You Again

I watched the movie You Again for my next artifact. You Again is about the main character Marni’s brother marrying Marni’s high school bully. Marni’s goal is to expose Joanna (Marni’s brother’s fiancé) to her brother and show him her true colors. This article reveals both evils and redemption. This is true because Joanna is trying to hide who she used to be and putting on an act to Marni’s family. She does this by pretending she does not even know who Marni is; she definitely does because Joanna was Marni’s bully in high school she tortured her all the time. Marni then tries to expose who Joanna really is, because when Joanna and Marni talk Joanna knows Marni and helps her remember what she did to her in high school. By doing this Marni ruins her brother and Joanna’s wedding. This was the evil in the movie, but then there was redemption. The redemption was when Marni and Joanna talked and Marni realized that Joanna was trying to change for real and it was not just an act that she was trying to put on; she really wanted to be a changed person. She said that she wanted to please her parents and did not want to be who she used to be. When talking with Joanna, Marni then realizes that she is being truthful and want to do anything in her power to put her brother and Joanna back together. Marni then goes to talk to her brother and explains that Joanna is not who she used to be, but a completely changed person. Marni’s brother and Joanna then talk in the tree house at his parents’ home and get things figured out and plan to continue to get married. Suddenly the tree house collapses and Marni’s brother, Joanna, and the tree house fall to the ground. This makes Marni’s brother and Joanna to have to stay in the hospital on the day that they are supposed to get married. Marni then plans a surprise wedding in the hospital she continues to say that she is sorry that this is not Joanna’s dream wedding, but she still wanted it to happen. This is then when the redemption of the movie takes place and all is right again. It reveals that in the empire we want to hold grudges against people, but in the kingdom we have to forget the bad things people have done and forgive them.

1. How can the kingdom be shown through this movie?

2. What aspects of the empire are shown and what can we change to be more kingdom like?

Mall Post - Nate Buteyn

        Growing up in Grand Rapids just down the street from Calvin College, I have been to Woodland Mall quite a lot. However, giving the recent topics that we have discussed the last couple days in class I saw the mall a little differently this time.  We entered the mall through the food court, a wide open space that was complete with statues and fake trees.  This provided a sense of outdoors, and nature, something that we usually don't experience in a mall.  In my opinion this allows people to be more comfortable buying from the fast food stores that line the place.  Another thing I noticed was how every ad tried to use emotions to help me relate to the store or brand and further persuade me into buying their merchandise.  The used worlds like love, success, 100%, and prestige and showed pictures of happy people laughing together and others of the sorts to reach my emotions.  

         I realize that all of these emotions and images that were presented in these ads were there to stir my emotions and convince me that I needed to buy this or that to become like the happy people in those ads.  The amount of subconscious manipulation that each ad employs had never registered with me before, but after watching the film The Persuaders I realized just how far the companies will go for my money.  It is a sad reflection on our society that we must buy and spend money to gain satisfaction and a sense of self worth.

Mall & Spirit

My Consumerist Pilgrimage at the Woodland Mall & Sanctuary resounded with hypocrisy and raw emotion! With my observations played against those of an anonymous fellow pilgrim, the splendor of our shopping temple was before us.

Every entrance we saw was adorned with our first architectural question: “Why does a shopping mall, need arches?” Straight beams support most of the roofing. Our take: To lend Grandeur.  From personal experience in Athens and Rome, the prominence of an arch expands a hall, and places the roof invisible above. The strength of the Arches reflects the power of wealth, the flow of money necessary to hold the roof in both physical and spiritual height.

The power of the Capitalist Spirit was visible in the layout of the floors as well. The three department stores channeled pilgrims from display to increasingly expensive display, a set of escalators or large display forced a full circuit to return to the plaza or parking lot. This walking created more opportunity to observe stainglass-advertising, artwork for the purpose of seeing, staring, selling. The floor plan itself observed the fundamental principle of the Faith (spend more, be more): all paths through the mall led to Starbucks in the center.

Towards the end, there was homage to this temple paid. For the entertainment of Anonymous Pilgrim, I spent to have an industrial fan turned on my face. The sense of satisfaction delivered to myself was little. The explanation for why: “it seemed fun. I remember seeing kids in another mall running in and out of it and…” Subtle. And genuine. With the memory of others enjoying something affecting me to spend, I had to wonder: When have I done this before?

1: How is memory a tool of the Consumerist faith?

2: What other sanctuaries do we make routine pilgrimages to?

Trip to Woodland Mall/Mall Post

Some observations I noticed when heading to Woodland Mall this weekend were when walking through the mall, I noticed the stores were so small and crammed together, which must result in a lot of competition. Almost all of the stores had advertisements outside of their store or in their windows, which in The Persuaders they explained how words matter to us. The advertisements want to focus around us, putting us first: 80% emotion and 20% intellect. I also noticed that there wasn’t a single person I saw that did not have a shopping bag or something to show that they went into a store. When I think of going to the mall, I imagine shopping, even if it’s something I don’t need. However, I get tricked into buying something because it’s eye catching or am easily persuaded by how good the sale is, etc. Like in The Persuaders, the secret of persuasion is to enduce the person to persuade himself/herself.  I think it is somewhat close to impossible to go into a mall without buying something, or coming out empty handed.

While walking through the mall, I was definitely distracted by all the flashing lights and big worded advertisements that were around me. It almost felt impossible to breathe, being distracted by something  that was a few feet in front of me. After having seeing The Persuaders and reading Pahl’s article, it made me view the mall in a different way. You no longer think of it as a place to buy things you may or may not need, but seeing the advertisements and how they are luring you in to buy their products.

The Mall

When I stepped foot in the mall as far as the eye can see I saw advertisements. Yes, they have been there the whole time, but this time i saw all of them trying to get me to buy something. Which is not a bad thing. These people want have to advertise to make money. I feel that trying to be prosperous is a good thing. But, the people there are another story. I have never seen so many rude people in one place, except for france. But I mean people were bumping into each other, then started yelling at one another to watch where your going, then seeing different cliques in the mall like the gossipers and then then the geeks going to the dungeon and dragons model store. Which is not a bad thing, I am not judging anyone. But it was enjoyable to watch none of the less, like a tv show. Any-who I really enjoyed seeing different advertisement techniques, like at the mac store. A giant I phone is following you around with a built in camera so you can see yourself. Thats how they lure you in, because its interesting. Plus it was fun to see all the food restaurants competing with one another. However there was nothing really there that was just for me. I know in the movie they said they advertise things that are just for you. But, alas nothing really caught my eye.

Mall Post

As I strolled down the paths of Woodland Mall on Saturday afternoon, I felt like it was like every other shopping excursion me and my friends went on.  I would not necessarily consider the mall to be a hangout place for my friends.  We usually know what we want before we go and get in and out as soon as we can.  Before this I had never really seen all of Woodland and its stores.

 Keeping mind what we learned about advertising from The Persuaders, I tried to find aspects of advertising I had never noticed before.  I came upon the realization that all these stores were not just selling products and goods.  They were selling a certain lifestyle.  GNC was selling a health body through vitamins, Barnes & Noble was selling intelligence through books, and all the clothing stores tried to make it seem like their clothes were the most stylish.  Advertising comes in the play by trying to tell us which lifestyle is right for us.  GNC tells us that are men are supposed to be strong individuals with their in store advertising. GNC was also advertising to me with their employees.  These two men were some of the strongest and toughest looking guys I have ever seen.  It made me think that if took their supplements I would get ripped, too.  Barnes & Noble’s advertising focused more on sales than any other store I went in.  They convinced me that they had the cheapest books by all their posters telling me of all the good deals going on.  They also were showing me that being intelligent was cool.  They showed good-looking people emerging themselves into the newest bestsellers.  This was very much like what the clothing stores did.  They chose the best looking people they could find and put them up on the walls for all to see.  When I saw the clothes that they were wearing on the rack, it made me think that I could be just as good looking.  The use of ads in all of the stores I went to made me feel kind of deceived.  They were playing with my emotions to make a profit.  The Persuaders mentioned the time when all advertisements just told you what their product was.  Now we have ads telling us we aren’t cool or good enough if we don’t buy their product.

This trip to Woodland Mall was eye-opening.  I had never paid much attention to the ads and now I know what to blame my empty wallet on.  Our society tells us we must spend money the coolest and latest stuff.   Most of us will never be able to have all of this, so what the point?  Why do we spend any money at all on things we want if we will still not be cool when we own it?

Mall Visit

This weekend I went on a quest to Woodland mall with a couple friends. Being female, and being from Grand Rapids I was very familiar with this mall. It’s odd to go through a place that I have been so accustomed to and look at it through a different lens. I thought about what we had read in class by John Pahl. I really kept my eyes open for the flaws in this supposedly flawless environment. As the group of people I was in walked down the sparkly wings of the mall I kept my eyes peeled for the subliminal messages that were all around me. The entrances to the specific shops within the mall were very interesting. I noticed that most of the entry ways were very open, so much so that one could look all the way to the back of the store. This open-ness and spaciousness seemed to be a theme throughout the mall. Like Pahl mentioned in the article, malls really make an effort to make the mall very spread out and expansive. There were strategically placed ferns and other foliage to make the mall environment seem more serene. I also noticed the sculptures scattered around the area. All throughout the mall there were huge windows on the ceiling that let in a lot of natural light. I think that the shopping malls really aim to make things more natural and inviting to the costumers to make them part of the consumer cycle.

Mall Post - A Trip to Woodland Mall

Yesterday afternoon, a couple of my classmates and I took a brief trip to Woodland Mall. It was my first time at Woodland a
nd surprisingly, it looked almost exactly the same as the one in Seattle(I'm from Seattle). Because of the similar atmosphere and looks, it did not feel like a place 2000 miles away from home. It was the same welcoming, joyful, and happy place! As I was walking around and visiting some stores, I've noticed more things that I had no ideas about before, such as advertisements, architecture, and other things that Pahl mentioned in his book. Two advertisement that caught my attention the most were shoe ad and, a cosmetic product. They were not only advertising for specific products, but also hope, confidence, and lifestyle.

The shoe ad seemed like it was trying to convince people how they can be as good as a specific basketball player when they wear the same pair of shoes. Also, this "hope jar" was convincing women that they can overcome the aging issues.

Not only these two particular ads, but countless, almost all the slogans and catchy phrases and pictures were luring our minds to sell products, and furthermore, a lifestyle.

The mall did not look the same as it did before reading Pahl's article and watching The Persuaders. It still was a happy and welcoming place, but I could see other things behind it and got to think deeply about what we are buying and how people get lured by ads.

The Mall

I'm not one to go to malls very often, but I have still been to my fair share of malls. The Woodland Mall is like any other mall I've been to. There are dozens of stores, some nice sitting areas, a food complex, and lots of people. Marketing and advertisements have always interested me. I am a huge commercial critic, and I have realized that I am most satisfied with commercials that are funny or that aren't trying to trick me. I mentioned in class how I hate Domino's commercials because they (as well as countless other companies) are pretty much telling me they think I'm an idiot because they think I can't see through their manipulative crap. On the other hand, my favorite commercials are the ones that I barely notice because I don't feel like I'm being tricked.

Going to the mall after watching the film in class made me notice something about myself. I noticed how much I don't notice ads. Walking down one hallway of the mall, I am bombarded with literally hundreds of ads and people trying to get me to buy their product because they have such good deals. Not until now have I actually realized how many ads there are, not just in the mall, but everywhere. The walls are covered in ads about their store. Inside each store is also covered with ads. The employees are even walking ads. They have shirts on that tell you about their store or even have deals on them. They are vocal ads as well. Almost anywhere you go in the mall - I went to Gamestop - the employees will try to get you to buy more. "You know if you buy this as well, you'll get this for free." That is so normal for people that no one ever thinks twice about it anymore. Normal shoppers are on such a routine that they seem to be programmed to get in, say not to additional offers, and leave. Not paying attention to ads is becoming more normal every day that, like the film said, there are more and more ads. There are better ads. Bigger ads. Soon enough it seems that every tile of the mall floor will be an ad. This is what malls - and the rest of the world - seem to be coming to.

How I Met Your Mother

One of the most popular shows today is How I Met Your Mother, a show about a man named Ted telling his kids how he met their mother. The show stars five friends who all have their own problems with love, and they all help each other figure things out. Even though every single episode since the pilot has been about Ted finding the one, there has somehow been enough material to write 8 seasons and entertain the viewers every week. If you haven't seen HIMYM, it is very similar to Friends.

I remember a couple years back, a friend of mine was talking about sitcoms and said the show Friends is one of Satan's greatest tricks. The show talks about sleeping around as if it was absolutely normal and that's how the world was meant to be. It does this so well that viewers find sex with whomever a normal thing as well. In the same way, I think HIMYM makes casual sex a normal thing. Two of the main characters, Marshall and Lily, are married. Marshall often brags about how the only girl he's ever had sex with was his wife. Yet, that side of the spectrum is completely cancelled out by Barney, a man who literally tries to have sex with as many women as possible. The other two characters, Ted and Robin, are the "normal" characters. They fall in the middle of this spectrum because they are trying to find relationships, but at the same time "falling in love" and then sleeping with everyone they "fall in love" with. Ted and Robin are the characters that HIMYM portray to be normal and right. This is the Empire. The Empire tells us that sleeping around is okay as long as you are trying to find a relationship. Actually, the Empire tells us that whatever we want to do or be sexually is fine. We will be completely supported by everyone if we choose to save ourselves for one person, OR if we choose to create a scrapbook of the hundreds of women we have slept with (Barney).

Is the Kingdom at all visible in this show?
Is this a safe show to watch, even if we know it is throwing the Empire at us in every episode?

Trip to the Woodland Mall

Growing up, going to the mall was always a special treat. Because the closest mall was a forty-five minute drive away, a trip to Grand Rapids with my mom and sister was always special. The mall always had an enticing smell; a mixture of new clothes and fresh made pretzels, and I always had the excitement of the possible chance to pick something out at a store.

This trip to the mall was different from any other trip to the Woodland Mall. This time I viewed the mall through “apocalyptic” eyes: “seeing” the young women in Cambodia making all of the apparel filling Aeropostale. I must admit, sale signs still excite me, but now I feel somewhat sick knowing that the people that made these items are not receiving a fair amount for their work. I also wondered if anyone in the mall was shopping for an absolute NEED, not just a call from society to fulfill the golden arrow.

The mall really does appear appealing. After reading the chapter, “The Shopping Mall as ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ Leading Nowhere,” I took specific notice of the high ceilings throughout the whole mall, highest in the center where it is open to the outside. The natural lighting, plants, and nice music make this mall a “labyrinth of consumer desire.” While in church Sunday morning, I looked up and noticed beautiful high ceilings of the sanctuary letting in natural light, and I was reminded of John Pahl’s observations of the mall designed to be a temple for the new “religion of the market” (66).

Many of the stores have mannequins and posters of (mostly women) in their clothes. I find myself drawn to these photos, even though I know life is not nearly as glamorous as it appears on the poster. It seems that advertisers focus on the image you will have if you buy these clothes. I receive the apparel catalog for Athleta, a women’s clothing store for the “active women.” The women modeling these clothes are portrayed as living a carefree life; exercising wherever they desire: yoga on a mountain top, surfing, or snow-shoeing in the Alps. In their free time, these women are traveling to exotic places to do more fitness activities, or riding their bicycle to the market, or meeting a friend (just as fit and nicely dressed as they are) for coffee. As unrealistic this lifestyle is, it really draws me in (and would sell me their clothes if they weren’t so dang expensive!). But I applaud the advertisers for the layout and design of this catalog because they do a great job of breaking through the clutter and persuading me.

Good ads, bad ads

After watching The Persuaders on Friday, we had a good and lively discussion about advertising.  Sam brought up an important reminder that, as we've been saying about many things, advertising isn't all good or all evil -- it's a complex mix of both, requiring discernment to tell the difference.  Even a single advertisement is a complex mix.

Here's an example:  two ads for mobile phones.  The first, for a Droid phone, is literally dehumanizing, suggesting that the phone will make you more efficient by making you more like a machine:



The second is for an Apple iPhone.  This ad shows how the technology can make you more human, building your relationships by connecting you with others:



Now, this doesn't mean Apple is a better company and that everyone should go out to buy iPhones; I'm sure I could find an example of a poor ad from Apple.  But contrasting these two ads shows, at least in part, how advertising can be done well (exhibiting Kingdom qualities) and how it can be done poorly.

If you're interested in reading more about advertising, see "Prophetic advertising" by Sam Van Eman on catapult magazine.  Then check out his book, On Earth as It Is in Advertising.

Do you have other examples of good or bad advertising you've thought of since class?

Woodland Mall: "Exceptional Shopping!"

    

    

What characteristics make up a sanctuary? Within the context of an animal sanctuary, the first characteristic is that it is a place set aside, a place that is separated from natural habitats but offers protection and security to its inhabitants. A religious sanctuary, however, requires many more props. According to Jon Pahl, religious sanctuaries have intentional and distinct decor and follow a strategic but predictable layout. So, outside of zoos and cathedrals, where else are sanctuaries found? According to Pahl, we must look no further than the closest indoor shopping mall.

     The Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids operates out of a central point at its center, branching off into hallways of stores. The clean white walls, floors and vaulted ceilings throughout imply a purity, a safe haven from the chaos of the city as well as the clutter of the small and full stores. Within this haven the lighting is ethereal to promote a sense of calmness. There are potted plastic plants strategically placed throughout, another marker of a sacred space. Tall pillars in the heart of this space seem to be attempting to be reaching for the heavens above.

            So what is this scene set for? When we repeatedly practice the act of shopping and buying, again and again, we become (perhaps without knowing it) a part of a larger ritual. This ritual plays out much like a pilgrimage. When I imagine the mall at Christmas time (or anytime, really, as I experienced this weekend) the image is about as close as I have ever experienced to the Hajj. People coming together, for better or worse, are being funneled through a maze by cues of light, sound, visuals and scents. Making this pilgrimage is what validates humans to be the full embodiment of all they were created to be: consumers (according to the film The Persuaders.)
           How many times must a person complete this pilgrimage in order to fulfill the call of consumerism? Is buying what makes us human or is this capital-driven, pseudo-sanctuary sub-culture dehumanizing the individuals involved?