Month: April 2012

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Vatican v. Nuns: Sr. Iphielya Weighs In

Sr. Iphielya

Sr. Iphielya, the alter ego to my alter ego, is an occasional contributor to Mary Tyler Mom.  She is also the patron saint of empathy, hence, her name.  Sr. Iphielya is a little riled up with all this business about nuns in the news this week.  

I’m a good nun.  Or at least I try to be.  Following the Golden Rule, leaving the earth a better place, and helping my fellow human beings are all things I’ve taken seriously these many years of serving our Lord.  You can imagine my surprise when the Vatican explained that I’ve been doing it wrong all this time.

What’s that, you say?  You didn’t hear that?  Why, yes, yes it’s true.  A group of nuns from the United States went to visit the Vatican on official business just last week and learned that not only were we not doing the job right, but that we would now be supervised by a bishop.  You can read all about it here.

So now we are to understand that us nuns have been promoting, “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”  Hmmmm.  I’d like to take a ruler to the knuckles of the knucklehead that wrote that.  And I’ve no doubt that person is a man and a priest.

Yes, you see the Vatican also tells us that the bishops in America are, ” the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.”  While Jesus didn’t teach me to keep my mouth closed if I can’t say anything nice, my mother did, so no comment on American bishops.  Cough, cough [sex scandals, adoption scandals, payouts] cough, cough.  So sorry, I must be coming down with something.  Just a moment while I get a lozenge.

Now where was I?  Oh yes, we sisters are to listen to the bishops, talk more about the “sins” of abortion and same-sex marriage, and less time focusing on poverty and economic injustice.  Oh, yes, and express no opinions whatsoever about political matters.  Apparently, we are to leave that to the bishops, too.

Why just two weeks ago, Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria laid out the case that President Obama is following in the path of Hitler and Stalin.  Oh, yes, he did, you can read about it here.  Bishop Jenky is a learned man, holding a doctorate in divinity, don’t you know.  Well, then.  He must be right.  And certainly “an authentic teacher of faith and morals.”  Now where is that ruler when you need it . . .

The thing is, the American nun is a dying species.  We are right now 57,000 strong, but our median age is over seventy years old.  Are we truly what the Vatican is so worried about?  A group of women living an extinct way of life that understands the principles of poverty, chastity, and obedience (to JC, mind you, not the Pope) — is that really something to fear and dominate and control?

Thank you, Pope Benedict.  And thank you, American bishops, for you have just done for nuns what we have not been able to do for ourselves for years. You have shone a light on all our good works.  You have brought much needed focus and attention to the fact that we practice instead of preach. And because we have never been preoccupied with the power struggles within the church, as we were never invited to the table, you have shown just how powerful a group of old ladies can be.

If you want to show your support of American nuns, as 20K+ have already done, sign this petition at change.org that will be sent along to the Bishop now charged with reigning us in.

 

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Disney’s Chimpanzees: Is it kid friendly?

Chimpanzee Poster

Meet Oscar.  He is the toddler hero of Disneynature’s just released documentary, “Chimpanzees.”  It’s his eyes that got me — just look at them. Like my Mom, I’m a sucker for chimps.

Completely on a whim, Mary Tyler Son and I went to go see it this afternoon. We had house guests this weekend, friends from Iowa who both entertained us and brought Crack Pie and Carmel Bacon Cashew Popcorn for our consumption.  As they were preparing to leave yesterday, Mary Tyler Son broke down in tears, probably thinking that he would be stuck with just me all day and no cool older kids to play with.

I knew I had to up my game, but wasn’t certain what was on the agenda. Chimpanzees!  A friend gave it a thumbs up on the facebook and seeing it was rated “G,” I promised the boy that if he behaved himself at a meeting I had to drag him to, we would go see the movie.  We watched the trailer this morning, and with eyes open wide, he was enthralled.

A few folks have asked me if it was “kid friendly.”  For me, YES.  It captivated both three year old Mary Tyler Son and myself.  Just 70 minutes in length, the timing is ideal for young kids.

The cinematography is astoundingly beautiful.  Set in a rainforest in Uganda, the crisp depiction of water drops on the flora and fauna of the forest were simply breathtaking to me.  And hats off to those behind the camera. They managed to capture the personalities of the chimps and the relational dynamics of tribe life in a really engaging way.

Less stellar was Tim Allen’s narration.  I just kept thinking about Tool Time and Pamela Anderson.  Distracting, annoying, and a little too chummy for my taste.

Regarding violence and death and the brutality of nature, in true Disney style, that was skimmed over from my POV.  You should note, though, that my POV is that of a Cancer Mom who has buried a child.  Words like death and dying and pain and sadness are spoken easily in our home.  I know that is not always the case around young kids.

So, for the record, baby Oscar’s mom dies midway through.  She is eaten by a leopard after being separated from her tribe and her Oscar by a rival group of chimps.  None of this is seen, but you do hear the satisfied roar of a large cat.  MEOW.  A moment later, the narration is frank and tells us that Oscar’s mom has died.

More dramatic tension comes from this rival “army” or “mob” or “gang” of chimps headed by their alpha male, Scar.  As is the case in a natural setting, animals must hunt for food.  While no violence is ever shown, the hunt is depicted and it is clear that larger, more powerful animals eat smaller, more vulnerable animals.  In Chimpanzees, that would be a monkey being eaten by the “good” tribe of chimps.  Music intensifies what is happening on screen. Nom nom nom and scene!

A last interesting theme would be that of adoption.  As Oscar is orphaned midway through, we see his attempts to find another caregiver, with no luck. He does thin, and we are shown this.  He is searching for his mom, and we see this, too.  It is not belabored, but the narration makes it clear what is happening and the threat that exists for Oscar being a three year old chimp without a protector.

Enter Freddie!  Freddie is the alpha male of Oscar’s tribe.  In a truly Disney-esque turn of events, Freddie assumes responsibility for Oscar.  It is lovely and tender to see, and honestly could not have been scripted any better. We see both male and female caregivers, we see adoption, we see death and loss, and vulnerability.  Nature at its finest.

But don’t listen to me.  What do I know?  As we were leaving the theater, Mary Tyler Son gave it three “very”s.  “That movie was very, very, very good!” He asked questions throughout the film, “Why don’t the chimp dads take care of their kids?”  “Why did that leopard eat the mom?”  “What kind of fruit is that?”

Best yet, he crawled up in my lap the second we sat down and cuddled with me the whole time.  When Oscar’s mom nuzzled his neck, I did the same with Mary Tyler Son.  When she kissed his cheek, I kissed my boy’s cheek. When she groomed Oscar by picking the ticks off of him, I picked the ticks off Mary Tyler Son.  Not really, but you get the idea.  Seriously, the quality cuddle alone was worth the $13.50 ticket price.

On a heavier note, seeing this movie and knowing that chimpanzees are in real danger due to development and the cutting down of rainforests in Africa, it is hard to deny how vulnerable the animals that we know and love are.  I grew up seeing chimps in the zoo, but not having any real sense of their magnifcence.  Today, I believe Mary Tyler Son got a sense of something that would never be duplicated with a visit to the zoo.

For all patrons who see Chimpanzees in its debut week, April 20-April 26, 2012, Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). You can see the trailer and learn more about JGI here.

 

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Oreos v. Breasts: Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

Oreos

I saw this advertisement yesterday on some media outlet and didn’t think a thing of it.  Today, it is causing an uproar all over the Internet and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.

There are three elements here:  a breast, a baby, and an Oreo.  Most offensive to me is the Oreo, as I was never a big fan, but you know, to each her own.  If this baby were holding a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, I probably would have made it my profile photo on facebook.

Why are we as Americans still hung up on this?  A breast is a thing of beauty. But more than that, it is a functional part of a woman’s body, existing to provide nutrition to our babies.

I raised two babies and opted to breastfeed both of them.  There was an immense sense of pride and wonder and power and accomplishment and love I felt in seeing my little six and seven pound babies grow and develop in their first months knowing that all of that was made possible because of me.

There is nothing to be ashamed of here, folks.  Move along.  Breastfeeding is a gift for those of us who can do it, or choose to do it.  My full thoughts about breastfeeding are HERE.

Here is a selection of censored images on the web.  I prefer the star, myself. Which is your favorite?

Pixels
Star
Black Box
Double Black Box

Now I need to go get a peanut butter cup.  With a glass of milk.