Confession, Law & Order
I was up way too late last night. I was researching a paper, then watching the Daily Show, then I caught the end of an episode of Law and Order... or maybe it was L&O SVU... no wait, it might have been CSI... or CSI Miami, or CSI NY even... I could have been NYPD Blue... oh well, what difference does it really make? Anyway, I have been pondering the reason these shows and their spin-off and knock-offs are on about 140 hours a week. And I think I got it. Maybe. Here goes my theory:
I have commented before on the ever blurry lines between what we expect of lawyers and what we (used to) expect of priests. Our legal system, in my opinion, is far overstepping the boudaries of "blind justice" and beginning to take a role in more priestly functions, specifically the authority over life and death. Asking juries to speculate on a person's right to live under the guidance of lawyers and judges seems to me to be beyond the realm of reason and evidence. But, if you disagree, read my blog post on it at least.
It also seems that the general public is becoming more and more interested in the entire judicial process. And not just the trial itself, but the investigation and even the incarceration and its aftermath (see Martha Stewart). In the absence of real-world examples, it seems that a well-scripted and artificial substitute does the trick as well. People love Law & Order not for the characters but for the events. We watch these "cases" proceed from the detectives to the lawyers to a verdict. What are wanting to see? What is it about an otherwise mundane and predictable progression that makes it so compelling? Perhaps the same thing that used to make the church and its Gospel compelling to so many: truth and confession.
The drama these shows produce almost always surrounds the one moment when a victim or an accused party is confronted with the truth about a situation. The lawyers and detectives spend their time trying to uncover the deep and hidden thing that could not be spoken of. The guilty party tries to evade but rarely is able to do so. When the confession comes, time stops in the room. Sometimes we are shocked or outraged, other times we pity. But regardless of our reaction, we feel better once we know what a person has done. Before the truth is known, the accused is an alien to us. When we know the truth about a person, we can then choose to forgive or condemn. The truth allows the accused to re-enter the community, whether in guilt or innocence. The confession is the centerpiece of every show. No matter if the detectives discover it, the lawyers elicit it, or the guilty offers it. It is the moment when we can see that which is true in the other that compels us to watch such a formulaic show.
The church used to be a place of confession. Even Protestants once featured a confession in their churches. But the church has not been allowed to pursue confession of guilt in our modern society. To force someone to label themselves as sinful is seen as oppressive, self-righteous, and hypocritical. But this is not the point of confession at all. The reason we confess is because we know ourselves to be guilty, of something at the very least. We all know of something terrible we once did that has become our deepest secret. We cannot bear to tell anyone, so we must separate ever so slightly from those around us. Our hidden guilt alienates us. Confession is not how we condemn ourselves before our neighbors, rather it is how we reunite ourselves with our community. How can anyone feel forgiven and accepted unless they have confessed? When the church gives up its confession of guilt, it will be pursued elsewhere. Television will fill the void and teach us that the truth does indeed set us free.
I have commented before on the ever blurry lines between what we expect of lawyers and what we (used to) expect of priests. Our legal system, in my opinion, is far overstepping the boudaries of "blind justice" and beginning to take a role in more priestly functions, specifically the authority over life and death. Asking juries to speculate on a person's right to live under the guidance of lawyers and judges seems to me to be beyond the realm of reason and evidence. But, if you disagree, read my blog post on it at least.
It also seems that the general public is becoming more and more interested in the entire judicial process. And not just the trial itself, but the investigation and even the incarceration and its aftermath (see Martha Stewart). In the absence of real-world examples, it seems that a well-scripted and artificial substitute does the trick as well. People love Law & Order not for the characters but for the events. We watch these "cases" proceed from the detectives to the lawyers to a verdict. What are wanting to see? What is it about an otherwise mundane and predictable progression that makes it so compelling? Perhaps the same thing that used to make the church and its Gospel compelling to so many: truth and confession.
The drama these shows produce almost always surrounds the one moment when a victim or an accused party is confronted with the truth about a situation. The lawyers and detectives spend their time trying to uncover the deep and hidden thing that could not be spoken of. The guilty party tries to evade but rarely is able to do so. When the confession comes, time stops in the room. Sometimes we are shocked or outraged, other times we pity. But regardless of our reaction, we feel better once we know what a person has done. Before the truth is known, the accused is an alien to us. When we know the truth about a person, we can then choose to forgive or condemn. The truth allows the accused to re-enter the community, whether in guilt or innocence. The confession is the centerpiece of every show. No matter if the detectives discover it, the lawyers elicit it, or the guilty offers it. It is the moment when we can see that which is true in the other that compels us to watch such a formulaic show.
The church used to be a place of confession. Even Protestants once featured a confession in their churches. But the church has not been allowed to pursue confession of guilt in our modern society. To force someone to label themselves as sinful is seen as oppressive, self-righteous, and hypocritical. But this is not the point of confession at all. The reason we confess is because we know ourselves to be guilty, of something at the very least. We all know of something terrible we once did that has become our deepest secret. We cannot bear to tell anyone, so we must separate ever so slightly from those around us. Our hidden guilt alienates us. Confession is not how we condemn ourselves before our neighbors, rather it is how we reunite ourselves with our community. How can anyone feel forgiven and accepted unless they have confessed? When the church gives up its confession of guilt, it will be pursued elsewhere. Television will fill the void and teach us that the truth does indeed set us free.
posted by matt at 10:51 AM
9 Comments:
hurray Matt! Finally a point I wont argue.
hurray Matt. Finally a point I wont argue.
hurray Matt. Finally a point I wont argue.
hurray Matt. Finally a point I wont argue.
Good theory.
Matt,
My church DOES have confession, and for the reasons you mention.
One time, I went and seriously was bound up, needing to get past something. Kneeling there before my Priest, telling him what I did, then hearing the words of Absolution, along with a Pennace was one of the most powerful times of forgiveness in my life. I had a way out.
BTW, just so you know, I am not Roman, but Episcopal
You make a good point... but I must strongly disagree... I watch Law & Order SVU not to see what gross things I can witness, or to get my fill of the judicial system... i like the mystery, and trying to figure out "Who Done It" before the hour's up... It's just playin' clue w/o the dice... and I like the characters/actors.
There's something to just talking out what we need to confess. Most of the time when I "confess" it's just a quick little prayer of sorry. Sometimes, when it's big, there aren't any words; just a feeling that I was wrong. But when I can talk with someone else about it, even if the other guy doesn't say anything at all, there seems to be a higher (or deeper) truth which comes out. I "get it" in those situations.
first time to read your blog, and I think you've nailed it. At least you're tapping the nail in place.
We need confession--it frees and relieves us. At a moderate Baptist church I used to attend I had a good friend who grew up Catholic, and he told me that all things considered, he prefered his adopted denomination, but he truly missed confession. "I used to leave the booth feeling freshly scrubbed," and that was a feeling of comfort, not shame or sin.
I've been a fan of NYPD Blue since it debuted, also like the L & Os, and I've not tagged that connection that before the dramatic revelation, these poor shlubs are just things to us--not people. But let them spill it, even if it's something heinous, and I must admit I feel for them (as much as you can for a 2-dimensional TV character) more than I did previously. Thanks.
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