. http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/2002/01/14/FFXR7Y05FWC.html
Going through the sin cycle
SIAN PRIOR
Monday 14 January 2002
There are two packages jammed into the letterbox. Same size, same envelopes, different postmarks. Christmas is over, the gifts have all been given. What can they possibly be? I rip them open. Two books fall out, small and reddish-brown in colour, both with their titles printed in gold ink. Both are illustrated with garish photos, and the text is broken up by bold headings in capital letters. Strange coincidence, or heavenly design?
The first book is entitled Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life, and it has been sent to me by a kind reader of this column, responding to my suggestion that I might check out the Bible this summer. The book is published by the same people who've incurred my wrath on many occasions, knocking on the front door at ungodly hours to try and talk to me about the Lord.
A familiar irritation rises in me as I flick through the pages, reading the admonishments to "draw closer to Jehovah God, our heavenly father" and "keep up your fight against wicked spirit forces". I can tell pretty soon that this little tome is never going to reach the top of my holiday reading pile.
The second book is called The New Sins, and just before I file it away with the Jehovah's Witness publication on the bookshelf designated for Unfileable Books, I open up the first page. "Conceived by the Better-Emancipated Strivers for Heaven, in Loose Conjunction with the Second Congregation of Trusters of Tomorrow." SURELY, I think, these people can't be serious?!
Turns out I'm right. Two pieces of advice: never judge a book by its cover, and never believe those critics who claim that Americans have no sense of irony. The New Sins is a work of social satire, a pseudo-religious rant conceived of and illustrated by the former lead singer of 1980s pop band Talking Heads, David Byrne. Written in the same florid, didactic style as the Jehovah's Witness book, The New Sins argues that "sins are constantly and eternally in flux. What was evil, despised and abhorrent yesterday is admirable and cheered today". At the same time, what used to be admired is now sinful.
Byrne lists 11 new sins, including Charity, Beauty, Thrift, Ambition, Hope, Contentment and Honesty. Beauty, for example, is "deception, falsification, deceit - Buyer Beware". Charity today is "a power play, a means by which one person may exert not-so-subtle control over another party". Our loved ones demand Honesty, he writes, "but love is a lie (and) what they really want is better fiction".
Byrne's little brown book is an elaborate, extended joke but beneath the surface lie some astute observations about changing social values. So instead of filing it away, I've been inspired to think of some more words to add to his list of The New Sins.
Take Stoicism, for example. Only a couple of generations ago, people were encouraged not to complain about their suffering. They were taught to grit their teeth in the face of adversity and get on with things. These days, though, if you're a stoic you're likely to be perceived as being "in denial", or unfeeling, or not emotionally demonstrative enough.
Then there's Loyalty, a virtue which used to be highly valued, particularly in the workplace. Nowadays, though, to be loyal to your employer is to risk being seen as foolish, naive or ridiculously self-denying.
Modesty was once a virtue but these days it's considered a sign of weakness. Who amongst us hasn't been encouraged to put together a CV that massively overstates our personal achievements? How many times have we watched work colleagues rocket up the career ladder by exaggerating or even lying about their abilities?
Delayed Gratification used to be considered character-building, particularly for children. "Here's your pocket money, now save it up and in a few months time you can buy yourself a skateboard." Nowadays, though, if you deny a child instant gratification (waiting until the queues shorten before taking them to the Harry Potter movie, for example), you're committing a mortal sin and will carry the guilt for years to come.
To be Hard Working used to be a virtue. These days, though, you're likely to be accused of suffering from workaholism if you enjoy your work so much that you're reluctant to leave the office. In fact, many of The New Sins are simply human behaviours which, with the aid of pop psychology, we have pathologised. To be Hard Working is to have an addictive personality. To be Diligent is to be diagnosed as obsessive-compulsive or anal-retentive.
Don't get me wrong. I've never been an admirer of people who bang on and on about The Good Old Days. Values change, human knowledge advances and I would never argue that we should all go back to a time when blokes stoically repressed their emotions and people loyally stuck to exploitative jobs because they felt they owed something to their bosses.
But the next time you're feeling guilty about indulging in one of The New Sins, remember that not so long ago it was probably one of The Old Virtues. And maybe some of them are still worthy of redemption.