There are many things that James Dobson says that I find infuriating. But there are also the occasional comments that I simply find odd. I was reading one of his columns (in Q&A form) a few weeks ago, and he was writing about how families could become more like the families they see on TV. Or put another way, how you can build those happy, supportive, hug-happy families that dominate our conception of "family" in the popular culture. In order to build these things, he was playing up the importance of creating rituals. He then gave examples of his family's behaviors - behaviors centered around the creation and consumption of special foods on the holidays. For example, "the women" get together and create traditional Thanksgiving feasts with turkey and all the trimmings. Also, "the family" gets togther to peel grapes for ambrosia.
Now this statement has puzzled me for some time now - People still eat ambrosia? James Dobson and "the men" can't be bothered to help out with the tiring and difficult part of a meal, but are happy to sit around and peel grapes? Suddenly the insulting purveyor of gloom and doom seems terribly weak and more than a little odd. And not in the usual ways.
Posted by armand at October 21, 2005 02:31 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Religion