Repenting of Our Sins to Big Brother

I feel I should begin this post by saying that I do not watch the steaming sewage pipeline that is Big Brother Brazil, one of Brazilian TV’s most popular programs. I have much better things to do with my time. Like getting a root canal, for example.

For those unfamiliar with the Big Brother TV shows (there is, unfortunately, an American version), it is a “reality” show that brings several “contestants” together in a house full of TV cameras. The residents of this creepy place are then one-by-one voted out by the show’s voyeuristic spectators until the only one left is proclaimed the winner.

Like I said, I don’t watch it…but if you are at all in tune with the Brazilian culture you cannot help but hear the latest gossip about this year’s “houseguests”, who each season become as famous as national politicians. Indeed, one contestant from a past season parlayed his time on “BBB” into a political career – and promptly became one more argument against reality TV stars ever being let anywhere near the corridors of power.

But I digress.

A week or so ago an event took place which had Brazilian social media all a-twitter. The scandal revolved around a contest where the female contestants applied makeup (lipstick, blush, rouge…the whole nine yards) to the men’s faces. As they posed with their new looks, the guys began ragging on each other, giving each other names reminiscent of drag queens.

At this, one of the female contestants took offense. Later on, she let the guys have it, lecturing them on how their goofing off was offensive to the trans community.

Now here is where it gets surreal. One of the male contestants – Fiuk, by name, and the son of one of Brazil’s most famous singers – doubtless hearing the approaching jackboots of the Cancel Police in the background, took it upon himself to go full woke virtue-signaler. Fighting back tears, he bemoaned the evils perpetrated in the world by white, privileged, hetero men – like himself. It was truly an Oscar-worthy performance – which you can watch here if you are so inclined.

The Fundamental Need to Repent

Together with an innate need to worship, I believe, comes a visceral recognition that we as humans fall short of some Grand Ideal, and that repentance is the necessary antidote to our fallen-ness. When the focus of our worship is on the One True God, our repentance will be for actual sins that have offended Him. However, when those very things that offend Him have become our idols, well then, we must find other sins to repent of.

And senhor Fiuk put his finger on four of the biggies, the top sins ‘o the day, so to speak: whiteness, maleness, hetero-ness, and privilege.

There are so many ironies at play here. Observe how those who repeat the mantra “born that way” successfully demonize whole classes of people for characteristics that they were literally born with. There’s also the “combating” of racism by proclaiming another race to be morally inferior, the “humiliation” of being straight versus the “pride” of being…not straight, the son of a fabulously wealthy singer lecturing on privilege, and a dude apologizing for his “maleness” after participating in a drag-fest and while blubbering like a little girl.

It’s true, there were many sins to be confessed and repented of at that moment, but Fiuk didn’t mention a single one of them.

And it would be a crime to bring this post to an close without pausing for a moment to reflect on the glorious appropriateness of the fact that this whole episode took place on a program called “Big Brother”. If you have any familiarity with the book of the same name, you will recognize in Fiuk’s tears the selfsame abject humiliation required of those convicted of wrongthink in Orwell’s dystopian world.

The One True God is merciful to all who come to Him in real repentance for real sins. Big Brother…not so much.

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And be sure to read the action-packed adventures of Missionary Max: Missionary Max and the Jungle Princess and Missionary Max and the Lost City.