Boycotting 'The Golden Compass'

[NewJersey]

The fact that is has caused such an uproar in the religious community is actually making me want to go see it.

 

[Saphire]

The fact that is has caused such an uproar in the religious community is actually making me want to go see it.

Yes, that is the way I felt when I heard that Outback's Aussie Fries with Ranch Dressing are the #1 worst food in America. It made me want to give them a try.

 

[Fitswimmer]

The fact that is has caused such an uproar in the religious community is actually making me want to go see it.

Oh, me too. I had zero interest in it until the boycott-now I want to go!

 

[DVCLiz]

Yes, that is the way I felt when I heard that Outback's Aussie Fries with Ranch Dressing are the #1 worst food in America. It made me want to give them a try.

I had the exact same reaction - and I hate Ranch dressing! Sort of a "You can't tell me what to do" vibe going on. I felt very mature....

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I'll see it just to balance out the boycotters.

 

[Bob Slydell]

The Catholic Church as a whole is not boycotting the movie, only the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights which is an independent organization. Bill Donahue, the leader of that group, freely admitted that he hadn't read the book or seen the movie before calling for the boycott. To me, that's ignorant. If you're going to lead a boycott, then you owe it to the people who read your recommendations to make informed choices.

It's far from the first time Donohue and his group has done this as well. I've heard interviews with Donohue where he openly admitted that he rarely watches or reads anything that he encourages protests about -- his staff does the "leg work" for him.

 

[NewJersey]

Yes, that is the way I felt when I heard that Outback's Aussie Fries with Ranch Dressing are the #1 worst food in America. It made me want to give them a try.

Oh, those were disgusting!!! But I had to try them too.

I guess at 23 I still have that rebellious feeling in me with some things, like high schoolers have.


ETA: It's sad that I think I'm being rebellious for seeing this movie, but that's a whole 'nother thread.

Oh, me too. I had zero interest in it until the boycott-now I want to go!

Same here..I saw the previews a while back and didn't want to see it, now I'm looking forward to it. Movies should just leak reports that a boycott is in place - great for business!

 

[Fitswimmer]

It's far from the first time Donohue and his group has done this as well. I've heard interviews with Donohue where he openly admitted that he rarely watches or reads anything that he encourages protests about -- his staff does the "leg work" for him.

I spend more time telling people that he has nothing to do with the Catholic Church and most Catholics pay little or no attention to him. He makes us all look bad.

 

[Chloe'sMom]

Starting a boycott on a movie is a fast track to getting me to go see it, same with books-try banning it and I'm going to RUN to Borders to get a copy. If someone is offended by it, there must be something to think about in there.

I like seeing movies and reading books don't mirror my religious values. They help me strengthen my faith, to understand the values and journey of others, and some are just plain fun!

Exactly! I had no interest in seeing this movie and then I see this thread and think.......hmmmmm....

~Amanda

 

[Chloe'sMom]

I don't see movies I know I won't like either-which is why I've never seen Meet the Parents, any American Pie movies, Knocked Up or anything else of that genre. Not my thing.

I don't think that anyone has to read the book or see the movie to discuss it, but they should at least read a review from someone who has. Basing a choice on an email from someone else who hasn't seen the movie or read the book either seems to me to be a bit limiting.

I own Passion of the Christ, I use it for a meditation on Good Friday. For that use, I think it was well done. For a mass market movie, not so much.

Out of morbid curiosity how do you meditate through that movie? I read and heard from my mother that it was over the top violent.

Never seen the movie - didn't want to support Mel Gibson.

~Amanda

 

[catsrule]

No

 

[pooh6890]

Why boycott the movie? Just don't see it if you don't want to.

 

[ead79]

I won't be seeing The Golden Compass. I wouldn't call it boycotting though, because it's only myself and DH that don't plan to see it. I doubt that the movie will have anything super objectionable to me in it, but I do object to what I have read about the content of the books themselves. So while I'm not participating in any sort of formal boycott (that's not really my thing), I don't plan to see it. I don't think that someone has to read the book for themselves to decide it's not really their cup of tea (I just read online info myself), but I would certainly see/read it myself before trying to organize some sort of boycott.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Why boycott the movie? Just don't see it if you don't want to.

That is what I don't get? What is the difference?

We only go to 4 or 5 movies at the theater each year. So, we pick movies that look interesting to us. Maybe I am missing the whole boycott thing!

 

[Fitswimmer]

Out of morbid curiosity how do you meditate through that movie? I read and heard from my mother that it was over the top violent.

Never seen the movie - didn't want to support Mel Gibson.

~Amanda

The Catholic Church has a tradition called the Stations of the Cross, which was started back before people could read. Churches had images of events surrounding the death of Jesus on the walls and people could walk along and review the story. What Mel Gibson did essentially was make a movie of the Stations of the Cross and yes, it was violent-but the Romans weren't known for their gentleness back then. Jesus was flogged and crucified like many other criminals of the time were, and it was bloody and violent for all of them.

The meditation is viewing the events from the perspective that Jesus went through this willingly for me. It's a personal religious devotional.

Mel has his own issues and the way I look at it they're between him, his God and his Confessor.

 

[profdsny]

Starting a boycott on a movie is a fast track to getting me to go see it, same with books-try banning it and I'm going to RUN to Borders to get a copy. If someone is offended by it, there must be something to think about in there.

I like seeing movies and reading books don't mirror my religious values. They help me strengthen my faith, to understand the values and journey of others, and some are just plain fun!

Fitz, thanks for saying that. I was going to post that I'm tempted just to buy a ticket for the film even if I don't go.
If someone doesn't want to see it, that's fine. Lots of movies out that I don't go to simply because I'm not interested.
But to boycott it because someone told you you should because maybe it criticizes what you might believe in is nonsense. Nothing new, but nonsense just the same.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Starting a boycott on a movie is a fast track to getting me to go see it, same with books-try banning it and I'm going to RUN to Borders to get a copy. If someone is offended by it, there must be something to think about in there.

I like seeing movies and reading books don't mirror my religious values. They help me strengthen my faith, to understand the values and journey of others, and some are just plain fun!

Same here.....I think I will buy the books for my 16yodd for Christmas (and then I can read them too ).

As far as banning and boycotting, I find it nonsense as well.

 

[ImagineerM]

I've read the trilogy and the anti religious thing is WAY WAY WAY out of proportion...I loved the series and whould let my mature child read it...and we're good Christians.

People often forget to talk with their kids about what they read or see on tv...its a shame

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Nothing like a good, old-fashioned, reactionary freak-out!

No, I won't be boycotting this movie. Neither will I go see it; I am just utterly uninterested.

 

[Charade]

I really was unhappy with the overt Christian themes and some other things in the Narnia series,.

That's interesting because I didn't see anything overt (Christian) in Narnia. IMO, it was a fantasy about good versus evil. It's pretty much the same (from what I've read (and I plan to see the movie)) with Golden Compass. Apparently there is a relgious background to Narnia and an atheistic one to Golden Compass. It's good versus evil only in Compass, the Magerium (sp?) (who wants to rule the world) is "religion" which is bad and those fighting against it are good. Role reversal IMO.