Came across this news item today.
Excerpts:
Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex, has accused the corporation of “exploiting spirituality” to sell its products and of turning Disneyland into a modern day pilgrimage site.
Further
While he acknowledges that Disney stories carry messages showing good triumphing over evil, he argues this is part of a ploy to persuade people that they should buy Disney products in order to be “a good and happy family”.
He cites films such as Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians that feature moral battles, but get into children’s imaginations and make them greedy for the merchandise that goes with them.
“The message behind every movie and book, behind every theme park and T-shirt is that our children’s world needs Disney,” he says.
“So they absolutely must go to see the next Disney movie, which we’ll also want to give them on DVD as a birthday present.
“They will be happier if they live the full Disney experience; and thousands of families around the world buy into this deeper message as they flock to Disneyland.”
And
“Celebrity news magazines do no apparent external harm, but are a complete waste of interior time and space.
“Envy tells us to stop facing the challenges of the present life and to live in some future fantasy. Such envy drives a large part of our consumer culture.”
So religion is not happy that consumerism is taking its place. It’s like an open PR exercise where you criticise your competition of doing exactly what you have been doing.
If you see the irony of the whole episode, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this strip.
