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REVIEWS @ SUNS OF GOD: Krishna, Buddha and SHOPPED: The Shocking Power of Christ Unveiled British Supermarkets by Acharya S by Joanna Blythman Adventures Unlimited Press, USA, 2004 Fourth Estate/HarperCollins, UK, 2004 ISBN 1-931882-31-2 (595pp tpb) ISBN 0-00-715803-3 (368pp pb) Availability: Adventures Unlimited Press, Availability: Fourth Estate, http:/Awww.adventuresunlimitedpress.com; — http://www.4thestate.com or NEXUS offices in Australia, UK, NZ etc. S teermarkets have become an all-too- n this follow-up to her controversial book pervasive aspect of our lives. In the The Christ Conspiracy (7/02), author and Western world, few people can entirely scholar Acharya S investigates the origins of avoid supermarkets, even if they do the bulk three of the world's most popular religions, of their shopping at their local greengrocer, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, and fishmonger, butcher, hardware store or examines the similarities amongst their fig- health food co-op—small outlets that are ureheads—Krishna, Buddha and Jesus. becoming more scarce as the giant chains In Suns of God, she argues that myths are continue to fight each other for ever-greater not "mere meaningless mumbo-jumbo" but market share and dominance. have meaning and purpose. Yet she doesn't In Shopped, award-winning UK food jour- hold that these "godmen" of the solar pan- nalist Joanna Blythman attempts to tear the theon were actual historical personages. blinkers from the eyes of ordinary con- Instead, Acharya S puts the case for these sumers who are unaware of or just don't care identities being "anthropomorphisations" of about what they're forsaking for so-called the core knowledge of ancient mystery tradi- convenience and lowish prices. She entreats tions going back thousands of years and us to see the supermarket giants for what having commonalities all over the globe. they really are: feudal tyrants that tell us aoO what we think we want to buy (the more processed, the higher their profit margin); su NS OF GoD that tell lies about the quality of their prod- ' p oH r ucts; that tell growers what and how much to produce and how and when they must pre- sent it. It's sad that the British, with their local, seasonal food traditions and their independent shopkeeper ethos, could think that what is best for them is access to a con- stant supply of (variable-quality) foods from anywhere on Earth, regardless of the season. Their bowing to the supermarket tyrants shows how conditioned they've become. Meanwhile, local livestock and food produc- ers have become poorer as a result. . In the UK, a few supermarket superpowers She laments that in the 21st century, "little including Tesco, Asda (owned by the US ACTIARYA 5 has changed in terms of religious under- Wal-Mart) and Sainsbury's control around standing, and the world in general continues 70% of the market and keep battling for to be divided along the lines of faith". greater shares based on further manipulation You could say things have only become of the shopper's mindset and wallet and worse, with a growing tendency towards exploitation of suppliers and workers. fundamentalism across several of the "great | Cheesy American staff-training styles and faiths". Surely this wasn't the intention of "retailtainment" distractions are infiltrating the core teachings? Or have the so-called the British social fabric, already rent asunder "brotherhoods" been promoting exoteric by the giants' setting up outside town and teachings instead of esoteric teachings that causing the demise of high-street shopkeep- seem to require the protection of secret soci- ers—only to set up again in town in eties? So many questions, and Acharya S "Express" stores designed to get rid of the provides a daunting array of tangents for our _rest of whatever competition is left. exploration, confirming that the ancients Ultimately, says Blythman, we do have a were obsessed with things astronomical and _ choice in the face of the big supermarkets' astrological and that such pursuits were imposed choices: we can support local basic to their theology—an astrotheology growers and suppliers; reject ready-made that’s at the core of every great religion. meals and processed ingredients in favour of Acharya S distills a wealth of detail that home-prepared meals that use fresh, nutri- you never knew about the ancient world, and __ tious, even organically grown ingredients; concludes that these great world faiths have and make a stand for real, not fake, commu- more in common than we realise. nities. By doing this, we can change our lot. SHOPPED: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets by Joanna Blythman Fourth Estate/HarperCollins, UK, 2004 ISBN 0-00-715803-3 (368pp pb) Availability: Fourth Estate, http:/www.4thestate.com Supermarkels have become an all-too- pervasive aspect of our lives. In the Western world, few people can entirely avoid supermarkets, even if they do the bulk of their shopping at their local greengrocer, fishmonger, butcher, hardware store or health food co-op—small outlets that are becoming more scarce as the giant chains continue to fight each other for ever-greater market share and dominance. In Shopped, award-winning UK food jour- nalist Joanna Blythman attempts to tear the blinkers from the eyes of ordinary con- sumers who are unaware of or just don't care about what they're forsaking for so-called convenience and lowish prices. She entreats us to see the supermarket giants for what they really are: feudal tyrants that tell us what we think we want to buy (the more processed, the higher their profit margin); that tell lies about the quality of their prod- ucts; that tell growers what and how much to produce and how and when they must pre- sent it. It's sad that the British, with their local, seasonal food traditions and their independent shopkeeper ethos, could think that what is best for them is access to a con- stant supply of (variable-quality) foods from anywhere on Earth, regardless of the season. Their bowing to the supermarket tyrants shows how conditioned they've become. Meanwhile, local livestock and food produc- ers have become poorer as a result. In the UK, a few supermarket superpowers including Tesco, Asda (owned by the US Wal-Mart) and Sainsbury's control around 70% of the market and keep battling for greater shares based on further manipulation of the shopper's mindset and wallet and exploitation of suppliers and workers. Cheesy American staff-training styles and "retailtainment" distractions are infiltrating the British social fabric, already rent asunder by the giants' setting up outside town and causing the demise of high-street shopkeep- ers—only to set up again in town in "Express" stores designed to get rid of the rest of whatever competition is left. Ultimately, says Blythman, we do have a choice in the face of the big supermarkets’ imposed choices: we can support local growers and suppliers; reject ready-made meals and processed ingredients in favour of home-prepared meals that use fresh, nutri- tious, even organically grown ingredients; and make a stand for real, not fake, commu- nities. By doing this, we can change our lot. SUNS=GOD " ACHARYA Author af The Chev Com 70 * NEXUS www. nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2004 — JANUARY 2005