'inside'), and the blossoming romance between Jo-Jo and Simeon, make it difficult for them to maintain cover. Finally, they are found out and kicked out all over again. This time -- with the help of Partridge, a lonely outcast whose confidence has blossomed since he began enthusiastically exploring Simeon's left behind books -- they mobilise a sort of peaceful challenge to the established male-dominated order, in which love, education, and mutual respect win out and even the cranky governor is humbled and transformed.
For a broad-brush exploration of sensitive themes the overall effect was remarkably subtle and constructive. This was no naive, girl-power, man-hating rant; the struggle which played out was not between men on one side, women on the other, but between men and women together against the harm done to both by oppression, ignorance and broken inter-gender relationships. Nothing radical or new for da yoof of today in the audience, one would hope; but still, not all of the messages from popular culture (especially some tranches of the hip-hop scene) are quite so affirming, and it was refreshing to see something so, well, straightforwardly wholesome presented.
And now, as is my wont, some biblical parallels. The Bible is often perceived as sexist; there are some difficult verses, some problematic pericopes. But my belief in and understanding of the Bible is rooted in and informed by the person of Jesus [2], and accounts of his life and teaching show him consistently welcoming, valuing and affirming women -- often in radical, culture-challenging ways. There are lots of examples to choose from but in the interests of not simply copying out half the New Testament I thought I'd go for a few which mirror some of the particular themes from Some Like it Hip-Hop (SLHH).
First of all, education -- a powerful force against oppression generally and widely recognised as a global priority for female empowerment. I really enjoyed the way that SLHH bigged up learning to their young audience: "stay in school, kids", and all that. The sad and obvious reality is that women in many cultures and times have been deprived of this opportunity; in Jesus' day they were not expected to learn, nor would they generally have been permitted or enabled to [3]. By way of contrast...
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)To 'sit at the feet' of a teacher was (in that setting) to assume the role of a student. Jesus teaches Mary just as he would a male disciple -- and challenges Martha to look beyond her role of service and hospitality in recognition of the better, bigger opportunity that her sister has already begun to take advantage of. It would be hard to argue otherwise than that Jesus considered women well capable and worthy of education, and (in combination with his regular use of female-oriented teaching illustrations) that he believed his Kingdom message and invitation to be equally applicable and open to both sexes.
Secondly, SLHH emphasises the importance of friendship and understanding between men and women, aside from and beyond sexual interest. (In fact, one thing which was especially refreshing was the modesty of the costumes -- inevitable, perhaps, given that the two leads spend most of the time in men's suits!) John 11 documents further conversations with Mary and Martha in which the depth of his relationship with them and care for them becomes even more evident, and it is clear from elsewhere in the gospels that he had many other female followers and friends:
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 8:1-3)Wow -- in striking divergence from many prevailing stereotypes of male pride and female dependence (as embodied by the dystopian hierarchy of SLHH), Jesus even accepted financial support from women. To get a sense of how counter-cultural that probably would have been, take a look at what the second century BC scribe ben Sira had to say about women providing for their husbands: "Bad temper, insolence and shame hold sway where the wife supports her husband" (quoted from the deuterocanonical Wisdom of Sirach 25:22). Given some of the current teaching one encounters about gender roles, I suspect that there are those in the church today for whom such an idea might still seem a little too radical.
As a final example, SLHH highlights the achievements of women as contributors to progress (alongside men, that is, not instead of them): the brave actions of male and female characters lead to positive change for the entire city. Jesus likewise involves women just as men in the massive, world-transforming events which begin to unfold in the wake of his resurrection. Indeed, he sends a woman (whose testimony as a witness would at best have been treated with suspicion according to most sources [4]) as the first proclaimer of this bewilderingly good news...
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. (John 20:11-18)OK, so there's plenty pertaining to issues of sex and/or gender that I have only just begun to try to get my head around (feeling rather a misfit from most angles it can be easier to simply not think about these things), but, as so often, I'm astounded by the transformational pattern that Jesus sets -- challenging not only the accepted order of his own day and age, but many of the injustices and brokennesses that persist in today's allegedly 'enlightened' culture. And challenging the church too, perhaps, and the negative stereotypes associated with the Bible (or at least the way it has often been read). Much to think about, and much more to be said but I'll leave that to others....
[1] I persevered with ballet classes for many fruitless childhood years, fully earning the maternally-coined sobriquet "Fairy Elephant".
[2] My reluctance to talk about the difficult parts now is not because I don't think that there's anything to say about them but because my desire to bottom out every question and objection in everything I write is a) obviously unachievable b) extremely arrogant and c) results in the exactly the kinds of convoluted and unreadable contributions which largely populate this website.
[3] This statement from first century rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanas implies active opposition to the education of women: “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than that they should be delivered to women.”
[4] E.g. this quote from first century Jewish historian Josephus: "But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex…since it is probable that they may not speak truth, either out of hope of gain, or fear of punishment." (Josephus, Antiquities 4.8.15) Christian scholars frequently point out that anyone composing a fictitious resurrection account would be extremely unlikely to select women as the primary witnesses if they wanted their story to sound credible.
Comments