Atheist and Christian families to be on "Wife Swap" TV program

Synnical

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Mar-07-05 09:30 PM
Original message

Atheist and Christian families to be on "Wife Swap" TV program

From AANEWS, Monday March 7, 2005

Opinion...

COMING OF AGE AT WIFE SWAP?
HAVE ATHEISTS BROKEN THE POP-CULTURE BARRIER?
By Conrad Goeringer

By now, unless you are off the net or not reading the paper, you've
probably heard the news -- the hit ABC program "Wife Swap" will be
featuring an Atheist.

Amber Finley of Georgia, a co-host with husband Reginald Finley of the
internet program "Infidel Guy" (www.infidelguy.com) will be moving in
to the residence of the God-fearing Stonerock family of Flint,
Michigan. Pastor Stonerock's wife will trade places, and share the
roof with Mr. Finley. It is bound to be interesting, a formula for
high ratings and some provocative commentary.

It is also, for Atheists, a positive reading on the cultural
barometer, a sign of the times and a good one at that!

The show really is not about a "wife swap" in the 1950s sense when the
swinger scene explored delicate paths around institutional monogamy
(and, complained some critics, men seemed to benefit the most). The
wives trade households and chores, and the cameras are constantly
rolling. There is heavy editing at work here, maybe some scripting
on-the-fly, and there also is less glamour and skin than Paris
Hilton's "The Simple Life." But "Wife Swap" is among the hottest
offerings in the electronic tidal wave of so-called "Reality TV"
programming, a world of competing tribes, tests and tribulation, and
15-seconds-of-fame heroes and losers. Critics see such fare as the
equivalent of cultural crack cocaine brought to you in prime time.
The networks, faced with rising production costs and running out of
ideas for the types of programming that used to fill the nightly
family viewing slots, see relatively inexpensive programming yielding
impressive ratings and cash.

Beyond the hoopla of celebrity, and in terms of its deeper social and
cultural significance (don't let the title fool you...) the upcoming
segment of Wife Swap featuring the godless Ms. Amber Finley (set to
air on Wednesday, March 16, 10:00 PM ET), may be for Atheists and
other non-religious what "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" has been for
America's gay community. The themes are remarkably different, of
course. "Queer Eye," which has already inspired one spin-off, follows
a gaggle of sophisticated and urban savvy homosexual males dubbed the
"Fab 5" who manage to rescue bumbling and hapless straight guys from
slovenliness and lack of hip, cultural refinement. There are tips on
everything from grooming and dining to interior design, fashion and,
well, cultural fabulousness. "Wife Swap" is a more
down-in-the-trenches affair, though, with everyday families trading
wives/moms/housekeepers.

Critics have stumbled over themselves praising "Queer Eye" for putting
gay acceptance on a fast-track. That did not stop Karl Rove and the
religious right from harvesting enormous political capital from a slew
of anti-gay marriage initiatives on the coat tails of the 2004 Bush
juggernaut. Within the gay community -- and who exactly speaks for
this "community" remains debatable -- there are mostly accolades for
the show, but some voices of dissent. Cultural critic Keith Boykin
says that more images of gay people need to be in the electronic
media, and adds "We don't all live in the gym, go to the opera and
sing show tunes. We're not all white, not all male, not all fabulous,
and God knows we're not all cute.

"But this is television."

Even harsher judgments have been about the show "Will & Grace,"
described by one critic as a "lateral move" for gay rights which
blends exploitation with acceptance.

Another columnist, Christopher Kelley wrote in the Ft. Worth Star
Telegram that "Queer Eye" was "more a creepy case of gay
self-ghettoization than a step forward."

"Welcome to the rise of the gay minstrel show," he concluded.

"Minstrel" may be the word best describing how blacks were originally
portrayed in film and television. Paul Robeson was the exception,
"Step 'n Fetch" the rule. We still have the debate over whether
blacks have moved much beyond the comedy slots, or the Sunday
afternoon gridiron or court games, and into the board rooms,
especially at the big networks.

Can anything like this be said of Ms. Finley's upcoming appearance on
"Wife Swap"?
The harshest judgment might be that Atheists are finally breaking into
American living rooms through the worst of all possible media, namely
prime time "Reality" trash-television. Why aren't we instead on more
cerebral shows like "Nightline" or the Sunday morning talk-fests where
pundits and bureau chiefs painfully dissect the week's news or batter
some politician with the usual pro forma questions?

The answer to the latter is simple: we are. Compared to, say, ten
years ago, spokespersons for Atheist and other nonbeliever groups are
-- slowly perhaps -- getting exposure on cable news and other current
events programs. Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, has
been interviewed on a number of shows, including C-SPAN's highly
prestigious "Washington Journal." Her appearance on that particular
program represented a significant step up from the less thoughtful
"fair and balanced" spectacles that pass for television news such as
"Hannity & Colmes" This is one sanguine measurement of progress on
the cultural barometer; and so is Ms. Finley's upcoming debut on "Wife
Swap."

The difference, of course, is that Ms. Johnson's appearance on
"Washington Journal" indicates that Atheists have "arrived" inside the
beltway, and taken the first steps toward establishing a credible
presence in the churn of critical political commentary. Ms. Finley's
participation in "Wife Swap" may indicate that Atheists are, more and
more, joining the cultural mainstream, becoming more visible in a
changing American landscape of divergent views, lifestyles and
practices. Both are necessary steps in gaining meaningful public
acceptance.

It would be premature, arrogant and inaccurate to dismiss the upcoming
installment of "Wife Swap" as something which automatically
stereotypes and marginalizes Atheists through some kind of cultural
freak show. From what we have heard, Ms. Finley is a friendly and
credible "face" of Atheism that many Americans simply have not
encountered.

Unlike gays and blacks, Atheists still remain mostly "in the closet."
As a result, we suffer from stereotypes usually crafted by the
religious, or our own unfortunate penchant to criticize and even
insult each other in the most unfair of terms.

Amber Finley may well change some of that by putting a human face on
the much-maligned and misunderstood philosophy and lifestyle of
Atheism. And more: she is being identified, openly and frankly, as an
Atheist (albeit with the small "a".) We salute her for that. For
years, many Atheists have marginalized themselves and each other by
adopting cultural camouflage, disingenuously describing themselves
with a bewildering smorgasbord of terms, and dancing gingerly around
what they really and truly are -- Atheists! The quote from Chapman
Cohen found at the masthead of every edition of AANEWS proclaims the
pressing need for "clear-cut issues and unambiguous speech," and we
are pleased to see Ms. Finley stepping forward to humanize and openly
proclaim this term for all viewers to see.

The audience viewing "Wife Swap" is a vastly different demographic
from those tuning in C-SPAM or other more scholarly fare. But this
forthcoming episode is, one might say, the Atheist advance into the
wider population, a middle-class and working class audience that we
need to reach. The beginning of that process requires first
introducing ourselves; and from what know, Ms. Finley is a sterling
representative to take on that challenge.

Let's not be snobs about this. Ms. Finley may end up on "Wife Swap"
talking mostly about housecleaning and recipes and doing the laundry,
although we hope she is also able to interact more meaningfully with
her new ersatz hubby, Pastor Stonerock. (Yes, we wonder too, is that
really his name?) Many in our movement would prefer to have a
professional academic (probably a male) debating a theologian on PBS,
as the viewing audience drifts off to sleep. "Wife Swap," they might
argue, is too de class , too low-rent for our lofty philosophical
convictions. Rubbish! Winning the cultural wars involves more than
establishing ourselves in the towers of the Academy, or in reclusive
policy groups and think tanks in Washington -- although all of that,
too, is important. Atheists need to take up the challenge that the
religious right did decades ago, and strike out into the broader
segments of American society, including those Red States of the
Heartland and Bible Belt.
It is no easy task, and strange at it may seem, it might be one that
starts with a vacuum cleaner, a trip to the grocery store, and a slice
of Reality Television. Before the vast majority of Americans can
listen to us as Atheists and separationists, they at least need to
move beyond the stereotypes and cliches that still burden us. If that
falls to an Atheist who has the fortitude to swap households and put
up with someone named Pastor Stonerock, she has our support. Bravo,
and good luck Ms. Finley!

**