December 12, 2005 10:51 AM
Woohoo! And 500,000 people saw it at the thousands of free screenings. Not bad for the first month. :)
We're still nowhere near breaking even, but we knew that wasn't going to happen.
Wal-Mart nears 100,000 DVDs sold! (12.12.2005)
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Previous Entry: Operation Enduring Exorcism (12.11.2005)
brilliant! congratulations!
still praying!
Tue Dec 13 2005 12:58 PM
Anonymous:
You make money while others lost thiers jobs as a result of your bad press. Sounds like a good deal, for you.
Tue Dec 13 2005 3:54 PM
Tom from Madison:
A Wal-mart prevented keeps good jobs from being sacrificed for poor ones. That's a GOOD thing.
It's also true that Wal-mart sucks capital out of local economies and sends profits to Arkansas. Keep your hard earned dollars working at home, spend them at local businesses that use local banks.
Tue Dec 13 2005 4:55 PM
Anonymous:
Its that what you tell the people that lost their job? Trust me, this is better for you?
Tue Dec 13 2005 5:41 PM
Tom from Madison:
Mr Anonymous you have it exactly backwards. Wal-mart is telling Americans "Trust me, this is better for you." It's a lie.
When downtown disappears and a vibrant small town is replaced by a ghost town, people realize they've been had. As the film documents, this has happened all over America.
The equation is very simple, dozens of small businesses get replaced with one large one. Ultimately there is less competition as the small businesses go out of business. There is more pricing power for the local Wal-mart. Wal-mart becomes the major employer in the area. Wages and benefits fall.
This is not the American dream. It's the American nightmare. It's Bush's reverse robinhood in action making a few rich folks richer and a lot poor folks poorer.
If there's a Wal-mart in your area, think twice before going there. If there isn't, be glad and act to keep it that way.
Wed Dec 14 2005 9:30 AM
Paul:
I shipped out four boxes of Christmas presents today at the UPS Store (for four households in three cities), and the guy who did the boxing noticed several unwrapped Wal-Mart DVD's amidst the presents. He asked if that was the movie that they just had all the house parties for, said he keeps meaning to watch it, and he really gets into documentaries.
I said "Yes" and told him and the lady behind the counter about the Wal-Mart executives who admitted to going into the computer system and deleting hours of employees, in order to avoid having to pay overtime.
Wed Dec 21 2005 8:01 AM
Tom from Madison:
Wal-Mart is proving how government regulation of industry is absolutely necessary for the protection of workers' rights. The incentive to exploit workers is just too great when there aren't consequences.
Progressives need to make this part of their electoral message in 2006. American workers deserve better than to be exploited by the likes of Wal-Mart and other neo-robber baron operations. We don't need to sacrifice worker rights on the altar of low prices.
Wed Dec 21 2005 11:13 AM
paul- that's awesome. soon guys will be using walmart movie dvds to pick up women, i just know it.
Wed Dec 21 2005 11:40 AM
Anonymous:
Morgan Spurlock won awards and fame when he ate nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days and turned it into a documentary, Super Size Me. As Spurlock gained 24.5 pounds and saw a 65-point increase in his cholesterol, he expected viewers to rage against the fast-food industry. (I guess he thinks his audience is as stupid as he must be to eat nothing but processed food for a month. I’d rather watch a documentary on what kind of Americans would choose that diet in the first place.)
A documentary later released by filmmaker Soso Whaley received less attention, but its results are notable. Whaley mimicked Spurlock’s diet for two months – and lost 18 pounds. In “Mickey D’s and Me,” Whaley limited herself to 1800-2000 calories a day, while Spurlock had allowed himself 5000 – more than twice the recommended number for an average man.
Thu Dec 22 2005 4:03 PM
Tom from Madison:
Mr Anonymous,
a good documentary gives at least one perspective on the truth--preferably one you aren't likely to get elsewhere. I don't think Spurlock expected viewers to rage, nor do I think he feels viewers are stupid.
Yes, most people already know fast food is not good for them. Still, some people's minds and behaviors might be changed by the documentary. If some folks are healthier as a result of this documentary or if consciousness is raised about health and diet, society is better off. What's the harm in that?
What people choose to do after viewing a docmentary about Wal-Mart or the fast food industry is a secondary issue. We live in a "free" country. However, we are also living in a time where corporate power is putting out profit-driven versions of the truth. Film-makers putting out documentaries are providing an important check on corporate power. For that they deserve laud and honor, not scorn.
Pluralism is a good thing. Why impugn the motives of the movie makers? I'm glad to have alternatives to the right-wing attack machine and self-serving industry propaganda.
Fri Dec 23 2005 12:04 PM
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