We are the World...25 years later

Just had the chance to contrast and compare "We are the World" versions today. I would start by saying that I am amazed at the choices they made for musicians in the newest version. Of course, I was taken back by some of the singers in the original. Musicians such as Randy Jackson, Kanye West, Tony Bennett, and Barbara Striesand help to fill the modern roster of talent. Seems like an eclectic group, and I am sure that is what the song is going for-that sense of the variety of the world. Of course, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and Tina Turner seemed to me to be strange choices at the time as well (guess this gives away my age a wee bit).
I would think that after 25 years, we might have learned a little more to care for others. Alas, that obviously isn't the case. For example, Bono goes around feeding kids and hanging with the HIV positive and get pulverized for his troubles by any media surrounding him. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt become tabloid fodder as opposed to poster adults for taking care of kids that cannot take care of themselves. Michael Jackson, the only one to appear in both videos, is remembered for the many mistakes he made as opposed to the work that he did. I don't think that I'm going to light candles around any of the "star" pictures that have been mentioned in this paragraph. The point remains that we don't look to the cause but to the short comings. If you don't believe that statement, listen to any sports show talk about Tim Tebow.
My real disappointment lies in the fact that a new song wasn't written. We don't need remakes by modern stars. We need all of those with resources to care, period. For me, the modern version fell short because it wasn't really meant. Of course, they don't want people to die, I concede that fact. Here is the difference, when I heard the original, I really felt that through what choice I made, I would be saving lives. There was a raw emotion and empathy that peppered the entire song. This was that generations cry out to the world that we need to make it a better place.
The cause hasn't changed, but we have. Others suffer but we have become more and more immune to that fact. We have watched dead body after dead body through the nightly news during Vietnam to me watching the Gulf Conflict on the floor of my 8th grade GA History class. Millions infected with HIV/AIDS around the world...do you notice that we rarely speak of the disease anymore. I guess since we have fixed the problem for Magic Johnson, then others will be better off left to their own devices.
We don't talk about the hungry because we are not hungry, we don't speak of the homeless because we have a home, and we don't hear the constant pleas of others because we are too busy screaming socialism, bad health care and me, me, me! The core of this song seemed to means something to the previous artists that sang it.
American Idol always has judges making the comment of whether a contestant makes a song their own or not. To Josh Groban, Pink, Lil' Wayne, Celine Dion, and Miley Cyrus...you are all talented (as much as it pains me to say that to some of you) but bring your own voice. That means bringing your own message in a way that is clearly yours. Until you do that, then our concerns were voided 25 years ago.
There is "a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives..."tell us how its our choice because its a choice you make not copy from others nostalgically. This isn't a misty duet between Nat King Cole and his daughter, this is a call to action. Find a way to convey that and realize that you are in no way as talented as Stevie Wonder (sorry, couldn't resist Beiber).

Bully Beatdown

So I have discovered a new show that is near and dear to my heart. It goes by the name of "Bully Beatdown." I haven't watched MTV since they stopped showing music, so it has been a good 15 year hiatus. Still, through the magic of my guide on my dish network, I was able to catch the title for this fantastic show.
The premise is simple. Take one bully who essentially ruins peoples' lives in ways that we only thought possible in the movies. Then you take them to the octagon for some MMA fun. The host is ridiculous (mostly because he likes to see bullies get theirs and he has the power to do take them down himself if he so desired). With $10,000 on the line the bully trains, signs a waiver and then goes head to head with an actual MMA star. Needless to say, typically the bully gets beatdown and in turn apologizes to the guys he has picked on. A beautiful ending to a not so beautiful story.
Here is where the problem lies though...in the beginning. One such program brought a guy who just looked to fight anyone weaker than him. He even had a video of one such fight in which he was putting the moves he had learned from tv on this weaker guy. The moves weren't as impressive to me as the t-shirt he wore. On the side was a symbol I've seen quite a few times. It was the cross associated with FCA or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Overwhelmingly, this means nothing. Many times Christians belief but fall short.
So I watched the next episode. It involved a Texas hockey player that liked to chew and pick on people. The massive silver cross around his neck stuck out to me. Later, when he went to the octagon, his shirt was off with the cross tattooed on his arm.
This seems to me to indicated a bigger problem. The cross has become a pervasive symbol in our society. It seems alright to accesorize with it, tattoo it, or whatever else one desires as long as it doesn't lead to an actual conversation about the one who died on it. That is not to mention the fact that a pronounced Christian should be the one protecting, not the one bullying.
I am thankful that I get to see guys fight and have to admit some secret joy in a bully getting what he "deserves." That after all is the American way and who am I to buck that system. I still ponder our place as Christians. Bullies or protectors...maybe we should go back to the those bracelets if that is what it takes for us to be conscious of what Jesus would do...