What Would Jesus Buy?
By Nicole Belle Sunday Sep 30, 2007 12:01pmI'm a big fan of Morgan Spurlock and he has produced a new document that played this weekend at the San Francisco Indie Film Festival and it looks like a must see:
Take heed brothers and sisters! The shopacalypse is upon us! America is fat with greed and addicted to shopping. Luckily, Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir are here to save our souls from overspending! In the weeks leading to Christmas, Reverend Billy and the Choir board a bus headed from advertising-thick Times Square through the heartland's shopping malls to the commercial mecca-Disneyland. Part performance art, part spendthrift evangelism, they cross the US singing and preaching to spend gently. With the average American holding about $8,500 in credit card debt, his work is overdue. Reverend Billy is serious in his message. He doesn't preach the impossible task of never buying again, but encourages us to be mindful of where our dollars go. We visit a Main Street men's clothing store struggling for customers against the Wal-Mart up the road and a line of Christmas shoppers waiting to buy an Xbox 360 lest they feel the wrath of their consumption-addicted children. Billy and the choir go caroling to incite ‘change-a-lujah!' along front porches in gated community and from church pulpits. They're making trouble, evading Mall of America security, and just like the rest of us, they're fighting the urge to buy for the sake of spending. By the time they get to Disneyland, you may find yourself converted, ready to buy American and swear-off big box stores in favor of your local merchant.
The SFIndie website has Rev. Billy on the Glenn Beck Show, but since I cringe at the sound of Beck's voice, here is director Rob VanAlkemade describing the movie. The audio is a little poor, but it beats Beck any day.
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Ah! My good friend Jessica Delfino provided some songs for this film.
Google/Youtube her. She's great. :)
Rev. Billy rules - I'm surprised he agreed to go on that scumbag Beck's show though.
i never did have big spending ways--no money. but after i got a good paying job i did spend on my 2 teenagers a bit. but hippy moms and kids get by cheaper anyway. a new pair of red chucks would do my son of a long time. we used to cruise yard sales and thrift stores for cool stuff. we mostly wanted to be funky but when i changed my style a bit i was able to wear department store quality skirts, tops, jackets--even shoes--oh yeah i found some brand new black hose, some great gloves that i couldn't even find much less afford new.
i could go on and on. i've found 250 thread count sheet sets-Lauren. cook ware. small appliances. lamps. shelves.
and said with a russian accent---Swimwear!
My family gave up Christmas about five years ago and we have never regretted the decision. Sitting on the sideline it becomes even more obvious how much Christmas upsets people. When asked why my family would go without Christmas (people think we are insane), I always quote Tyler Durden "The things you own eventually own you".
Jenny O--Cool! I'm a big thrift-store hound too. Found a practically new pair of black Ecco boots last week for $5!! (new $140). Found a Best of Bob Dylan album complete w/poster for $2.50. It's a lot of fun hunting and gathering.
But sometimes I think of this, tho: If somewhere somebody didn't spend a lot on nice things and give them to thrift stores, I would be out of luck. I live off the fat of the land.
Jesus would buy a book of Henry David Thoreau quotes.
Glenn Beck.. /sigh.
His voice makes angels cry. (he said the same thing about Hillary btw).
I watch his show every night to monitor it and report on the horrible things he says, and trust me, he really makes you want to pull an Elvis and shoot your TV.
This is a good time for Texas Native James McMurtry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTW0y6kazWM
Jesus would probably buy a ton of food and hand it out to poor people. He would probably also buy a ton of pet food and give it the pet shelters everywhere. The Jesus I learned about in Sunday School when I was a little girl would have done these things. :)
I don't know if there was a "Jesus" but if there was anyone like him, I think we would have all liked him.
I grew up wearing second hand clothes due to living in a financially challenged family. I still enjoy exploring thrift shops just looking for "treasures" Not clothes but wonderful things that others can do without, but I might not be able to.
Chris from Maine @ 7:
i think jesus would by the korahn and find out what other gods had to offer!
Amazing. An entire post about the "document" and it doesn't mention the title.
What Would Jesus Buy - for those who are interested.
[Actually, Mr Observant, it's in the title of the post :roll: Sitemonitor]
So no one thinks Jesus would buy a 'Support the Troopers Sticker' and give it to himself, to hang on his hummer?
buy
"The unemployment rate has remained low, at 4.5 percent. A recent report on retail sales shows a strong beginning to the holiday shopping season across the country -- and I encourage you all to go shopping more." - George Bush
Absorbine Jr?
tyree @ 10:
Same God, different instruction booklet.
Now the Mahabharata,
The Rig-Veda
The Yajur-Veda
The Sama-Veda
The Atharva-Veda
Brahmanas
Vedanta
The Epic of Gilgamesh,
The Elder Eddas
The Prose Eddas
And the Culmination of Prophecy, The Book of the Sub-Genius.
Jesus would not drive a hummer, and he most certainly would not be a Republican.
Why? well because he only had the Old Testament to work with so he was definately what they now call ....a progressive!
Jesus would probably just walk the streets helping people and he would most likely be detained and suspected of being in a terrorist plot because he didn't look like everyone else in the neighborhood.
kudos to Morgan Spurlock
He'd buy a life-time subscription of Superman comics, about an orphan sent from space, to be raised on Earth and become its greatest champion!
Jesus would buy a fish taco in The Mission, and
decamp to the Dolores Park Cafe for a cappuchino.
i know jesus wouldn't buy the line of shit that gw is pushing 'in his name'!
arroyo @ 20:
Fish taco is what we use to call the distaff's pudenda's.
Sounds like something you do on the veranda.
I demand my Veranda Rights!
Millions of people from all beliefs and faiths will be reintroduced to a book by James Madison and the quote;
"Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."
The abandoning of the Republican party will further deteriorate causing the collapse and bankruptcy of the RNC.
The awakening of the American people to reality will continue.
Criminals and Law Breaking Corporate Profiteers will still remain
but will still pander to...
...The small percentage of non-thinking blind RNC followers, hypocrites, racists, supporters of torture, deception, propaganda and brainwashing....... Some will buy a ticket to a Republican candidate event. ...or to a childish Joel Olsteen lecture on how God has a plan for you to be wealthy and to invest.
obviously jesus would buy a half and share with us all while sharing his infinite message of peace and love.
"With the average American holding about $8,500 in credit card debt" what is an "average American."
Bud @ 2:
I guess you gotta do what you gotta do when you start off obscure. I haven't heard of this guy until now, and as they say, "even bad attention is still attention."
rend @ 25:
Being a math geek, I'm wondering if the $8,500 is the mean, median or mode.
Jesus was bi?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJkOyc_phy4
arroyo @ 21:
Would he turn the fish taco into a thousand fish tacos?
For Christmas, Jesus would want us to "put food" on poor families but boycott everything else. That way, maybe we'd quickly get the attention of corporations who need to be reminded of the power people can wield when we actually stick together.
Chris from Maine @ 7:
I swear, how do you manage doing that? My spouse also monitors the crazies and I'm amazed at the resilience you both must have. Me, I'd need to set in HUGE supplies of booze first.
What Would Jesus Buy?
Hopefully some deoderant.
And would some Swanson's Frozen Loafs and Fishes kill you?
hope @ 32:
What about putting cake batter on your date and licking it off?
Ah, Christians and their shopping/spending.
It's A Miracle!
Blue Buddha @ 28:
I assume it's the mean, although I wonder if they divided the total national credit card debt by the total number of Americans, the total number of Americans over 18, or the total number of Americans who hold credit cards.
I suspect that the median credit card debt carried by someone who uses credit is less than $8500.
E. D. @ 37:
I don't know....A LOT of people are simply mindless when it comes to credit. Doesn't dawn on them until they can no longer make the minimum payment. AND, as usual this phenom can be traced to corporate greed, preying on (sorry) ignorant people.
JudyLou @ 5:
I never buy new things either. Garage sales, thrift stores, stuff from the Church trift store...
But don't worry you will never run out of people who spend just because they can.
...$8,500 in credit card debt I think this is missing a zero. I'd wager it's closer to $85,000. You must include your car that isn't paid for, things bought on time, and the refinancing loans to pay off the cards last year. $8,500 maybe on one card: what about the others???
PS Oprah says: The "avaerage American" owes about $200,000. Until it's paid for, it's ALL DEBT.
Think Global, Buy Local
arroyo @ 21:
Wow, you are making me homesick : /
An El Faro chicken burr-eat-Ohhh...
I've seen test patterns more interesting than Beck. Of course, that was PBT and while under the influence.
Nothing can top the time you spend with family while you have the chance. Before long the children grow, have families of their own and try hard not to make the same mistakes their parents did while they become more and more like their parents. The important lessons generally come hard and are not appreciated until much later in life.
Retired Navy @ 44:
Change PBT to BPT. I am not under the influence now. Just hard to focus...
back during my youthful days of dwindling "faith," by which i mean participation in "church," this site helped push me over the edge:
http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/
"when did i say you had to buy so much stuff for my birthday?"
-the j-man
the religion is minimalist, preaches more on the subject of giving to the poor if anyone, and another important point present day "christians" obviously tend to miss is the whole materialism thing.
Harley-Davidson parts?
http://www.socialoracle.com/node/204
Losing your religion in general: http://www.socialoracle.com/religion/
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