American Idol Misses Out

So American Idol is holding auditions around the country. A young man named Bruce Dickson came to the Dallas try-outs. Bruce is 19, Christian, and comes from a home-schooled family. He made it past initial screening and went before the Golden Trio of TV judges: Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell.

As you can see from the picture here, Bruce is an attractive, athletic guy, and apparently has some musical talent as well. Before his chance to sing, Bruce was asked to share something interesting about himself. His response: "I've never kissed a girl." He went on to explain that he has made a pledge to remain chaste until he is married.

The three judges, accustomed as they are to Hollywood hedonism, almost fell out of their chairs. This just didn't compute. It was like Siamese twins had showed up and asked to sing a duet. Needless to say, Bruce did not get a chance to go on to the next round. Randy Jackson's parting advice: "Go kiss some girls."

It was the voice-over narration by Ryan Seacrest that really makes me mad, though. "Maybe next year he'll come back less a boy and more a man."

So let's get this straight. Because, unlike most of his peers, Bruce chooses not to sleep with every girl who will have him; because he actually seems to understand the meaning of love and commitment; and because he refuses to go along with the pelvic obsession of American culture, he isn't really a man. He's still just a boy. That is the way Ryan Seacrest sees it.

I'll be a gentleman here and not question anyone's manhood, except to say that I think Bruce has nothing to be ashamed of. I also think he's probably better off staying out of the Hollywood spotlight. It's hard enough to maintain purity in places like Bastrop, Texas, where Bruce lives. In the kind of cesspool American Idol glorifies, I'm sure it is almost impossible.

Lydia at WWWtW makes a good point: the very goal of shows like American Idol is to create sex objects for the titillation and pleasure of the audience. Is this the kind of thing a Christian who values chastity should want to compete in, much less win? Maybe not. On the other hand, aren't we called to engage the culture and try to change it for the better? It's a tough call.