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Indybay Feature

“What Would Jesus Buy?”: As Holiday Buying Frenzy Begins, New Film Tracks Anti-Consumerism Gospel of Reverend Billy

by via Democracy Now
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 : The holiday shopping season kicks off this week with Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. The new documentary “What Would Jesus Buy?” follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping gospel choir on a cross-country tour, preaching their message in such destinations as the Mall of America, Wal-mart headquarters, Starbucks and Disneyland. We speak to Rev. Billy, and the film’s producer Morgan Spurlock, who gained fame with his documentary “Super Size Me.”
As we kick off this Thanksgiving holiday, retailers are looking forward to Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the entire year. Millions of Americans around the country are expected to flock to malls and shopping centers, eager for discounts in a buying frenzy that kicks of the Christmas shopping season.

But a group of people are trying to convince Americans that there’s more to Christmas than the next best toy. They’re called the Church of Stop Shopping and their led by anti-consumerism activist, Reverend Billy. He is the subject of a new feature-length documentary hitting theaters this week called “What Would Jesus Buy?” The film follows Reverend Billy with the Church of Stop Shopping gospel choir in tow on a cross-country tour as they preach their Stop Shopping message in such destinations as the Mall of America, Wal-mart headquarters, Starbucks and Disneyland.

“What Would Jesus Buy” is produced by Morgan Spurlock, who gained fame with his documentary “Super Size Me.” Reverend Billy joins us now in our firehouse studio and Morgan Spurlock joins us from Los Angeles.

  • Reverend Billy. Founder of the Church of Stop Shopping. His latest book is “What Would Jesus Buy?: Fabulous Prayers in the Face of the Shopocalypse.”

  • Morgan Spurlock. Producer of “What Would Jesus Buy?” He is the director of the 2004 Oscar-nominated film, “Super Size Me.”

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It amazes me when I hear young people and non-white people actively supporting Genocide Day and greeting people with the happy T day routine. Apparently, the message still has not been received that T day is Genocide Day. This country has become so hysterical about the sales pitch for T day that the California public schools are now closed for 3 days instead of 2 as they were when I was in school, when none would be best. As a compromise, we could have the 4th Monday in November as Harvest Holiday so people have a November paid holiday. We, the taxpayers, pay for the 3 paid holidays for the school employees and the 2 paid holidays for the state and federal employees. The reason the sales pitch for this nonsense exists is of course to promote profits for the Money Season also known as Conspicuous Consumption Season which starts with Genocide Week. The sooner everyone stops participating in both Genocide Day and the Money Season, the sooner it will end as it is all about profits. As to the above article, it is a shame it is framed as glorifying religion and small business. While Wal-Mart's conditions are terrible, all they need is serious labor organizing. Small business simply cannot meet the needs of a large country and does not provide the jobs we need. And since it is a business, it is certainly about profits. We do not need to get back Jesus, we need to get back to reality: The Money Season is all about profits and its accompanying waste of resources to maximize profits. There is no adult who can seriously say they get excited about this garbage, year after year, the same stupidity. The reliving childhood fantasy cannot last past age 30, and when one pays the bills, it ends immediately. As soon as one gets away from the commercial areas in the workingclass communities, one sees no evidence of the Money Season because it is all contrived. Boycott all of it, please, so it finally ends.
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