Saturday, January 9, 2010

Yes, I Watch Ellen.

A while back, a friend of mine came over to visit in the afternoon. This must have been one of those days when Josh's dad had Caleb and Sarah, because I remember only having Gabriel in the house, and he was napping.

As 1:00 pm rolled around, I turned the TV to channel 5 so I could watch The Ellen Degeneres Show. I thought it would be something fun to watch with my friend since I always had a good laugh while watching.

Instantly she said, "Why are you watching HER? I'm surprised that you would considering..." and she sort of left off the end of the sentence.

"Have you ever watched her show? She's pretty funny, and I think it's clean humor, lighthearted topics, and she has fun guests," I responded.

"Well, no. I just don't watch her. I don't want to support her lifestyle."

I changed the channel. I left it at that. I didn't want to have a debate about it because I just wasn't in the mood for it. If she would have caught me on a different day, I might have duked it out! ;o)

What I find interesting is that she is not the only friend who has given me flack about watching this show. What is most intriguing to me about this is that the same friends who don't understand why I watch this show are moms or grandmas who let their kids and grandkids watch Finding Nemo - where Ellen is the voice of Dori.

They don't seem to question any other shows I watch. Not that I'm really an avid TV watcher with a lineup of shows, but I do enjoy Wheel of Fortune in the evenings, and when The Biggest Loser starts a new season, I'm always watching it! Oh, and I also enjoy some professional sports like baseball and sometimes football.

Do they question the lifestyles of all these people that I watch? Do I know what Bob and Jillian do off the air? What about all the athletes that have taken steroids unlawfully? How do I know that Pat Sajak isn't a horrible person with awful morals?

But because Ellen is a homosexual, I shouldn't watch her. But I can let my kids watch Finding Nemo!

I'm sorry, but honestly, this irritates me. You couldn't tell, could you? It amazes me that Christians have always put this as the all-time biggest taboo. Tiger Woods had multiple affairs? We should forgive him and we pray that he finds the Lord. Ellen is gay. We definitely shouldn't watch her show.

The same thing happened when I liked Adam Lambert on American Idol. All the speculation about his sexual orientation led most Christians to say, "Well, I'd better find another contestant to vote for." I just really liked his voice! Isn't that what the contest was about? I didn't know I was supposed to research everyone's lifestyle and pick the contestant that best fit some sort of criteria OTHER THAN THEIR SINGING ABILITY.

Don't get me wrong. I believe we should have standards when it comes to television shows and movies. For me, it's the CONTENT of the show/movie rather than than the specific actors and actresses who play the roles in the story. I rarely if ever watch a movie that is rated R, sometimes even PG-13 movies are horrible. Many of the evening dramas on TV I find to be inappropriate and give a horribly skewed image of what life "should" be like. I think we should be careful of what we fill our minds with.

If these people who question my watching Ellen would have said, "I don't think you should watch any secular television or movies," or if they told me not to watch anything at all, that would be different. There are those who feel no entertainment is appropriate, and I respect them and that view.

But to single out one actress this way...it just gets me going.

Tell me how you REALLY feel, Chrissy...

Yeah, I just did.

10 comments:

Sarah said...

Amen, sister!! I feel the same way. I could go even further, but I will spare you, and everyone else.

Ashley said...

I also agree with you Chrissy - and I think that it even goes to the point that we, as Christians, are supposed to love EVERYONE and witness and expose them to the love of Christ...how are we to do that if we distance ourselves from everyone whose lifestyles we don't agree with?

Anytime you want someone to watch Ellen with - just give me a call! lol

Bld424 said...

We don't get CBS, but even if we did, I I would watch. I think its her dancing that bothers me or her ums. Its totally fine that others watch her, and its not like her show is all about gay stuff. Its just a talk show. I am one of the weirdos that like Tyra, too. I don't like to watch Conan, but my husband does, and I think E and C are similar, so I bet he would like to watch her.

But put me down for Oprah. I've got 1.5 years left on that train and then perhaps I'll have to switch over

Chrissy said...

TYRA??!! Now that's just crazy! ;o)

Teasing!

Unknown said...

Great post!

Tolerance is a wonderful practice. You don't have to condone the behavior or lifestyle of a person, just tolerate it.

Like you, it's the "hypo-chrissy" that I have a problem with. LOL!! I know lots of parents who allow their children to watch violent movies, but not movies that display kissing. So, it's okay for your kid to learn to shoot someone in the head, but you better not let them learn what a good kiss looks like. Oi!

Moderation and tolerance go a long way!

sonjamichelle said...

Oh my gosh!!! For once a subject that my sister and I agree on!!! I love Ellen and her show is so funny and she gives away things like Oprah...and you know how I feel about Oprah!!!

I have had a number of gay friends in my life and they are good people.

Jess said...

I love Ellen's show! She is hysterical, always good for a laugh if you're feeling blue!

Jaimee said...

I love Ellen too, I think mostly because she gives back to people and she has a worthwhile cause - animals. She is always giving a single mom this or that. It is really neat. And she is funny. I sure won't be boycotting Ellen anytime soon.

Malika said...

Thank you, Chrissy. I totally agree. I have a lot to say on this subject, but I'll spare you... maybe I'll blog about it.

Jess said...

I wonder how people are going to respond to Ellen being the new American Idol judge. I wonder if your friends who give you flack for watching Ellen are AI fans? Will they stop watching it because of her?? I know I won't! I can't wait to see the humor that she is going to bring to the judging panel!

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