Commercial Debasement

Last updated on: December 3, 2014 at 4:02 pm by David Mills

Commercial Debasement 2014-12-03T16:02:53-04:00 David Mills

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“You have to wade through a lot of postmodernist/Marxist jargon in the Australian journalist Guy Rundle’s ‘The Meaning of Black Friday,’ but the end is to the point. . . . ‘It was only when the encroachment of Black Friday on Thanksgiving became absurd, a stuffing, a farce, that mainstream media began to sit up and take notice. The fact that this could even occur — that a sales event could wholly encroach on a collective holiday that lies at the root of national identity — is a measure of how decayed and compromised that identity has become’.”

That’s the opening of today’s column for Aleteia, Protecting Thanksgiving From the Cannibals. In it I examine the commercial encroachment upon Thanksgiving and what that does to our shared public culture, and what it says about the kind of corporations that seek profit without concern for the social costs, with a suggestion for what the Church should do in response — how she can speak prophetically about economics the way she now speaks prophetically about marriage.

One of the main points: “Just because people want to buy things does not mean you have to sell them.”

Here it is.

Capitalism's downside

Modern life as it is lived

Previous Post

December 3, 2014

Books on Tolkien and Lewis

Next Post

December 3, 2014 Writers Who Say More Than They Can Say

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion & life American Life Anglican Affairs Apologetics Art and artistry Beer Capitalism's downside Catholic converts Catholic issues Catholicism & public life Catholicism in general Christianity & culture Christianity & the Jews Conservatism Conservative problems Death Do unto others Dogs Ecumenical friendship Evangelicalism Evil in the world Family Friendship Heroes How we should live Islam It's a funny old world Jews Judaism Israel Judaism justice Liberalism Life issues Marriage Mary Mass Media Modern culture good & bad Modern life as it is lived Modern Religion Mormonism People Personal reflections Politicians Protestantism Race Rand & Randiansm Secularisms Sexualities Society justice equality freedom The papacy & the pope Uncategorized Worship Writing & Language

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is taught about promises or oaths?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Never promise Change your answer Swear on everything Let your yes be yes