Categories: uncategorized
Date: 19 November 2005 08:13:36
Julie Burchill may be one of those love her, hate her or simply wonder what planet she's on types, but she is kind of speaking a bit of sense in her column in todays Times.
She starts off about "bleating or boasting" pop stars and then moves on to their hypocracy, particularly in relation to the Christmas season and ends with a wonderful bit about some chemical in the body which links your appitite for sex with your likely to give to charity. However, I think she has got it a bit wrong in just saying it's musicians, particularly (& it's interesting that all her examples are main stream from to particular generes of music).
The attitude she is talking about reflects society more generally, there is this split between those of us who will "bleat" about the state of the world, whilst we continue to live our comfortable mainstream lives (& I guess I do fit into that category) or "boast" about what we have or we aim to achieve. So whether it is just music reflecting the wider culture or culture influencing wider society I don't know, (although I suspect a combination of both).
In terms of our attitudes to the 3 month period of Materialfest, which is marked with a main celebration on the 25th of December, that has taken over from the festival commonly known as Christmas I agree we are complete hypocrits. As Burchill points out we focus clearly on the Three Wise Men and their gifts at the expense of the baby in the manger.
However, there has been the interesting development over the last few years which has developed largely as disillusionment has grown against those who are the charismatic leaders of this new festival which has replaced Christmas (i.e. the multi-nationals). The largely secular anti-globalisation movement has developed Buy Nothing Day and groups such as Oxfam have developed the concept of buying a gift which is a donation to a charity, through purchase of a specific item.
These appear interesting ways for those of us who are aware of the hypocracy to try and feel better about ourselves, (i.e. feel morally superior because we are not shopping on the busiest Saturday of the year, but are we just likely to wait until the 28th to go to M&S (or where ever)?) As for the charity aspect, well I think it is a good step forward, but is it just a further endorsement of this alternative festival which has emerged?
I know there are no easy answers and my hypocracy is likely to be just like everybody elses & that whatever we are celebrating (Yule, Christmas, or Materialfest) we do need an excuse for a good party in the middle of winter. However, if we are going to persist in trying to link this loosely to the birth of Jesus, I just wish we could find creative ways to be a bit more honest about it all; stop "bleating" or "boasting" and retain the spirit of the wise men (without the Materialfest) whilst getting back to the baby in the manger.