What Would Jesus Buy?

An interesting concept but only so-so as a film, this documentary, produced by Super Size Me's Morgan Spurlock, examines consumerism using Christmas as a focus. Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping travel from New York to California during the high holy days of shopping to raise consciousness concerning the move of Christmas from giving to recieving (Didn't the Puritans complain that Christmas was just an excuse to get drunk?).
The choir bits were interesting as they had a few mishaps on the way to Disneyland for Christmas day, but that wasn't enough to hold the film together. A few facts about American spending and debt, loosely titled sections combining Christian iconography and social satire, and interviews with three families about Christmas spending habits just didn't work as glue to make for compelling viewing.
I suppose the highlight was the climax as Reverend Billy and his choir sneaked in to Disneyland and then began their call to "Stop Shopping!" and Billy's subsequent arrest. The bewildered looks of visitors on Christmas day to the American Mecca was priceless, but still . . .
A tighter focus of some kind would have greatly helped this film. Again, very interesting concept, some entertaining parts, but it lacked cohesion.

Comments

Anarchrist said…

He wouldn't have bought more than he could afford, but he would have thanked God for the commercialization and consumerism that made all of his purchases possible.

I like how Gary North describes it in "The Magnificent Wastefulness of Christmas" (http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north148.html)

June 27, 2008 at 1:25 AM

Good reads of 2009

I haven't made a list like this in a while, and I believe I discussed most of these on the blog as I finished them, but I thought I'd make a handy short-hand list for you and me. These are only in the order I read them and do not indicate any preference. The Open Door * Frederica Mathewes-Green The Children of Hurin * J.R.R. Tolkien The Omnivore's Dilemma * Michael Pollan Agrarianism and the Good Society: Land, Culture, Conflict, and Hope * Eric T. Freyfogle Wonderful Fool * Shusaku Endo Up the Rouge: Paddling Detroit's Hidden River * Joel Thurtell and Patricia Beck Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction: Christianity and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation * Rodney Clapp (I started the following in December, but I haven't finished them--so far they are excellent: Love and Hate in Jamestown * David A. Price and The Picture of Dorian Gray * Oscar Wilde) Try one of these--let me know.

Worth Quoting

There are but three social arrangements which can replace Capitalism: Slavery, Socialism, and Property. --Hilaire Belloc ...

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I Am Not Hamlet

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