Hilltown Families 
What Would Jesus Buy?
THE SHOPOCALYPSE IS UPON US … WHO WILL BE $AVED?
There’s a new documentary film out that I’d like to catch, What Would Jesus Buy, produced by Morgan Spurlock (the same guy who produced Super Size Me). An interview with performance artist Bill Talen was recently aired on Valley Free Radio (home of the Hilltown Family Variety Show) that caught my attention. The film is a docu-“comedy” where Talen plays the role of Reverend Billy who has his very own church, The Church of Stop Shopping.
The film focuses on the issues of the commercialization of Christmas, materialism, the over-consumption in American culture, globalization, and the business practices of large corporations, as well as their economic and cultural effects on American society, as seen through the prism of activist/performance artist Bill Talen, who goes by the alias of “Reverend Billy,” and his troupe of activists, whose street theater performances take the form of a church choir called “The Church of Stop Shopping,” that sings anti-shopping and anti-corporate songs. The film follows Billy and his choir as they take a cross-country trip in the month prior to Christmas 2005, and spread their message against what they perceive as the evils of patronizing the retail outlets of several different large corporate chains. (Wikipedia)
Here’s the trailer for the film:
[YOUTUBE=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGi21YQFjMM”%5D
The theater closest to the Hilltowns & the Pioneer Valley playing this film is Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT, opening on December 7th, 2207. (BTW, what’s the update with Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton, MA?)
SHARE YOUR ECO-HOLIDAY TIPS
Is your family taking a different approach to the holidays? One that’s not full of commercialization and materialism? The Natural Resources Defense Council is inviting folks to post a home video of their ideas to their Use Your Brain: Do the Holidaze Different at www.itsyournature.org.
Other places to post your “Green Holiday Tips”
- Eco-Friendly Family Bulletin Board on Hilltown Families
- Sustainable Living Bulletin Board at the Old Creamery in Cummington, MA
- Going Green for the Holidays Bulletin Board at the Forbes Library in Northampton, MA
Wow, that looks like a great film. I’ve long been an advocate of “Buy Nothing Day” and “Unplug the Christmas Machine” and it is nice to see that the “movement” is not stuck in a rut!