THE DEVIL WEARS FASHION AND SEES NO EVIL
"The Devil Wears Prada" opened a second time to a record-breaking performance featuring the original cast. It has become a franchise generally acclaimed as an irresistible combination of high-fashion, comedy, and strong performances, making it one of the most successful, stylish and quoted films in modern cinema, opening with over $234 million in its first weekend.
Meanwhile, prices soar at our gas pumps and grocery stores. We endure newscasters who try to describe the war with Iran that never cleared Congress, costs billions, and continues on while our commander-in-chief informs us that the war is over!
Strange, these times. How do we understand and cope with the news that 363 million people in the world face severe hunger? As many as 770,000 people face famine where 1 in 11 people around the world cannot feed themselves adequately. Hunger accounts for 50% of child deaths, 148 million children endure stunted growth, and as many as 42.8 million suffer malnutrition. Meanwhile, it is estimated that one-third of our food supply goes wasted.
And then, we suffer a housing crisis. I do not have enough space even to begin describing this major crisis here in America. One estimate reports a deficit of 10 million homes! Let that sink into your mind and imagine the feeling of not being able to afford a home-- the American dream. Why is this so? Major explanations focus on high construction costs, labor shortages, and very tight zoning regulations. Yet another factor driving the housing crisis is the impact of tariffs on crucial building materials: steel, aluminum, lumber, cabinets, as well as copper and electrical components to distribution transformers. Further, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that 7% of goods imported for home construction come from a foreign nation. This includes softened lumber primarily from Canada, drywall and gypsum primarily from Mexico, and steel, aluminum, and appliances from China. In other words, consumers usually end up paying for the tariffs on these objects in the form of higher prices for the purchase.
Please pardon my extended detour through the economics of these strange times. Even though my undergraduate studies was in economics, I never saw the subject as an end in itself but rather a portal through which we rank our values—personally and nationally. Apparently, more than I ever could have anticipated, economics has soared to first place in conversations today when billionaires apparently determine national policy and political fixation, while billboards flash offerings to help you "manage your wealth." Pardon me while I gag!
But there you have it. Apparently money, banality, power, war, and authoritarianism rule the minds of our general public today, while travel to foreign locations entertain and distract us from the world we have created and the evil that seeps into our personal and social life.
These pseudo-values—money, power, war, and authoritarianism— appear prominently in our social, cultural, and political life. Wedded together they form what has come to be given the name, "Christian Nationalism." Ruled by the demigods of political right-wing strategies, they explore any loop holes in our political life nationally, state-wide, and locally. "Christian nationalism" is an ideology that—in the words of Wikipedia--focuses on promoting the Christian views of its followers in order to achieve prominence or dominance in political, cultural, and social life. Regarding this definition, I would correct Wikipedia to say "so-called Christian views," rather than "Christian views." I say this in consideration of Christ's followers who object to being associated with any ideology that seeks political power, dominance, and exclusion of minorities.
And this brings me back to my sub-theme of this writing, namely, "The Devil Wears Fashion and Sees No Evil." Of course I am drawing from the attention given to a current movie, "The Devil Wears Prada." My critique might be focused on one scene in particular where the Meryl Streep character, Miranda Priestly, speaks to her co-lead, Anne Hathaway who plays Andy Sachs, a journalist who finds a much-needed job at the firm controlled by Miranda.
The scene of the movie is set in Milan, Italy, against a backdrop of Leonardo da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper, housed in the refectory of the Covenant of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Miranda somewhat dismisses the character of Jesus. Miranda points out that Jesus has no halo, possibly implying da Vinci's portrayal of Jesus as a fallible human being capable of betrayal. This theme of betrayal floated throughout the movie, and Miranda is suggesting that Andy might well betray Miranda herself.
What da Vinci did or did not have in mind when he painted The Last Supper we will never know. Nor can we know what did occur in that fateful moment of Jesus sharing a final meal with his disciples. And the outcome of this moment in which we are living is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that we are betrayed by national leaders who violate our trust, leaving us with no public moral compass but rather an immorality pursuing money, power, war, and authoritarianism while the Devil Wears Prada.
"The Devil Wears Prada" opened a second time to a record-breaking performance featuring the original cast. It has become a franchise generally acclaimed as an irresistible combination of high-fashion, comedy, and strong performances, making it one of the most successful, stylish and quoted films in modern cinema, opening with over $234 million in its first weekend.
Meanwhile, prices soar at our gas pumps and grocery stores. We endure newscasters who try to describe the war with Iran that never cleared Congress, costs billions, and continues on while our commander-in-chief informs us that the war is over!
Strange, these times. How do we understand and cope with the news that 363 million people in the world face severe hunger? As many as 770,000 people face famine where 1 in 11 people around the world cannot feed themselves adequately. Hunger accounts for 50% of child deaths, 148 million children endure stunted growth, and as many as 42.8 million suffer malnutrition. Meanwhile, it is estimated that one-third of our food supply goes wasted.
And then, we suffer a housing crisis. I do not have enough space even to begin describing this major crisis here in America. One estimate reports a deficit of 10 million homes! Let that sink into your mind and imagine the feeling of not being able to afford a home-- the American dream. Why is this so? Major explanations focus on high construction costs, labor shortages, and very tight zoning regulations. Yet another factor driving the housing crisis is the impact of tariffs on crucial building materials: steel, aluminum, lumber, cabinets, as well as copper and electrical components to distribution transformers. Further, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that 7% of goods imported for home construction come from a foreign nation. This includes softened lumber primarily from Canada, drywall and gypsum primarily from Mexico, and steel, aluminum, and appliances from China. In other words, consumers usually end up paying for the tariffs on these objects in the form of higher prices for the purchase.
Please pardon my extended detour through the economics of these strange times. Even though my undergraduate studies was in economics, I never saw the subject as an end in itself but rather a portal through which we rank our values—personally and nationally. Apparently, more than I ever could have anticipated, economics has soared to first place in conversations today when billionaires apparently determine national policy and political fixation, while billboards flash offerings to help you "manage your wealth." Pardon me while I gag!
But there you have it. Apparently money, banality, power, war, and authoritarianism rule the minds of our general public today, while travel to foreign locations entertain and distract us from the world we have created and the evil that seeps into our personal and social life.
These pseudo-values—money, power, war, and authoritarianism— appear prominently in our social, cultural, and political life. Wedded together they form what has come to be given the name, "Christian Nationalism." Ruled by the demigods of political right-wing strategies, they explore any loop holes in our political life nationally, state-wide, and locally. "Christian nationalism" is an ideology that—in the words of Wikipedia--focuses on promoting the Christian views of its followers in order to achieve prominence or dominance in political, cultural, and social life. Regarding this definition, I would correct Wikipedia to say "so-called Christian views," rather than "Christian views." I say this in consideration of Christ's followers who object to being associated with any ideology that seeks political power, dominance, and exclusion of minorities.
And this brings me back to my sub-theme of this writing, namely, "The Devil Wears Fashion and Sees No Evil." Of course I am drawing from the attention given to a current movie, "The Devil Wears Prada." My critique might be focused on one scene in particular where the Meryl Streep character, Miranda Priestly, speaks to her co-lead, Anne Hathaway who plays Andy Sachs, a journalist who finds a much-needed job at the firm controlled by Miranda.
The scene of the movie is set in Milan, Italy, against a backdrop of Leonardo da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper, housed in the refectory of the Covenant of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Miranda somewhat dismisses the character of Jesus. Miranda points out that Jesus has no halo, possibly implying da Vinci's portrayal of Jesus as a fallible human being capable of betrayal. This theme of betrayal floated throughout the movie, and Miranda is suggesting that Andy might well betray Miranda herself.
What da Vinci did or did not have in mind when he painted The Last Supper we will never know. Nor can we know what did occur in that fateful moment of Jesus sharing a final meal with his disciples. And the outcome of this moment in which we are living is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that we are betrayed by national leaders who violate our trust, leaving us with no public moral compass but rather an immorality pursuing money, power, war, and authoritarianism while the Devil Wears Prada.
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