According to Kalle Lasn, large corporations have so seduced, jolted, hyped, brainwashed, and otherwise hoodwinked us through the media that America has become more a product, America™, than a country. In America™, a life of authenticity and freedom is impossible, he says. From cradle to grave, we are educated to need more and want more — to buy, to consume, to be cool. This is not an even playing field. Opposing views (like Lasn's) are barred from the airwaves in a media/corporate conspiracy to keep us blind, docile "Manchurian consumers," all while increasing the bottom line.

Fear not, America! Help is on the way; in fact, it is already here! The advance guard — the self-proclaimed "shock troops" of change — are already at work. Culture Jammers to the rescue!!

Inspired by the Situationists, a French counterculture movement from the 1960's, culture jammers are waging an anti-media, unmarketing, uncooling campaign — using the media itself wherever possible. Adbusters Media Foundation, which publishes the Adbusters magazine and web site and which was founded by Lasn, produces slick, professional print and TV ads that wake us up to the ways we are lulled to submission by America™.

The illustration that stays with me (and one that typifies the Adbusters approach) is a direct assault on Calvin Klein. In the print ad version found in Culture Jam, a beautifully lit and photographed model fills the frame. We see only her nude back; her head is bowed slightly forward, with one arm pressing across her stomach, the other reaching out of frame, supporting her body. It is an artistic image, beautiful and haunting, until we read the one word caption, "Obsession," and look again at the woman. It is in that second glance that we realize she is arched forward over a toilet, apparently preparing to purge a just-eaten meal. The message is immediate, visceral, powerful, disturbing. America™ is obsessed with an impossible image of female beauty, sexy and thin, whatever the cost. There is an equally powerful image of male "obsession," but you will have to discover it for yourself.

Detailing this ad is important because it captures what, for me, is the best weapon in the culture jammers' arsenal: fighting fire with fire — using intelligence, wit, and irony in the very media that feeds us the original message. This helps retrain our eyes and minds to be more aware and more critical of the messages we receive.

Lasn invites us to become junior culture jammers. He wants us to adopt " . . . a lifestyle of defiance against a culture run amok, a revolutionary step toward a fundamental transformation of the American way of life." He calls us to undermine America™ in small and large ways: from boycotting certain products, to participating in the annual "Buy Nothing Day" (the last Friday in November), to petitioning states to revoke the charters of large corporations.

Lasn's vision is a reclaimed America, free of its trademark symbolism: where the public airwaves are a forum for meaningful public discourse; where shareholders who are held personally accountable for the sins of the corporation focus on service rather than on dollars;and where sustainable growth replaces growth at all costs.

These are worthy goals, and we all need to hear the message of faithful stewardship they teach. This is an important book, but — using Dan Dick's distinction — this is not a great book. Read it, buy Adbusters magazine, visit the Adbusters web site, and decide for yourself.

What is important about Culture Jam is what it challenges in us. Said best by Guy Debord, head of the Situationist movement, and quoted by Lasn, "Living well involves the 'systematic questioning of all the diversions and works of a society, a total critique of its idea of happiness.'" There are lessons to learn here. But some of the guerrilla tactics Lasn suggests — defacing billboards and jamming coin slots with slugs — are deeply troubling.

Lasn is obviously a man of deep passion and zeal, a crusader devoted to saving America from its epidemic consumerism. Like all change prophets, he has met deep resistance from the established power base. And, like many prophets, he has alienated potential supporters with the razor edge of his zeal.

So what are the lessons for us as the body of Christ?

1. The opposition is firmly established and very well organized. They will use any tactic to win us over. We must stay vigilant and awake.
2. Crusaders and prophets are essential parts of the body. We need to recognize, nurture, and support them so they can speak the truth in love — even, or especially, when we don't want to hear it.
3. Fighting fire with fire is appropriate as a strategy. But we must always balance ends with means. It does matter what tactics we use. The integrity of our journey is a major aspect of our goal. That's why crusaders and prophets need to be embraced within the body as part of the community of faith. They should not be left as lone wolves.
4. Change, real, sustainable cultural change, takes time — lots and lots of time — and change involves painful, ongoing self-examination. For change to take place, we must begin it. We cannot wait for others to do it for us.

(Orignially posted September 11, 2000)

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