We want to fit in. We want to be accepted and that means not veering too far from what is "normal" or "acceptable." Anyone who eschews (good old King James word) fashion and pop culture is considered weird and even worse, inferior.
When we see someone truly unique, we tend to question their sanity, their appropriateness, their intelligence.
Maybe I'm wrong to say "we." Maybe it's just me. I am confessing right here that I judge people based on their appearance far more than I would like to. I don't want to think of myself as that shallow, but I am. God help me. (And He will.)
So when this plain, unfashionable woman stepped on the stage of Britain's Got Talent, I thought similar thoughts as the audience and the judges. I felt bad for her. I was afraid that she would get up there and make a fool of herself. She would be humiliated. I didn't really consider that she might be truly gifted.
Something has happened in our culture. Many famous singers of days gone by weren't particularly good looking. But when I think of current stars, it seems that is a crucial part of the package. They must fit in. Or if they don't, they must look so good as too make the rest of us feel inferior.
Some of you watched the video from my last post. If you haven't seen it, watch it now.
This woman is unique. She is who she is and doesn't seem to care what others think. She doesn't fit in. A woman who has dedicated her life to caring for her mother, she hasn't had time to follow fashions or cultural trends. She's been too busy pouring out her life for another.
Finally, the time came. She rousted up the courage to face Simon and Piers together, (have mercy) and reach for her star. And I wept. I wept because I am a snob and unworthy. I wept because this woman has what I don't. She has courage.
This woman opened her mouth and was transformed into beauty.
Now everyone is talking about her. Everyone is her fan. She fits in.
But what if she didn't have talent? What if she got up there and squawked Where would she fit then?
