I just got an iPod!

You have to admit that it looks hypocritical that a filmmaker with a film so critical of consumer culture would title his first post with "I just got an iPod!" Let me explain. My partner Sonja gave it to me as a birthday gift ironically enough on the very day that I released my too-much-stuff film Consume This Movie! But why did she get it for me? Right now we use a CD player to play music in the house. The old CD player broke, and a new one would likely have a bigger ecological footprint as well as using more electricity than an iPod. Not only that, but we can go Thoreau, and eliminate the messy process of opening and closing all those plastic jewel cases every time we change the music. Of course, I have to admit that I want you to buy my film, which uses the very same kind of disc that I'm dissing. This is a troubling paradox, but firefighters figured out a long time ago that they could fight a large fire by setting smaller fires in what they call a controlled burn. This approach touches on the tricky nature of the film. Some may perceive that the film is a complete poo-pooing of the material world. Not so. The film tries to put materialism in the front of our consciousness so that we make informed choices. We're operating with an outdated system. Consumerism version 1.0 advocates to acquire wealth because as writing legend Ray Bradbury proclaims in the film, it feels good. Not to pit the Bradbury generation against today; he was a visionary, but most from his time couldn't possibly have seen the situation we're caught up in today. We need an upgrade to version 2.0 which advocates for consuming with thoughtful consideration to environmental, spiritual and social concerns. It might even be possible that a choice to not consume can be satisfying. This new bells and whistles version will likely result in less consumption, of course that won't help an already devastated economy, but we have to stay focused on the right thing here. I'll take my chances on a prolonged recession and a healing Earth over the alternative of explaining to my grandkids 30 years from now why America led the way in the planet's destruction. We have done some beautiful things as Americans and as a human species. Let's use the wisdom of the elders and the exuberance of the younger generation to forge a new identity for this country. One that prides itself on a can-do spirit, eager to confront the monster in the closet. But we need some Slow Is Beautiful to balance our American Mania. The work ahead is scary only if we fail to give it our full attention. In the film a brilliant photographer from Seattle, Chris Jordan says, "Being unable to comprehend it is an easy way to justify keeping right on going the way we are." By the way, I just fixed that CD player. Maybe we should take the iPod back?