Hey, we’re all on one. Even this guy.
You may or may not be aware that Beavis and Butthead is (are?) back. I watched it occasionally back in the day, although I found it mostly irritating, and nonetheless am generally a Mike Judge fan – Office Space is the perfect workplace comedy and Silicon Valley was not perfect (and was vulgar, yeah), but when it was good, it offered some of the most cutting satire of the past decade.
I heard about this episode, so I did a trial subscription of Paramount + (which seems a ripoff- even paying for it, you have three pretty long commercial breaks in a 20-minute show? Nah.) to watch it. It wasn’t great, and the cutaways were particularly boring, but the Catholic part may make you smile wince in recognition.
Premise: B & B are wondering, as they do, why they never “score.” Beavis decides it must be because someone – you know, someone up in the sky – doesn’t want them to score. He then sees Jesus – or maybe that hippie who was in the Beatles – in a nacho chip. It’s a sign. “Jesus has appeared in these nachos to help me score.” So he goes on a quest to find out what do about this.
First up is a Catholic church. Then a rabbi, who keeps telling him that he can’t answer questions about Jesus, which Beavis keeps asking anyway. Beavis mentions that he went to a mosque and those guys really didn’t want to talk about Jesus. Then they end up in an abstinence support group led by a cool youth pastor, the purpose of which group they think is the opposite of what it is, etc.
Anyway, the point of this post is to share the Catholic scene, which is painful but…accurate. All that’s needed to complete the circle is for the priest to wrap it up with some awkward coolness – maybe inviting the boys for some carpool karaoke?
“To study the nature of the Christ, I could refer you to any number of papal encyclicals, but I would suggest you start with Cristifidelis Laici because was addressed specifically to the laity…(Beavis: sounds good..heh..lay..) It was written by Pope John Paul II after a special synod of bishops in Rome…the seventh such synod since Vatican II…Cristifidelis Laici is a powerful statement redefining the role of the laity which is nothing less than the transformation of the entire temporal order….” knowing chuckle.
Beavis:
Yeah, it’s broad (but startlingly knowing) satire, but it’s not a bad reminder, either: when someone has made the effort to ask you a question – even it’s how do I get him to use his magic powers to help me score? – take a moment and mind the gap, as we say, between what you’re hearing, what’s really being asked – and whatever comfortable nonsense you’re tempted to reflexively pull out of your answer bag first.
Charlotte was Both 