Los Angeles is called the “City of Angels” because of its Spanish name, “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles”, which translates to “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels.” The name was given by Spanish settlers when they established the city in 1781, referring to Our Lady, Queen of Angels, a title for the Virgin Mary. California was originally part of Mexico as Nueva Espana until the Mexican-American war of 1848, after which it became part of the USA. In the late 1800s, Thomas Edison and his company were among the first to create motion picture cameras and his motion picture patents initially controlled much of the industry, so filmmakers sought freedom from his patents. Some moved to California to avoid Edison’s legal reach, as well as acquire cheap land on which to build their studios, which was one of the early reasons for the industry’s migration to Los Angeles. Today, Los Angeles is known for Hollywood, and with it comes the notoriety of the money-making, human-peddling, society-changing industry and the reputation that comes with it.
So, when comedian Nikki Glaser brought up how “God, Creator of the universe” had “zero mentions” before noting that Catholic host Mario Lopez came up in one acceptance speech when she hosted the Golden Globe Awards last week, people started to equate her comments to the wrath of God called upon on the centre of film industry and the city of LA. She joked that the absence of God from acceptance speeches is “no surprise in this Godless town,” and social media burst into a frenzy with comments that equated the wildfires as being a reflection of a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. In the Bible, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the surrounding plain, by raining fire and sulfur on the cities and their inhabitants. The story of is symbolic of wickedness in the world and the Lord told Abraham that the people of the two cities had committed very grievous sins.
Glaser’s remarks reflect the fact that Hollywood and the entertainment industry are seen as overwhelmingly secular and hostile toward traditional Christian values. Despite the atmosphere and prevailing attitude in show business, some stars have not hesitated to give gratitude to God at awards ceremonies in the past, including the Golden Globes, but as Glaser notes, this was a unique show as there was an inadvertent lack of it. Whether it was meant as a joke, it does point to a reality, especially with the movies currently coming out of Hollywood that tend towards wokeism and virtue-signalling.
Her observations may be true or not, but people need to remember Glaser is a comedian, and her brand of humour is that of the likes of Ricky Gervaise who will say anything they observe, sensitive feelings aside. And although I felt her number donning a mitre (a bishop’s hat) and holding a scepter just to sing a play on the word “pope-u-lar” to the tune of “Popular” from Wicked while also pertaining to the movie Conclave was crass and disrespectful, she was trying, albeit, with great difficulty, to be funny.
People should not find the wildfires connected to anything that a comedian says or observes. To use a comedian’s monologue to highlight the wrath of God and the tragedy that the wildfire has brought upon millions of people in California is a misreading of the events. No one deserves to have their homes ravaged by such calamity, regardless whether one rents an apartment or owns a million-dollar home. In the first place, God does not desire human suffering and difficulty, as many have perceived Him. There are situations in life that happen due to either natural causes or man-made ones. To equate the burning of Los Angeles as a metaphor of Sodom and Gomorrah is inappropriate and uncalled for, and for a Christian to do so is uncharitable.
What the people of Los Angeles need are prayers and compassion for their predicament, not judgment, regardless of what the world sees as Hollywood to be. Regardless of how this seems to be God’s judgment called upon hedonistic Hollywood, people need to be reminded that they are in the middle of an unfortunate crisis, and many of those affected were not only the Hollywood elite but ordinary, everyday citizens who, with great difficulty, will need to recover from the devastating economic and personal destruction the fires have caused them. These are people – children, the youth, the elderly, working class men and women, the disabled, the marginalized, and everybody else in between, who are, right now, in need.
By Rosette Correa
