I think this dude is off his meds.....

I thought he was suffering from constipation while he was singing. The kid needs more fiber in his diet, less grunting and heaving in his music.

Invisible Sky Lord returns. He demands you eat His flesh and drink His blood.

/Further communication will be via ESP

When an American Idol contestant is booted after singing "Jesus Christ Superstar," there's only one logical conclusion: Southern racists control America Idol...

They are welcome to it.

A controversial song? I've helped perform "Jesus Christ Superstar" a few times at my church, sang songs from it many more times.

Southernism, that's a new word to me. I dunno, I wouldn't give that kind of stupidity a geographical location.

He has a point. What states solidly supported Bush II in 2000 & 2004 with the exception of Florida in 2000? As a Southern, I'm very uncomfortable with people deciding who to vote for, based on their race and religious beliefs.

/Scot-Irish descent & Southern.

It's vitally important that, we, as a nation, take this situation, attach a potentially polarizing political agenda to it, line up on opposing sides of some hypothetical, uncrossable line, and argue about it until something else comes along to distract us from reality.

Is it relevant that her version of JCS sucked?

Leonid: Is it relevant that her version of JCS sucked?

Of course not! The race card is bein' played here, 'member?

rbabe1485: When an American Idol contestant is booted after singing "Jesus Christ Superstar," there's only one logical conclusion: Southern racists control America Idol...

They are welcome to it.

And trailer parks. Think we can get 'em to take those, too? They already got all the mullets they need, so they won't have to redecorate.

Leonid: Is it relevant that her version of JCS sucked?

You thought it sucked? I thought it was very good.

The said, it is kind of a controversial show, and a controversial song. Judas is not necessarily the bad guy, Jesus is not necessarily divine, Jesus and Mary's relationship is very close, etc.

Gad, I love YouTube. They have the Indigo Girls and friends live performance of JCSS. I have the studio release and it's very good. If you're a fan of it, they do a faithful update.

Despite the fact that this guy can barely write, his premise is correct.

she should have sung one of these two songs instead, cause they're better

heaven on their minds

king herod's song

That was my favorite performance of the night. I think everyone's forgetting about the teenage fanbase for American Idol. The tweens are loving David Archuleta and that Cook guy. Jason Castro is dreamy, and Brooke White was a tearful about her screw up. They suck that crap up. Carly was funky w/tats and Syesha's the black girl. Brooke will be next to go. Then Jason or Syesha. It'll be between the sex symbols of the season.

//i get bored a lot.

Someone who has had over $2 million dumped into her already by a record company shouldn't be on American Idol in the first place.

/besides she's not even American!
//put her on Irish Idol!

Jesus Christ this article is stupid.

error 303: It's vitally important that, we, as a nation, take this situation, attach a potentially polarizing political agenda to it, line up on opposing sides of some hypothetical, uncrossable line, and argue about it until something else comes along to distract us from reality.

THIS!

milhouse?: Despite the fact that this guy can barely write, his premise is correct.

whaaaa? I mean that, explain this comment. Please?

submitter is being a bit unfair in picking the most tenuous example in the piece and focusing on it.

The essay, while more than a little condescending and dismissive of that which is valid in the "Southern" perspective, is thoughtful and articulate. Oh yeah- and right.

Pr1nc3ss: That was my favorite performance of the night. I think everyone's forgetting about the teenage fanbase for American Idol. The tweens are loving David Archuleta and that Cook guy. Jason Castro is dreamy, and Brooke White was a tearful about her screw up. They suck that crap up. Carly was funky w/tats and Syesha's the black girl. Brooke will be next to go. Then Jason or Syesha. It'll be between the sex symbols of the season.

As soon as she started singing that song I knew she was out. Look at the demographics? after the tweens and teenage fanbase all you have left are christian nutcases.

One my guity little secrets is my absolute love for Jesus Christ Superstar. And yes, this has nothing to do with the article.

That Southern Moonshine is a helluva drug

I actually totally agree with the writer. As soon as I saw that was the song she was doing (the wife watches the show once in a while) I told her that no matter how it went the girl would be gone because of who votes for AI.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Southerners, and rural people in general, are elitists and think they are better than everyone.

It's true. I was born and raised southern Baptist and they thought the play and movie were an abomination that portrayed Jesus as a dirty hippy running around with whores and homos.

Huh? Dumb-Dumb?

I didn't try to read all of the article, because I may need those brain cells, but let me say this: It's gonna be okay that someone thinks differently than you do, Mr. pseudo-journalist.

You'll live. And you'll get over it.

error 303: It's vitally important that, we, as a nation, take this situation, attach a potentially polarizing political agenda to it, line up on opposing sides of some hypothetical, uncrossable line, and argue about it until something else comes along to distract us from reality.

Sounds good. Should we also drag it to the level of personal insults, unfair generalizations, and incredulous strawman slayings?

Sir Roderick Glossop: The essay, while more than a little condescending and dismissive of that which is valid in the "Southern" perspective, is thoughtful and articulate.

Why is he "condescending?" His entire point is that Southerners are themselves condescending.

The funny thing is that conservatives are going to dismissing this guy as an "elitist" and "condescending." He probably would have gotten a bit more milage by just coming out of the gates with "no, fark you - you guys are the elitists."

Crude: It's gonna be okay that someone thinks differently than you do, Mr. pseudo-journalist.

Same to you, Mr. Southerner. You'll just have to learn to live with those godless urban city dwellers.

oh the south, silly people.

South Postpones Rising

LocalCynic: This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Southerners, and rural People in general, are elitists and think they are better than everyone.

ftfy

I saw the touring version with Corey Glover (Living Colour lead singer) as Judas last year. He owned that part.

Superstar

As someone who moved from New England to Arizona, and lived in Pennsylvania for 4 years, I can say that this guy is pretty much right on the money. It's scary to listen to people talk here.

/hates the south
//and the west

LocalCynic: Why is he "condescending?" His entire point is that Southerners are themselves condescending.

The funny thing is that conservatives are going to dismissing this guy as an "elitist" and "condescending." He probably would have gotten a bit more milage by just coming out of the gates with "no, fark you - you guys are the elitists."

I agree- he is well within his rights to point out the high-handedness of the Southerners (if I can be excused for painting with a broad brush for the purposes of discussing this essay). However, if we stop there we miss an opportunity to break the cycle of insulting each other.

I think Hirsh would have been better off to note that which is good and true about the Southern perspective (e.g. patriotism, physical courage, seeking moral clarity etc) and elaborate on how these things can be developed and exhibited without resorting to their basest forms ( e.g. jingoism, bellicosity and reductionism, respectively).

I think, for their part, they need to make an effort to understand what is good and true about the "Northern" culture (e.g. tolerance and pluralism) without collapsing into hysterics about how debased WE are (e.g. by thinking us to be cultural and moral relativists).

In short, I think we'd be better off if we didn't start with the presumption that the other side is a bunch of stupid a**holes without a noble thought or intention in their heads.

Hobodeluxe: It's true. I was born and raised southern Baptist and they thought the play and movie were an abomination that portrayed Jesus as a dirty hippy running around with whores and homos.

I'm pretty sure that stuff is in the Bible. He DID consort with whores, he DID have an insane amount of followers, and he DID preach loving everyone you know. It's a shame they seem to have ignored the whole New Testament in favor of the angry, smite-happy Old Testament God.

Ummon: Pr1nc3ss: That was my favorite performance of the night. I think everyone's forgetting about the teenage fanbase for American Idol. The tweens are loving David Archuleta and that Cook guy. Jason Castro is dreamy, and Brooke White was a tearful about her screw up. They suck that crap up. Carly was funky w/tats and Syesha's the black girl. Brooke will be next to go. Then Jason or Syesha. It'll be between the sex symbols of the season.

As soon as she started singing that song I knew she was out. Look at the demographics? after the tweens and teenage fanbase all you have left are christian nutcases.

Remember when Kristy Lee Cook sang "God Bless the USA"? Simon commented it was the most clever song choice anyone's made on the show. Why? Because the Southern people are not going to vote against a country girl singing a patriotic song, and if you don't vote for her, then you hate Jeebus and you're not really 'Murrkin. Thank God the rest of us woke up and saw her for the horsefaced no talent hack she is. But I miss Carly. I just hope they vote out the doe-eyed hippie and Brooke next. I'll be happy to see Archuleta burned in a pyre. David Cook is the best one left, and that's not saying much.

The mention of American Idol was only secondary to the topic of the article even though you would not get that at all from the submitted Fark headline or most of the comments in the thread.

And I have been saying for years now that the South and Southern old style, religious culture has been dominating the US. How many elected non-Southern presidents have we had since 1964? (Nixon and Reagan, Republicans). The Theocratic Wing of the Republican Party, which is Southern dominated, has been the leading political format of the nation for years now. The Democrats have been shifting right over these same years as they cannot win elections without pandering to this socially conservative culture that exists in all regions of the US but dominates the South.

It seems as if Southerners have been reluctant to vote for a president without some sort of Southern roots for some time now minus Reagan. If a large region of the country tends to refuse to vote for candidates not of their region, that gives that region possibly more influence than it deserves if other regions of the country aren't so "xenophobic" in their voting habits and will vote based on ideas rather than geography. It will be somewhat of an interesting campaign this fall as none of the 3 candidates are Deep South Southerners, but I would give McCain the advantage as he comes from the Southwest. That's probably the next best thing geographically for Southern votes with perhaps the exception of a conservative from the southern Mid-West.

It is certainly not the politics of the Northeast, upper Midwest or the Pacific coast that has been dominating US politics lately.

TManPsycho: He DID consort with whores, he DID have an insane amount of followers, and he DID preach loving everyone you know.

It seems to matter very little what Jesus actually did or said to the mainstream movements.

It seems that what Jesus actually said and did matters very little to many of his modern-day followers.

/I think they actually follow Paul - they should remove books authored by him from the New Testament

Well Jesus Christ (Superstar).

/farking hypocrites

She's gone because of votefortheworst.com.

The first Polish Idol sang "I Don't Know How to Love Him." And Poland takes its Jesus seriously.

Carly was going to get voted off one way or another - really, would the legion of morons here be comfortable with someone who's not "American" winning American Idol?

Even if she didn't win, she's sure to have a better go at fame than her last attempt.

When valuable media coverage is used up with self indulgent dissertations on American Idol, the terrorists control America.

Jesus Christ superstar, ridin' down the street on a Yamaha...

I think you're all bitter and clingy.

I didn't realize that racism against the Irish was so rampant in the US.

The fact is, the final two, barring some seriously meesed up voting will be David and David. It really doesn't matter what order the others go out in.

I think she was disliked a bit to begin with because many didn't believe a person who had already recorded and released an album and had a record contract...lost her label a couple million...should be elighle for the contest. I beleive the rules even say as much.

srhp29: I didn't realize that racism against the Irish was so rampant in the US.


I just checked my watch and it turns out it is 2008 not 1908, so yea it is surprising.

It seems to me that, whenever someone writes about the "culture of the South," they seem to gloss over anything that would counter their base hypothesis: the South is filled with drunken rednecks who hate black people and foreigners and love fundamentalist Christianity. Never mind that the South's major cities (Houston, Dallas, Atlanta) are immigration hubs for the United States. Hey, we can just forget the diversity of the South's cities, or the inherent multicultural makeup of states like Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

I'll grant that the redneck good ol' boys make up a good portion of the population here. But that element - the racist, ignorant minority - is present anywhere. I haven't noticed much difference between my cousins from Bumfark, Texas and the southies in Boston. They just speak with a different accent and are pissed off at different racial groups.

And TFA is bullshiat, too. The "frontierism" TFA talks about is advanced by plenty of Northerners, as well. Lapel pin politics is manufactured by the media (overwhelmingly based in New York, LA, and Washington). When he talks about how Jefferson would never be able to criticize "protestant popedom" today, he's right. But that was largely true during his time, as well (see the bullshiat attacks mad on Paine's Age of Reason). The sources he's quoting are from private correspondence between two colleagues, not something yelled out by every town crier across the republic. Religion has always been a major part of United States culture, and likely always will. The North does this, as well. Northerners just subscribe to a slightly different collection sects.

Guess what? The South has always been a major part of politics. The region include the second most populous state in the union, several of its largest cities, and much of its economic activity. This is nothing new, and if politicians have to play to the southern voter, that's the nature of the republic.

Only_A_Lad: Lapel pin politics is manufactured by the media (overwhelmingly based in New York, LA, and Washington).

Uh huh. It's cute that you think that.

Let's head over to Free Republic and lgf.com and see what nice words they have to say on the subject...

Jesus Christ superstar
came down from heaven in a Yamaha
Pulled a skid
killed a kid
smashed his nuts on a dustbin lid