I have recently been watching an old (mid-’90s) sitcom on Netflix. Watching, I have been shocked — SHOCKED! — to observe that biblical morality is not a hallmark of the average sitcom character. If you didn’t know that before, you do now. You’re welcome. Anyway, one of the subplots of this program is the pregnancy and motherhood of one of the secondary characters. This character is not married.
Following this story, I was immediately struck by what seems to be a standard element in this kind of story. Not being up on what’s playing on the tube these days, I could be wrong, but this is what I’ve observed. Following the announcement of the pregnancy came two predictable things. First, will she have the baby? Naturally, she has the option of keeping it or killing it. That’s not how the writers put it, of course. “Killing” is not mentioned, nor is the word “abortion” spoken. But the option is presented. Second, just as predictable (for a sitcom, as opposed to a serious drama) is the decision to keep the baby. Unwed mothers on television and in movies are as common as Mormons in Utah, but abortion and comedy still do not mix. Why is that?
The answer, I think, is that even the most morally depraved (television producers?) in our society recognize that abortion is a bad thing. They can talk about abortion in the abstract without emotion, but actually doing it is a somber undertaking. The most skilled writer just can’t think of any good punchlines. Pregnancy, on the other hand, is a comedy goldmine. You might not think so if you’re pregnant for the first time right now, but most mothers can look back on past pregnancies and find something humorous. So can their husbands (usually secretly). No one who has had an abortion jokes about it. Pregnancy is also almost universally considered a good thing. Even in less-than-ideal circumstances, mothers love their babies and are eventually able to treasure the joy they bring with them. Abortion brings no pleasure with it.
And so we find, in a most unexpected place — the television sitcom — a remnant of the imago dei. New life, the creation of God, is a source of joy and laughter. In a context in which laughter is the goal, there is no room for tragedy. By the absence of the act in that context, we see the pro-choice writer’s honest admission that abortion is not just another choice.
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3 Comments:
#1 || 11·11·09··10:52 || Bill Weber
Excellent insight...thanks!
#2 || 11·11·10··08:14 || donsands
Good word bro. If you haven't seen the movie 'Alfie' with Michael Cain, there's a powerful scene, well here tis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXhb7agsw84&feature=related
at about 8:30-40 is quite revealing.
Thanks David for the excellent word.
ps I heard in the remake of 'Alfie' with Jude Law they cut this scene. Don't know for sure, but that's what I heard. makes sense 30 years later, doesn't it in our culture.
#3 || 11·11·10··09:06 || Daniel
I never thought about it before, but it is certainly telling. Good eye David.