Sacha Baron Cohen's black Jesus to shock America
Is this really necessary? I can't believe that these sorts of headlines still get written. Maybe its because it's a British publication commenting on their idea of what Americans are all about, but give me a break. Shock art will always be strongly tied to the law of diminishing utility. It is ultimately self-defeating; people eventually become inured to its effects. Why does anyone think that Americans still have some untapped reservoir of prudishness to be drained? Madonna made out with a black Jesus 25 years ago on MTV. Kevin Smith had Alanis Morrisette play God, Selma Hayek depict the Holy Spirit/Grecian Muse as a stripper, and Andres Serrano immersed a crucifix in urine. Let's get something straight: anger is not shock. Americans are not shocked nearly as often as the press assumes. They are, instead, angry at having their deepest beliefs and commitments mocked by fools and infantile provocateurs. Cohen is free to live his double and triple lives; Andy Kaufman did much the same thing. But it would be refreshing if reporters could simply comment on the quality of his work, and not dumbly speculate on the expected reactions of his audience.
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