Critics Slam ABC Pilot 'Good Christian Bitches' for 'Inappropriate,' 'Damaging' Title

[Novaheart]

Have you sen the show True Blood? It's a surprisingly funny contrast by the gay producers. .......... snip .......You'll never see gays or any other in the protected class get portrayed as such.

• No, I have never seen True Blood and I think you have saved me from it. I actually have a pretty low fantasy threshold. Even Star Trek, which I love, gets on my nerves now and then. Highlander was only saved by the aesthetics and the scenery. :) I confess, I did like "Lost Boys" and "Interview With A Vampire".

• About protected classes. Being gay, black, latino, etc... these are not religions or philosophies. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hindu are the major religions of the world. Buddhism is arguably a religion as practiced by some, a philosophy as practiced by others. So you need to compare apples and apples. You don't criticize a writer for attacking what a person thinks by pointing to one who attacks what a person is. It doesn't make sense for example, to say, "They portray Muslims as terrorists all the time, but you never see them portray an Eskimo as a terrorist."

• The path to representation on TV is pretty well established. I haven't charted it in some time, but if you will think back to the rise of blacks on TV you have to go through these stages, not necessarily in this order:

1- background - servants extras
2- talking servants
3- funny talking servants
4- smart mouthed talking servants
5- servants with hidden talents, often covering for the boss behind the scenes
6- servant with a criminal association
7- whore with a heart of gold
8- criminal who dies in a noble act
9- comedic lead
10- dramatic lead
11- romantic lead
12- somewhat normal
13- treated like crap like everyone else

Americans can say what we like about Christians, because the overwhelming majority of us are culturally Christian. You can't claim that this is a Christian nation, and then say that the only members of the club are the ones YOU consider to be Christian. Christmas Christians are the bulk of the nation. We own the subject matter, and we can say what we like about it.

As for gay characters, yes you do see them on TV as bitchy men, butch women, drag queens, and every other stereotype. Yes, gay characters have been following the chart more or less, but we're also something of a special case in Hollywood because that's where a lot of gay people found refuge from a bigoted and discriminatory hometown America.

I find it amusing when people complain about entertainment. This is a business which has been considered beneath "decent people" since its beginnings. Mel Brooks said, Without Jews, fags, and gypsies, there is no theater.” There was a reason for that, and for "decent people" to now complain that they aren't running things is funny.

[Gingersnap]

This title is no more acceptable than 'Muslim Mother F*ckers" or 'Jewish Bloodsuckers' would be.

The days are gone when coming out of a Christian family or knowing Christians or being able to identify 2 or 3 hymns gave you liberty to just trash Christians and Christian culture with no regard. The whole 'familiarity breeds contempt' thing only works when the contemptuous really are familiar with object of mockery.

Today, however, the contemptuous are only familiar with the pop culture stereotype of the mockery object. The farther the stereotype drifts from reality, the more offensive and the less understandable the mockery becomes.

[FBIGuy]

Sounds like someone(s) need a good christian bitch slappin.

[Novaheart]

This title is no more acceptable than 'Muslim Mother F*ckers" or 'Jewish Bloodsuckers' would be.

The days are gone when coming out of a Christian family or knowing Christians or being able to identify 2 or 3 hymns gave you liberty to just trash Christians and Christian culture with no regard. The whole 'familiarity breeds contempt' thing only works when the contemptuous really are familiar with object of mockery.

Today, however, the contemptuous are only familiar with the pop culture stereotype of the mockery object. The farther the stereotype drifts from reality, the more offensive and the less understandable the mockery becomes.

Dallas native Kim Gatlin has spent most of her professional life in the fields of charitable fundraising and commercial real estate title sales.

In Good Christian Bitches, Kim puts a voice to the downside of gossip in a light-hearted piece of fiction but with a message that she hopes will resonate with women everywhere.

Like the feisty, charismatic women in Good Christian Bitches, Kim and the women in her life are bold, sassy and strong. She counts her mother, sister, girlfriends, cousin and two steadfast Southern Baptist grandmothers in that group—all women who use these traits as assets and gifts.
As an advocate for numerous charitable organizations, Kim is committed to fundraising for a variety of causes including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation where she sits on the board, Crystal Charity Ball, Alzheimer’s Association, Dallas Cattle Baron’s Ball benefiting the American Cancer Society, and Children’s Medical Center Women’s Auxiliary.
Kim lives in the Park Cities area of Dallas with her two children.
Good Christian Bitches is her first book.

http://www.goodchristianbitches.com/...eb/author.html

[Novaheart]

1. First of all—that title! Whoa! What prompted you to write the book and
title it Good Christian Bitches?
I went through a really difficult time during and after a divorce that was
made even more difficult by the neighborhood gossips. Some of the worst
perpetrators were women who held themselves up in the community as Christian women. Many people noticed how
duplicitous and mean-spirited their behavior was, but no one close to them ever called them out on it, but it sure
didn’t keep people from talking about THEM behind THEIR backs. I told a friend one day how shocked I was by
the behavior of these good Christian women, and she responded with, “you mean good Christian bitches”. The more
people observed my experience and the more I shared my experience with others, the more I realized this was a subject
that needed to be out of the closet and highlighted.
2. What are some of the characteristics of a Good Christian Bitch or GCB?
What sets a GCB apart from other Christian women is intent. We’re all human. We’re all fallible. Christians aren’t
perfect. We’re going to make mistakes, we’re going to slight and hurt others without meaning to. A GCB is a Christian
woman who does all those things with intent when she’s not about to let her Christian walk get in the way of her
worldly agenda.

[Novaheart]

This title is no more acceptable than 'Muslim Mother F*ckers" or 'Jewish Bloodsuckers' would be.
.

Ever heard the expression "As cold as Methodist charity."?

[Gingersnap]

Ever heard the expression "As cold as Methodist charity."?

I have but it lacks the emotional impact of "bitches".

[Rockntractor]

I have but it lacks the emotional impact of "bitches".

I like my bitches without britches!

[PoliCon]

Because different denominations express themselves differently and that would generate different expectations.

I went to Catholic school. The image of Jesus is everywhere, as is the image of Mary. But while Mary is spoken of frequently, Jesus is rarely mentioned by name in the course of a normal day outside of religion class. Even religion class only talks about Jesus when he's present in the portion of the Bible or Biblical account being taught.

My father's family were Methodists of the in town variety, and while they may have made a break from the Episcopalian church centuries before, there really wasn't a great deal of difference in delivery. My mom's family were Episcopalians. Neither of these denominations use the word "Jesus" a lot in normal conversation. Certainly not like one encounters with more evangelical sects who are raised to have a more familiar and conversational relationship with Jesus.

Episcopalians, Methodists, and Catholics usually refer to "God" and God's wishes/punishments/rewards while Baptists and nondenominationals tend to refer to "Jesus". You aren't likely to hear an Anglican say, 'You need to get right with Jesus." anymore than you are likely to hear a contemporary hymn at an Anglican or Catholic service.

By the same token, the sermons at Holy Communion oriented churches tend to be academic lectures on personal excellence, emotional health, or ethics explained through the application of scripture. Occasionally a social issue will make the grade, but you'll rarely if ever see the kind of social issue or political ranting that you do on any given broadcast of some of these megachurches.

So that's why I asked. If you belong to a denomination where someone would actually ask you to ask yourself 'What would Jesus do?" then your experience is probably different from most television writers and your expectations will be different.

I've experiences with the whole spectrum of Christian though and theology from Messianic to Orthodox to Roman to Reformed to Anabaptist to Fundamentalist and everything in between. That does not change that Touched by an Angel did not even obliquely refer to the second person of the Trinity in any way shape or form.

[Gingersnap]

Let's get back to whether or not 'Muslim Mother F*ckers' would be equally acceptable as a show title.