Faith Works 5-4-19
Jeff Gill
Who is everyone, anyhow?
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You may have heard that EVERYONE is going to watch "Avengers: Endgame."
But are they? Everyone?
I made a reference at church, on a Wednesday night at Bible study, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in an aside about Doctor Strange, then asked how many had seen a Marvel movie — 1 hand out of 50 in the room went up, so add me in for 2, or 4%. The same for having seen any Harry Potter movie in a theater (or on TV).
When I went to look it up, the Harry Potter movies were seen on big screens by 8 to 14% of the country (and that's not factoring for repeat viewings by devoted fans). Around 1 in 10. That means close to 9 of 10 have never seen any of them. Not everyone!
On TV, "everyone" is even smaller. 4% watched "The Sopranos" series finale, 3% the end of "Breaking Bad", and not quite 1% "Mad Men." Going back a bit, 24% of the country watched the conclusion of "Friends," 30% the Seinfeld finale (nearly all of us regretted having watched it, IMHO), 35% the 2010 Super Bowl between the Saints and Colts, 38% the 2015 Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Seahawks.
But 40% of the nation watched the conclusion of "The Fugitive" in 1967, and 45% of Americans tuned into the finale of "M*A*S*H" in 1983. I may not have this exactly right, and they claim higher ratings for a few Super Bowls over the "M*A*S*H" goodbye, but I'm just looking at the audience and dividing by the US population for that year.
Meanwhile, back to the movies…
14% of the nation went to see "Iron Man" when it first came out in 2008; 23% watched "Black Panther" last year; a little less than that "Avengers: Infinity War." "Star Wars" captured about a third of the nation in its first few years, the more recent installments closer to 20% even with Mark Hamill back onscreen. At the most optimistic, the everyone who will go see "Endgame" in a theater is probably a third at best, I'd say less than 30% or so given the number who watch it again and again.
How many is everyone, anyhow?
If this makes some of you feel a little less out of the loop, then I'm glad. I have seen most of the above, but I'd not say any or most of them are life essential experiences. And many of you have figured out that by paying attention and using a little everyday reasoning you can figure out enough about what people are talking about if it comes up in conversation.
Except for "Game of Thrones," which I've not seen a minute of. Another "everyone" experience, which in this case I've missed out on.
You hear these news stories about what everyone is doing, or that we all should be worried about. Coffee, cholesterol, fiber in your diet, bacteria on your doorknobs. You wonder if you're missing out on microgreens or aromatherapy or hot yoga, because "everyone is into them." Everyone?
Here's what keeps me writing this column, friends. And in ministry, too, for that matter. You know what everyone will experience?
Suffering. 100%. Pain and sorrow. Sorry, 100%. Some more than others, yes, but we all encounter them, rich or poor, young or old. The flavors and shadings change, but the essences: we all experience them, every last one of us.
And . . . yes, I'm going there. Death. For ourselves, and unless you die so young you're not reading this anyhow, for others. That is an everyone experience. It is part of life, and living. Death is. 100%.
Which is why stories of faith and hope and doubt and questing after a sense of meaning and purpose beyond the immediate moment have such appeal. Including in many of those not-everyone "everyone" media experiences mentioned above. No spoiler alert needed, but many of them involve confronting death, and whether it obliterates meaning, or if there's something that endures.
If I had a story to tell that answers that question for us, in our own real, non-CGI augmented lives, I don't think anyone would cover their ears and shout "no spoilers, please!" There's a story to tell, and there are our stories of encountering that Good News as it erupts and breaks into this life, about what's eternal, everlasting, and enduring.
One that doesn't end with Easter day.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and pastor in Licking County; yes, he watched "The Fugitive," too. With David Janssen, not Harrison Ford. Tell him your piece of everyone's story at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on Twitter.
