Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping got up at 5am today to celebrate buy Nothing Day in song and protest on the streets of New York. Having originally planned to attend his presence at 34th St. Macy's this morning at 6am as the Reverend announced on WBAI and WNYC earlier in the week, I unfortunately slept in until 9am or so.
Checking the Reverend's web site,
http://www.revbilly.com, it was announced he would arrive at the Plaza at 59th and 5th Avenue at 12pm. The church marched down the sidewalks of 5th Avenue, stopping in front of the Apple store and FAO Schwartz, the Gap, the dreaded Disney, and then over to 7th Avenue in the middle of Times Square.
Hanging back from the rest of the procession, I was struck by the nature of comments some onlookers gave. One street vendor peddling sweatshop purses and scarves turned to me and said in what I took to be a British accent, "Its bullshit. They're hypocrites. Look they're wearing Reebok, Nike, Converse. Bullshit". I gave him a look that said I disagreed, but didn't feel like engaging him on the topic of globalization then and there. Funny that a street vendor should defend global capitalism so vehemently, as he didn't appear to be sharing in transnational wealth very much.
Other 5th Avenue aristocrats smiled with glee, not seeming to understand the seriousness or import of their message. One woman walked by me and said, "Oh it's a play" with no irony whatsoever. One older man on 6th declared, "They're nerds! All of 'em!" A leather-clad yuppie walked by and said "Who's stupid idea is that?" Finally, one enlightened citizen took it upon himself to heckle the Reverend at Times Square, and somewhat fed up with this absurd negativity toward the Church, I asked him forcefully, "Will you be quiet?" He violently countered a "No!", to which I articulated a smirking "Just shut up," and he again with "No!" One of the elves thankfully came over and told me it was fine, they often get at least one jerk at every show who needs to mouth off. I apologised and felt more than a little dumb, but unexpectedly following the Reverend from the park to Times Square had left me feeling almost protective of the Church: the sneers and the comments were upsetting to say the least. Of course, the singers and the elves were nothing but smiles and steadfast to their cause, a testament to the bravery it takes to be an activist, a protester, a dissident.
Two police officers followed the procession from 53rd and 7th onward. A black SUV trailed the group starting from some point on 5th Avenue (rather eerie, that). A patrol car idled by as well keeping an eye on things. The group was well behaved the entire time, i fact myself (not a member of the Church or affiliated with them in anyway) being partially the only disruption.
I think the cognitive dissonance, as they say, that is created by Reverend Billy and the Church makes people somewhat angry at first. They know exactly what the message is deep inside, but the initial reaction is one of hostility and probably latent guilt: in the meantime they roll their eyes and shake their heads and say, "What could they possibly be talking about?" However, if only a handful of later look them the Church up on the Internet or second guess themselves at their next purchase, the work will be worth it.
Of course, plenty of people reacted favorably, taking pictures, clapping their hands, and the Manhattan tour bus drivers honked and cheered "Reverend Billy!" Flyers were distributed and I observed many taking them and reading them right away (often people seem to just throw flyers away immediately).
After that, I parted ways with Reverend Billy as I had to go to the library. They are continuing activity throughout the day, according to their web site. Also, I must plug their movie, "What Would Jesus Buy?", which I saw yesterday and was a fantastic, thought-provoking iconoclasm of the bastardized Christmas holiday in America.
Hallejulah!
Checking the Reverend's web site,
http://www.revbilly.com, it was announced he would arrive at the Plaza at 59th and 5th Avenue at 12pm. The church marched down the sidewalks of 5th Avenue, stopping in front of the Apple store and FAO Schwartz, the Gap, the dreaded Disney, and then over to 7th Avenue in the middle of Times Square. Hanging back from the rest of the procession, I was struck by the nature of comments some onlookers gave. One street vendor peddling sweatshop purses and scarves turned to me and said in what I took to be a British accent, "Its bullshit. They're hypocrites. Look they're wearing Reebok, Nike, Converse. Bullshit". I gave him a look that said I disagreed, but didn't feel like engaging him on the topic of globalization then and there. Funny that a street vendor should defend global capitalism so vehemently, as he didn't appear to be sharing in transnational wealth very much.
Other 5th Avenue aristocrats smiled with glee, not seeming to understand the seriousness or import of their message. One woman walked by me and said, "Oh it's a play" with no irony whatsoever. One older man on 6th declared, "They're nerds! All of 'em!" A leather-clad yuppie walked by and said "Who's stupid idea is that?" Finally, one enlightened citizen took it upon himself to heckle the Reverend at Times Square, and somewhat fed up with this absurd negativity toward the Church, I asked him forcefully, "Will you be quiet?" He violently countered a "No!", to which I articulated a smirking "Just shut up," and he again with "No!" One of the elves thankfully came over and told me it was fine, they often get at least one jerk at every show who needs to mouth off. I apologised and felt more than a little dumb, but unexpectedly following the Reverend from the park to Times Square had left me feeling almost protective of the Church: the sneers and the comments were upsetting to say the least. Of course, the singers and the elves were nothing but smiles and steadfast to their cause, a testament to the bravery it takes to be an activist, a protester, a dissident.
Two police officers followed the procession from 53rd and 7th onward. A black SUV trailed the group starting from some point on 5th Avenue (rather eerie, that). A patrol car idled by as well keeping an eye on things. The group was well behaved the entire time, i fact myself (not a member of the Church or affiliated with them in anyway) being partially the only disruption.
I think the cognitive dissonance, as they say, that is created by Reverend Billy and the Church makes people somewhat angry at first. They know exactly what the message is deep inside, but the initial reaction is one of hostility and probably latent guilt: in the meantime they roll their eyes and shake their heads and say, "What could they possibly be talking about?" However, if only a handful of later look them the Church up on the Internet or second guess themselves at their next purchase, the work will be worth it.
Of course, plenty of people reacted favorably, taking pictures, clapping their hands, and the Manhattan tour bus drivers honked and cheered "Reverend Billy!" Flyers were distributed and I observed many taking them and reading them right away (often people seem to just throw flyers away immediately).
After that, I parted ways with Reverend Billy as I had to go to the library. They are continuing activity throughout the day, according to their web site. Also, I must plug their movie, "What Would Jesus Buy?", which I saw yesterday and was a fantastic, thought-provoking iconoclasm of the bastardized Christmas holiday in America.
Hallejulah!
Add your comments