And yet again, I had much more planned for this last week than we were able to cover. We'll go over what we did cover here in this post, and then I'll update the links page on the blog to include a selection of websites, books, and other information that pertains media, consumption, and Christianity. We'll start with what we did get to:
Our Five Minutes of God Time song was City on a Hill by Casting Crowns
I handed you a sheet with several bible verses from the book of Matthew and some quotes on it. We covered the bible verses quickly, as they're pretty self-explanatory (and I included some commentary on the page). But it also illustrates that materialism has been around for a LONG time. There are verses in the Old Testament, too, about sharing with the poor- so there have always been "haves" and "have nots." Whatever the OT says, Jesus has even stronger words to say about materialism and stuff (and how it distracts you from God and His purpose).
We talked a very little bit about the evolutionary theory for why humans have such a draw to stuff, namely that it's a survival instinct. We humans are pretty scrawny in comparison with some of our more feral foes (yes, yes, my example of a black bear might not have been the best. A black bear isn't that big of a bear- but I don't know how much differently I'd feel between a black bear and a grizzly if either one is charging me! I'm kind of OK with not having been up close to either...). So the evolutionary theory is that we've always reached for possessions to make us look and feel larger, stronger, more fierce. The one with more "things," weapons, distractions had a better chance of survival. Others would say it's a social distinction, always has been. We want more stuff to make us look better and have more respect in the community (and going back to that pesky evolutionary idea, so that we have a better chance of getting a good mate).
And then we talked a bit about Thoreau's Walden, which some of you have read. Thoreau questioned all of materialism and possession, even the things that we think of as basic to our survival. He pitied the basic farmer, who was tied down to his land and his horses, and thought very little of a society we now look back on as quaintly frugal. It might be a tough read, but I'd encourage you to take a look at it. And if you can't get through it right now, try it on and off as you age- you might just hit it at a time when you'll get something great out of it!
Our next jump took us to the aftermath of World War II. Up until that point, we Americans had a pretty frugal lifestyle, made even more frugal by rationing during both the wars and by a distinct lack of, well, everything during the Great Depression. But WW II brought about a lot of technological advances, and suddenly, we could produce a lot more "stuff" than we ever had before. So we converted bomb factories into fertilizer and cleaning product companies and sent our new technologically minded mechanical advances into the kitchen and the garage. But still, people held onto their frugality, having been freshly reminded of what truly mattered- and what was truly a need.
Enter the psychologists, retail analysts, and the switch from basic ads explaining what the product is/is made from/does to professionally constructed ads which sell intangible concepts, which play on emotions, insecurities, and fears, and which use goods and services as a way to make money, rather than fill a need. In fact, they'd rather not have their product fill a need- or at least, not a long term one.
There were many men and women who contributed to that era's huge culture shift, but Victor Lebow summed it up in 1955:
Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction and our ego satisfaction in consumption. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced and discarded at an ever-increasing rate. (emphasis added)
It boggles my mind how boldly he states it. But they did it. These fathers and mothers of consumerism created Black Friday, they created shopping as a recreation, they created planned obsolescence, and eventually they got to product placement- inserting advertising into new modes of delivery. They understood, the same as the Apostle Paul did (Philippians 4:8- again!), that what we put before us impacts us. When I look at my computer screen, my brain processes it- it has to, in order for me to understand what I'm seeing, what I'm experiencing, whether I'm safe or should be worried, whether it looks different today than yesterday. It's basic to my understanding of the world- I use my senses to make value judgements that, in the case of my computer, might be mundane. Or, if my computer somehow were about to catch fire, might be very useful- it looks different than usual, it has smoke coming from it, I should probably stop typing and find a fire extinguisher.
We do the same thing with what we see- we make value judgements that we often don't even know we're making. We might not ever know we're doing it, because usually the end result is that it doesn't require any change in our actions. Our brain does it subconsciously, attempting to make sense of what we see and hear and experience. And so inserting products into media was the perfect opportunity to slip advertising into our minds- because we're being entertained, we're relaxed, we're not sifting it out like we do for commercials.
Product placement can be used in ways that are central to the plot or not, positive scenes or negative scenes, and in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. But in 2009, $360 million was spent to put particular products into movies- that doesn't include global figures, or the amount put into product placement in TV, video games, music, music videos, or blog/website/magazine promotional use. That figure has gone up every year, and will likely continue to rise. And they've even started paying people to promote products in real life- slipping short, positive "ads," into every day conversation with strangers.
But beyond product placement specifically, media is also used to sell in other ways. It sells values, norms, and standards. What you see helps you form your opinion on what the rich or poor do, what kind of relationships are acceptable, what other people's homes look like, how to interact with your friends, how many outfits we need, how to spend your time, what's fashionable. It might line up with what your parents or church teaches, confirming what you believe or have been taught. Or it might make you question it (for better or for worse- and it can actually be for the better, depending on what you're hearing/reading/watching). But there's no denying that it has an impact on you. That impact is lessened when you are aware of it, but make no mistake- what you put in front of your eyes or into your ears helps you understand your world. Whether that's a Christian song that inspires you or a Lady Gaga song that makes you want to dance, it enters your brain to be processed and to help you process. Did I make that point already? Hmm, must be repeated because it's important.
And then we were out of time. But the number one thing I want you to take away from this post/lesson is that Paul knew his stuff when he told the Philippians to focus on what is holy and good and right and worthy. Following Jesus is like swimming upstream- if you don't keep focus on him and fight against the current surrounding you, it is so, so easy to ride along down stream with everything around you. The number two thing I want you to take away is to be aware of the reactions you have to media. If you're watching a show that makes you want something other than what God wants for you, don't tell yourself that it's OK to keep watching it- don't watch it! You're just making it harder for yourself to keep fighting against what you know is right. If a movie or show makes you want to go out and buy something new, make sure you really ask yourself why. If it challenges what the Bible says, go ahead and hash it out- figure out the whys and the whats, talk it over- but don't ever, ever decide to just let it pass and believe what the TV or movie screen or radio tells you without due consideration.
(p.s.- sorry about the picture formatting. I have no idea how to make it fit within the text parameters.)
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