Monday, October 02, 2006

The Pope and Boss Hogg: Dare to Compare


A great post from The Continuing Anglican Churchman:

I was watching a rerun of the Dukes of Hazzard the other day and noticed that there is an uncanny resemblance between Boss Hogg and the pope.

The pope dresses in all white and wears a fancy hat; so does Boss Hogg.

The pope rules over the Vatican City; Boss Hogg rules over Hazzard County.

The pope has the Vatican as his HQ; Boss Hogg has the Boar's Nest.

The pope has a fancy car - the popemobile; Boss Hogg has his white convertible with the steer horns on the front of it.

The pope has a fancy chair - the throne of St. Peter; Boss Hogg has a fancy chair - his barber chair.

The pope is surrounded by smoke - incense; Boss Hogg is surrounded by smoke - cigars.

The pope has his doctrinal enforcer/watchdog - the head of the CDF; Boss Hogg has his - Sheriff Roscoe Pete Coltrane.

The pope speaks English with a heavy accent - so does Boss Hogg.

The pope has people that cause him a great deal of trouble and try to usurp his authority - schismatics, heretic, etc.; Boss Hogg has the Duke boys.

The pope is sort of friends with the ABC, who has a big bushy beard and a big church/communion that he can barely keep together. The two go way back, but the pope would really like to see the ABC and his communion submit to papal authority; Boss Hogg has a similar relationship with Uncle Jesse (who has a big bushy beard). He is always scheming to take over Uncle Jesse's farm, which is constantly teetering on the brink of financial disaster, and lock up the Duke Boys.

Is this a coincidence? Could the Dukes of Hazzard serve as a metaphor for the church in an even larger way? What about Daisy Duke, Cooter, and the General Lee? What about Roscoe's pet basset hound that rides around with him? The possibilities for theological reflection are endless. Hmmmm, I think I know what I am going to do my ph.d. about. Yee haw!

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3 Comments:

Blogger Dixie said...

Did y'all hear me laughin' all the way from Georgia? :D

Well, I think this explains why there are so few Roman Catholics in my part of the country! Boss Hogg rules here and I am thinking there isn't enough room for them both in the same town!

9:52 AM  
Blogger Ochlophobist said...

Boss Hogg speaks with an accent? Please. More Yankee theology.

3:51 PM  
Blogger Fr. Matthew said...

Now I'm going to be up all night, staring at the ceiling, contemplating the possible connections!

7:29 PM  

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