Tom Beaudoin writes in his book, Virtual Faith, that suffering is a key religious issue for Generation X. I agree. I’ve noticed that this generation are much more aware than previous generations of pain at individual and corporate levels.
Taking funerals for members of pre-Boomer generations I’ve often heard it said, “She suffered and didn’t show it”. This was meant to be a compliment. Much of my missional vision work with congregations is founded in exploration of loss, grief and readjustment for the future. In most situations there has previously been little acknowledgment of pain by older Boomers. Given the tools to deal with it there is almost always a thankful acknowledgement of a useful process given as an alternative to the normal denial or pain-killing drugs of programming or praise and worship.
Dialogue with Jon Sobrino
Tom explores the theme of pain through body adornment, dress style and popular music video. He takes these expressions of culture and places them in dialogue with Salvadorian theologian, Jon Sobrino.
Sobrino, in his book, Jesus the Liberator, challenges Christians to go back to the death of Jesus again. Instead of wrapping up the crucifixion in the logical explanation of God’s will and salvation plan, Sobrino invites his readers to see Jesus’ horrific death as an experience of chaos and scandal. It was the resurrection that brought hope and meaning out of the bitter experience. In this way Christians could avoid both glorification and domestication of suffering.
Tom takes a look at clothing as cultural expression of pain and suffering in Generation X. Grunge fashions in the 1990s, inspired by the Seattle-based grunge bands, featured ripped, second hand loose clothes. In a funny way this fashion was showing off ‘not showing off’. Tom goes on to explore Gothic fashion – an expression of sadness and separation. He invites us to make the connection between a generation who experience the failures of AIDS, divorce, abuse, poor schools, youth poverty, teen suicide, rising educational prices, environmental devastation, parents who need to be parented and premature loss of childhood.
Pearl Jam’s music video, Jeremy, provides an opportunity for conversation between pop culture and the prophetic tradition of Jeremiah. The video, directed by Mark Pellington in 1993, is available streamed online at Pearl Jam’s web site. (A side note: Mark Pellington also directed U2’s music video, One, on Achtung Baby, the clip with the buffalos.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA
Background to Jeremy
Blender – an online music guide tells us:
On January 8, 1991, Jeremy Wade Delle, a student at Richardson High School in the Dallas suburbs, showed up late for his second-period English class. The troubled boy was sent to the administrative office for a late-admittance pass, but he returned with a .357 Magnum. He spoke just one chilling sentence – “Miss, I got what I really went for” – and then, as his classmates watched in horror, put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
In that same year Eddie Vender, lead singer and songwriter with Pearl Jam, wrote his song, Jeremy, expressing the sense of alienation behind the horrific story. He also drew on his own experience of a school shooting in which a fellow student had started shooting in the corridor – with less disastrous results.
Steele Shepherd has a page dedicated to the song, the video and the original Jeremy, including an interview with Eddie Vender from 1991.
Tom takes the video story of a troubled teenager ignored by parents and mocked by fellow students and puts it alongside the prophet Jeremiah. He explores the concept of suffering servant, apocalyptism, deconstruction and reconstruction. All useful conversation starters. But it’s a pity Tom didn’t have access to the stories behind the video mentioned above. What’s missing in most of his video exegesis is interpretation from the perspective of the writers and video directors themselves. In the seven years since publishing his book the internet has opened up so many possibilities for conversation between artist, author and reader.
Tom mentions getting flack over his idea that a generation could in themselves have religious significance in their engagement with pain. He does point out the need for Gen Xers to steer between the ‘seduction of big money’ and obsession with hopeless suffering. Theologians and culture analysts have a straight road to drive as well. It would be naive of us to discount the spiritual tones expressed in the voices of songwriters, fashion designers and film directors. At the same time we need to be careful to recognise our own questions and assumptions we make as we listen, wear and watch.