When I started writing my Friday "What the Heck" feature, my intent was to focus on two or three things from the preceding week that left me flummoxed, bewildered, and looking a little like this:
The problem that I have quickly run into is that our culture is deteriorating so quickly that I find it difficult to pick just two or three things to mention. Nevertheless, here are the selections that made the cut this week.
First, I suppose I will be mocked for saying so, but I've always liked Drew Barrymore as an actress. I thought she was great opposite Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates for example. But when this talented lady goes off script, it becomes more than a little off-the-wall.
I am still trying to figure out why she, a woman who once starred in the girl-power flick Charlie's Angels, crawled onto the floor to awkwardly embrace a man who is making a complete mockery of womanhood.
A longtime feminist, it is inexplicable how Barrymore (and fellow feminists) went from "dismantle the patriarchy" to "men can be fully woman too."
Along those same lines, former National Review columnist David French continues his bizarre slouch towards becoming the next Jennifer Rubin. I say that as someone who has often defended French for his earnest and admirable attempts to build bridges and avoid tribalism.
But in his most recent New York Times article, French criticized Republican-led states for enacting laws that ban chemical castration and physical mutilation of minors in the name of "transgender care." French objected to the way those laws infringe on parental rights.
I'm all for parental rights, but I find myself scratching my head asking why someone as smart and successful as French can't figure out the glaring problem with such an argument. Even ardent libertarians recognize, and I'm sure that French would agree, that civil societies have a duty to protect children from physical harm, even if it is being inflicted by their parents.
Surely French does not believe parental rights should include the right to molest, punch, or malnourish a child. Surely French agrees that when a parent is perpetuating that kind of violence against their offspring, the state has a compelling interest to intervene. Though I can't believe it has to be said, the surgical mutilation and irreversible chemical poisoning that comes under the banner of "trans care" is no different than these things.
Frankly, I'm not sure why French feels it necessary to try so hard to "both-sides" everything. Maybe he fears losing his new sweet gig at the Times. But selling your heart, soul, and mind to stay on their payroll just isn't worth it, David.
Finally, I was thoroughly surprised, but also grateful to see actor Rainn Wilson (a.k.a. Dwight from The Office) tweet this prescient observation about his own industry.
Admittedly, I don't watch a lot of television anymore, but judging by the comments, people were unable to list any regular TV characters who portray faithful Christians in a positive light. Wilson is apparently on to something.
I talked about this on my HeckFire podcast this week. One of the silliest pieces of conventional wisdom that floats around freely is that Christians are the overwhelming majority of the population, and therefore are anything but disrespected or persecuted. While I shy away from that latter term given the horrific reality of Christian persecution elsewhere in the world, it is absurd to suggest Christianity is anywhere close to being the majority ideology in contemporary American society.
Around 4% of the population actually professes a biblical worldview. So why is such a tiny minority in this country being routinely maligned as hypocritical, dastardly villains by filmmakers and television producers?
Don't we routinely apply the word bigot to those who harbor such obvious animus towards a singular group because of their beliefs? Why should this situation be any different?
