Politics and the passions
Anger, contemplation, the internet, St. John Cassian, and... "Weird Al" Yankovic
I have never mentioned “Weird Al” Yankovic in my Substack posts before, but there’s a first time for everything. In all likelihood, this will probably be the last time I bring him up in these posts, too. With a career that has lasted for more than four decades, he’s become something of a legend — or, at least, a fixture — in American satirical songwriting (although he lacks as a lyricist and performer the brilliance – and the remarkable shapeshifting abilities – of the late, great Neil Innes). I wouldn’t mention “Weird Al” Yankovic at all, except that I chanced to see a new music video he has released, which incorporates “enhanced” moments clipped from the recent presidential debate. It’s aptly named “Dejah Vu (But Worse),” and if you can endure it for any length of time, it has a few funny moments (funny in a depressing kind of way, that is). What struck me about this ephemeral, soon-to-be-forgotten bit of fluff is that it amply displays exasperation and frustration in reaction to the absurdities of the current political moment in the United States, but the video never degenerates into rage or nastiness; it doesn’t “attack” or sneer or “virtue signal.” It doesn’t self-righteously project hatred. Indeed, hatred is noticeably absent. There’s no attempt at fearmongering, no vindictiveness directed at those who support either candidate, no name-calling. I don’t know what “Weird Al” has to say about the current situation outside his performance – I’m sure it’s serious (he doesn’t always play the clown) and maybe even somber in tone – but his video is more ironic than mean-spirited; there’s something almost good-natured about it. What may not be known to many about Yankovic, with his reputation built on outlandish humor, is that he is serious about his Christian faith, even to the point of abstaining from profanity, alcohol, and drug use. It seems to me that this same hidden moral seriousness of his may account for his restraint from indulging in anger or vulgar and ugly ridicule in his parody. It’s just a guess. But if I’m right, maybe “Weird Al” Yankovic has something to teach us by way of example: how to “comment” politically (which we often have reason to do) without aggression or rancor — without, that is, displaying the vicious passion of anger. I wish more Christians were like him when it comes to politics and controlling their passions. One of the fruits of the Spirit, after all, is self-control (ἐγκράτεια; Galatians 5:22-23). Because if there’s one thing that stirs up and provokes the unruly passions lurking in the dark subterranean corridors of our souls, it’s politics (and, even worse, politics as amplified by so-called “social” media) – and, tragically, politics dominates everything in our world today. The chief passion most stirred up by an obsession with politics, of course, is anger – rage, wrath, not without the pleasant tang of vented hatred. But if such passion is unleashed in us, or becomes a habit (a prepossession, as we discussed in a previous post), we can forget about engaging in true prayer or contemplation. Prayer – without which life in Christ cannot survive – won’t abide long in such a divided heart. So, then, from “Weird Al” Yankovic I turn to St. John Cassian (c. 360 – c. 435).
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