I was on a rant the other day about how the TV drama The West Wing was liberal fantasy, and how even Martin Sheen couldn’t play a believable Catholic president, because no one who was meaningfully Catholic—even with buffet tendencies—would go into an Episcopal cathedral (not even the National Cathedral) to contest with God over the death of Mrs. Landingham.
We just wouldn’t. Sorry. There’s probably a Catholic chapel at least within a couple miles, and maybe better.
Technically, Martin Sheen was born during World War II, so he’s the Silent Generation. But The West Wing is Boomer fantasy liberalism. Notice how often the characters in that administration win the arguments with just their sheer conviction. The music swells, and whoever they were arguing with just slinks away. It’s actually embarrassing. I’ll just say it: you kinda have to be liberal to like the show. Not even the adorable Emily Procter playing a Republican could save the show. She might actually be conservative or moderate in real life.
I was saying this and more to an old friend on another site. I added that I do expect the highly educated Aaron Sorkin to know the differences between Episcopalians and Catholics. Theology is public knowledge. We don’t hide it, and although worshipping God has sadly carried the nonzero chance of religious violence or bigotry or some other evil, it’s a huge part of how people live in the world. A lot of trouble has found American and other leaders from their self-imposed religious ignorance.
You don’t have to adhere to something to understand it. It’s very possible that an adherent would give unique insight that an academic source couldn’t. But basic facts are just out there. Why does rejection equal ignorance, anyway? Maybe we’re generally enamored of our alleged superior choosing, but we’re really just dumb.
I knew someone who thought that we couldn’t expect non-believers to behave morally at all. Yep. Just rejecting natural law outright. God must apparently reveal everything supernaturally, or it can’t possibly be true. And certainly no government official could say, “This is a terrible way to live, for health and happiness and safety,” if the alternative happened to coincide with traditional morality. But we lost our last social tie over The Gay Stuff, so Heaven only knows how she explains her morality to herself. I try to say what is true. I’m as reticent to use government power against people as anyone, but I will offend anyone, if the truth demands it. Male-male sexual activity shortens life. Lesbians are depressed, and domestic violence happens at a higher rate in those partnerships. That’s not in the Bible; it’s in the data. Sorry. I actually think TV and movies glamorizes homosexuality more than reality. Sitcoms used to be “heteronormative” and kinda schmaltzy, I guess. That changed quickly. Maybe because people telling the stories are freaks and weirdos.
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