Wall-E Theology

Megan and I are both big fans of Pixar movies and we went and saw Wall-E tonight. I won't give any of the details away, but let me just say that 1) I really enjoyed it but 2) it definitely was not what I expected. I just want to give my brief thoughts about the film and what I've noticed to be a growing trend in our culture.

The movie is very much one big "go green" message. If you have been watching tv anytime lately you'll know that this is not a new trend. Numerous tv channels are promoting "going green," and there are a number of movies out (i.e. "The Happening") that are also sharing this message. As I told Megan, I in no way disagree with proper stewardship of the resources that have been given to us. There is certainly a responsibility to take care of our planet and not take it for granted. But here are my fears with this growing trend...

I fear that culture is beginning to put a greater emphasis on the sacredness of nature than it is on human life. We will fight for the ozone layer before we will fight for the poverty that overwhelms the nations or the thousands of children forced into prostitution. MTV and CNN will give more time to water saving tips than they will to the issue of genocides in Africa. I understand both these channels have at times (rarely) profiled matters of social injustice, AIDS, or poverty. But when have we seen "international justice week" on CNN? If the coverage is proportionate to that which we find most important and value the greatest, then the human life comes in a distant second.

The same goes with animals. Was I outraged when Mike Vick killed dogs for fun? Absolutely. But what makes me even more outraged is that the average American can identify Vick as a dog-killer but can't tell you who Leonard Little is. Who is Leonard Little? Only a serious sports fan would recognize this name. He is a defensive end for the St. Louis Rams who killed a woman while driving drunk in 1998 (he only got a 90 day sentence and an 8 game suspension from the league) and was arrested on a DUI just 6 years later. He still plays for the Rams and played in 12 or more games every year from 2000-2006. Have dogs become more precious than a mother in our society? If the level of protest is any indicator, then this is unfortunately the case.

Is our environment important? Yes. Are animal rights important? Absolutely. But we must be careful to not stress these to a point that human rights are minimized, and the preciousness of the human being becomes secondary. Let us champion all these rights, but those of the human first.