{"id":6099,"date":"2017-01-24T07:39:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T12:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=6099"},"modified":"2017-01-19T19:44:28","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T00:44:28","slug":"january-29-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/january-29-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"January 29, 2017–Take the Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you could have a conversation with anyone you wanted, living or dead, who would it be with?<\/p>\n

Take the Stage<\/strong><\/p>\n

On January 8th<\/sup>, the 2017 Golden Globes aired across the nation.\u00a0 It was a night of awards for films and television of all sorts.\u00a0 In any other year, the big headline after the awards ceremony would have likely been about the biggest winners.\u00a0 After all, this year saw the film \u201cLa La Land\u201d earn a record-breaking seven Golden Globes.\u00a0 This year, though, that was overshadowed by one speech given by 67-year-old actress Meryl Streep.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Streep took the stage after winning the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award, an honorary Golden Globe awarded only once each year to the entertainer who made the most “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”.\u00a0 It was an honor for Streep, who joined the ranks of such film giants as Judy Garland, Sidney Poiter, and Walt Disney.<\/p>\n

As she took the stage, though, Streep surprised the crowd by her speech.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t about her film experience or her cinematic triumph.\u00a0 Instead, Streep made a speech about culture, diversity, and rhetoric.\u00a0 Though she didn\u2019t mention him by name, this speech was seen by most to be a criticism of President-Elect Donald Trump (specifically of his comments about a disabled reporter while Mr. Trump was campaigning).<\/p>\n

Reactions to Streep\u2019s speech ranged from admiration to anger.\u00a0 One Twitter user commented, \u201cThank you Meryl Streep. Bravery, poise, eloquence, and speaking for many rather than just for herself, and for what is right.\u201d\u00a0 However, others were angry at how Streep chose to spend her time on the stage.\u00a0 Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump\u2019s campaign manager, said she was \u201cconcerned that somebody with a platform like Meryl Streep’s is inciting people’s worst instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of our feelings about Mrs. Streep\u2019s speech, the reality is simple enough: When given a chance to speak at the podium of a broadly-televised and popular event, she chose to speak about an issue that she saw as gravely important.<\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n