Texsox Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Interesting Column In a semihilarious Back Page send-up in The New Yorker, Steve Martin imagines studio notes to Mel Gibson. Besides trying to change Mary Magdalene’s first name to Heather (“could skew our audience a little younger”), mogul “Stan” suggests: “Could the rabbis be Hispanic? There’s lots of hot Latino actors now, could give us a little zing at the box office. Research says there’s some justification for it.” Imaginary or not, this may be the first time a studio note was even remotely right. L.A. Weekly has learned that, according to research exit polls, The Passion of the Christ is attracting a gargantuan 40 percent Latino audience in the cities tested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 When I saw it my dad and I were the only ones speaking English before the film started. But I would also venture a guess that since many hispanics are Catholic this shouldn't come as a surprise given the rather Catholic bend in the theology of the Passion. But I wouldn't try to politicize it's message--it's just, um, a movie. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted March 31, 2004 Author Share Posted March 31, 2004 When I saw it my dad and I were the only ones speaking English before the film started. But I would also venture a guess that since many hispanics are Catholic this shouldn't come as a surprise given the rather Catholic bend in the theology of the Passion. But I wouldn't try to politicize it's message--it's just, um, a movie. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. You wouldn't but you know both parties are wondering what to do . . . And it never occurred to the Democratic Party, pal of most Hollywood filmmakers, to embrace Gibson or his movie. Big mistake. Huge! Because in the 2004 presidential race for Latino votes, any advantage at all could be the difference between winning and losing. Instead, the conservative propaganda machine is embracing Gibson and The Passion with, well, passion, and it’s become a cornerstone of the Republicans’ strategy to divide this country culturally between the supposed elites they’re so fond of criticizing (tell us, are the rich who get all of Bush’s tax breaks not also the elite?) and just regular Americans, whom they presume to be on their side along with God. GOPers who never found anyone in Hollywood they liked besides Ronald Reagan (and, barely, Ah-nuld) are fawning over Mel and his movie because they smelled a hit in the making. They smelled right: You can’t argue with a box office that will hit $250 mil this weekend. In one fell swoop, Republicans established a strong bond with the most religious members of those ethnic groups who are supposed to vote Democratic (even if right-wing Republicanism is overwhelmingly anti-immigration). Is that enough for Bible-thumping Latinos, African-Americans and Asians to change political sides? It may not matter: Just having made such a significant inroad could be enough for conservatives to build on in the future since Latinos are expected to grow to 14 percent of the nation’s population in 2010, and half of that population is younger than age 26, and 40 percent is under 18. In turn, Gibson was brilliant in the way he courted conservatives, first by showing the movie to groups of Republican and Christian VIPs (often one and the same; though it took him ages to show it to Jewish leaders). Then he announced their reactions to the film on the widely read Drudge Report, first stop on the conservative media bandwagon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 This country of ours is taking a scary turn towards the "religious Right" (aka "the moral minority"). I just hope it's not enough to put Bush over again. "Personal freedoms" could not take another 4 years of the current administration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Again I would just like to reiterate that it is unfair that religion is portrayed as something that belongs exclusively to conservatives. Granted I hated Mel's movie, but so did my dad, one of the most religious (and liberal) people I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Again I would just like to reiterate that it is unfair that religion is portrayed as something that belongs exclusively to conservatives. Granted I hated Mel's movie, but so did my dad, one of the most religious (and liberal) people I know... Agreed. But do you agree that the "Religious Right" are "pulling Bush's strings"? Look at what's happenning with the FCC all of a sudden. Look at the strides that the "pro-lifers" are making. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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