Posted on 03/27/2004 5:43:47 AM PST by NYer
by Gary North
by Gary North
Over the last four weeks, I have written a book, The War on Mel Gibson. I have decided to give it away this weekend, but only this weekend. I will pull it off the Web on Tuesday. In short, "Download now, or forever hold your peace." Until Tuesday, you can download it here:
Save the book to your hard drive by using the floppy disk icon on Acrobat Reader. Alternatively, right-click on the link, and click Save Target As... Name it: Gibson. (This way is also good if you have trouble downloading the book: a blank screen.)
THE CULTURE WAR
I argue in my book that the media's war on The Passion of the Christ has been systematic and increasingly frantic. It is part of the overall culture war that is being waged by the Left on America specifically and the West generally. The chief theoretician of this war was the Italian Communist, Antonio Gramsci, who died in 1937. I go into this background in my book. Gramsci understood eighty years ago: Christianity is the enemy of Communist revolution. He wrote in 1921:
What remains to be done? Nothing other than to destroy the present form of civilization. In this field, 'to destroy' does not mean the same as in the economic field. It does not mean to deprive humanity of the material products that it needs to subsist and develop. It means to destroy spiritual hierarchies, prejudices, idols and ossified traditions.
Conservatives and libertarians have fought an amazingly successful counter-attack over the last three decades in the area of economic theory. Socialists have been routed, both intellectually and politically. The Soviet Union went belly-up. In the battle of ideas, we have scored victory after victory.
In the culture war, however, we have been beaten again and again. On every front, we are surrounded by the enemy: in literature, television, and especially the movies.
Now, in a stunning reversal, Mel Gibson has handed us a victory so overwhelming that the Establishment media are in shock. They mounted a full-scale battle against Gibson, beginning almost as soon as he announced his plan to produce the movie. The Left unloaded on him with everything it had. The attempt failed. So far, the failure is in the $300 million range, and it is not yet Easter weekend. The movie has not yet opened in Europe, Latin America, and South Korea.
Like the guerilla officer he played in The Patriot, Mel Gibson caught the enemy with its collective pants down – which, for this particular enemy, is a familiar condition. He did this with the most appropriate weapon at his or anyone's disposal: the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He aimed his weapon at the belly of the beast. He hit dead center. The beast hardly knows what hit it, let alone what to do about it. It is screaming. Gibson is accused of anti-Semitism. His movie has repeatedly been called pornographic because of its violence. Mexico's humanist government has rated the movie X – no children allowed. There is fear – gut-wrenching fear – in the Establishment. I say it's good for them. They deserve it.
Gibson sent the media into apoplexy as soon as he revealed his plans for The Passion. Major newspapers began doing hatchet movie reviews before Gibson even began shooting the picture. Someone stole a copy of the script and released it to selective reviewers.
Tremendous pressure was placed on Gibson to change the movie. Right up until opening day, Hollywood moguls said they would never work with him again. (They changed their tune when the movie took in $117 million in five days.)
Why? Why did Hollywood walk away from what instantly became a blockbuster? For the same reason that the studios continue to lose hundreds of millions of dollars producing films that attack religion and morality: its intense hostility to Christianity and the value system it teaches.
The financial success of the movie has sent them a message: there are millions of ticket-buying patrons who do not share Hollywood's values, and who are willing to put their money where their values are. So was Gibson. This is the only reason the viewers are in a position to send Hollywood and the New York Times a message. Gibson put at risk tens of millions of dollars of his own money to fund this project. He is now a very rich man. He is going to be much richer by the time the movie goes to DVD. And then the "annuity" begins. This movie will be rented for the rest of his life, in many languages.
AN ICEBERG OF DISCONTENT
We should recognize The Passion for what it is: an experiment that has revealed the tip of a very large iceberg of discontent. Hollywood did not want to acknowledge that this iceberg was there. Prior to the movie's release, a supposed expert in Hollywood, one Michael Levine, told the Washington Times: "This film has all the makings of a [box office] bomb." Thank you, Mr. Levine, for your insight. You opened the window on the inner workings of Hollywood's movie-makers. Unlike their forebears in the 1930s and 1940s, they don't know what the audience wants.
Mel Gibson's victory has sounded an alarm bell: the powers that be can be transformed into the powers that were. The powers that be have heard the alarm. The question is: Have their victims also heard it?
The Sanhedrin had the Romans seal Jesus' tomb because they knew that Jesus had prophesied His resurrection in three days. The Sanhedrin feared that the disciples would steal the body and claim His resurrection. But they completely misjudged the disciples, who had all fled. It was the women who discovered the open tomb, not the disciples. The disciples were the last to know about their deliverance from bondage. Their rulers saw the great reversal coming before they did. This has not changed. But it should.
Gibson has touched a nerve. In full public view, he challenged the cultural powers that be. He beat them to a pulp in full public view. Whether he can do it again is now of major concern to Hollywood and the Establishment media.
The conservative public was given an opportunity to test its own strength of numbers. This is the first time in my lifetime that any artistically first-rate movie has challenged the Establishment's view of Christianity. This is the most important counter-offensive that we have seen in the culture war.
In Europe, the spiritual erosion process is almost complete. But the inheritor will not be Communism. Unless there is a great reversal, the inheritor will be Islam.
WHY A FREE BOOK?
My book was rejected by a major Christian publishing house. The editor says it is too negative. It is not 50-50 optimism and pessimism, he said. Quite true; if you want a happy-face book for the culturally uninformed, this is not the book. It must be rewritten, he said. Not likely, I said. Hence, this offer. I would rather get the "original, uncut version" out to the hard corps.
The significance of Gibson's effort is that this is the first major cultural watershed: a counter-offensive to the mass media. This is a war. Christians who spend their money in Christian book stores (women, ages 45 to 75) have been engaged in this war at the family level, but not the mass-media level. I was unable to write a happy-face, "Jesus loves Hollywood, and has a wonderful plan for its life" book. I had to write the truth.
The truth of the culture war is that we have been losing it on all sides in the public arena. There is no way to paint a happy face on this loss. We must begin where we are: in the corner. The first step is to understand our enemies and why they have been successful.
I think there is an army of Christians out there who are sick to death – no, sick to life – of what this era's cultural masters have shoved down their throats. I am convinced that we have seen a turning point. I wrote my book accordingly. It is no happy face cheer-me-up. It is a call to a war in which we are in very late stages.
Mel Gibson has become very rich betting because of the existence of an audience that was ready to see the truth. I think this is also true of the Christian book-buying public. But the editor was not persuaded.
Download the book. Read it. Draw your own conclusion. But I warn you: I name names, quote verbatim, and take no prisoners. If that's your kind of weekend reading, download the book.
Who knows? Maybe the publisher will reconsider. I can think of some Hollywood chief executives who would like to reconsider optioning the distribution rights to The Passion of the Christ. Unlike them, the publisher still has time.
If, after reading the book, you think the publisher should reconsider, I would deeply appreciate it if you would spend 37 cents to send him a note recommending the book. I provide details on the title page. You're not in any way obligated to do this, of course. But I need a little help from my friends.
[Warning: if too many of you try to download it at once, the site may go into overload mode. The book really is there, even if the site gives you a 404 error message. Try later. Economics defines scarcity as follows: "At zero price, there is more demand than supply." This law applies to bandwidth.]
It's not a "plot." It's
what pop culture is. Details
such as what is said
are irrelevant.
(When fish swim, it's not a "plot"
with them and water . . .)
No, pop culture is
just a big machine. The parts
all do their own thing
but the net effect
is to strip mine our money.
(Jewish groups all knew
that just by talking
about Mel they'd hype his film.
But, at the same time,
they also knew they'd
get more donations from folks
who see their viewpoint.)
Everyone's "honest,"
everyone's speaking their mind,
but everyone knows
they're part of one big
machine. It's a machine that
just wants our money.
I'm sure they don't like
Christianity, but all
are passionate for:
I will do what I can, Marsha.
Good to see you again!
Where's Karen? IS she out looking for WMD, or Mel?
BTW... My brother is attending a convention down in New Orleans, and rumor has it that Mel Gibson may be their keynote speaker today.
Thanks for the head's up!
Good product *deserves* money "into the business wallets".
Would you have it any other way?
If Mel is going to be there maybe we could ask your brother to look for Karen in New Orleans! :-P
If he (or anyone else) does it again, the Hollywood system will be history. Christians and conservatives can produce and market their own films. We should get rid of Hollywood and Big network television. There is no reason Hollywood or New York should control video media anymore. Their reign of terror and error is over. "The emperor wears no clothes."
They are clueless and valueless. Completely out of touch with reality...and American culture. It's time to get rid of the anti-Christian media.
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