"I consume;therefore I am" --Descarte?
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> The Consumer Culture was created (and is perpetuated through advertizing) by capitalism whose goal is to get us to borrow,spend,and consume more. The more we consume, tbe greater their profit...and the greater their profit the more tbey can consume The acquisition of more wealth enables ever-higher levels of consumption. Hence the rich have tbe highest level of consumption snd the highest level of waste/pollution production. However this pyramid scheme is based on a fallacy--the false premise that more consumption yields more fulfillment/happiness. This assumption has been proven to be blatantly false, and yet it is so ingrained in society that people continue to believe it to be gospel truth The belief motivates everyone to aspire to acquire more a.d more money/profit/wealth in pursuit of ever higher levels of consumption. Tbis of coarse like every pyramid scheme is not a sustainable paradigm. Those at the bottom of the pyramid are kept on a borrow-spend-work treadmill in a lifelong state of enslavement to debt and work. A.d those at the top in an attempt to gain more profit for themselves exploit ybe labour of those beneath tbem through control of the political syztem(show me a politician who is not promulgating the capitalist dog ma of "growing the economy") Increased consumption results in depleting/despoiling yhe earth of its natural resources,degrading the environment through the production of more waste and pollution, and increased conflict between individuals and nstions competing for finite and dwindling resources results in more violence and wars. We must expose the consumer culture for what it is--a capitalist con job! Tbe real villains in this scenario are tbe fatcat consumers at yhe top of the pyramid who are poisoning the planet.
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> They feel they are deserving of (entitled to) their privileged status and their lavish high-consumption lifestyles. They take for granted thst thry will always be surrounded by abundance and have no cause to live frugally. They are self-indulgent and self-obsessed
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> We can no longer live lavish, high-consumption lifestyles wch plunder the planet of its resources and generate vast amounts of waste and pollution. For yhe sake of the health of yhe planet and future generstions we must live simply and frugally.
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> We need to change our sense of values and our measure of personal success and personal worth. Driving gas guzzlers and taking annual tropical vacations are no longer socially acceptable/enviable symbols of status as our society recognizes thst such lavish lifestyles are raping the planet and are not sustainable.
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> People are increasingly rejecting the prevailing culture of consumerism and materialism long promoted and fueled by capitalist propoganda. It is no longer socially acceptable to accumulate more money to buy more material goods since it has been shown that more material possessions do not augment personal happiness or quality of life. (Cbcradio/the current Feb 20,2018 > "Psychology and the good life"--Laurie Santos) The myth of consumerism has been exposed/busted. People who continue to live a high-consumption lifestyle are increasingly stigmatized for being self-indulgent, irresponsible,and unethical. Anyone who is not reducing their carbon footprint is contributing to the problems of climate warming and environmental degradation.
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> On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 2:54 PM, bill dality >> >> <namtoo@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >>
baited by desire: >> >> >> >> The "desire for more" is fueled by the capitalist conspiracy (consumerism).
Marketing is so pervasive in our lives that we are not even aware of its subliminal influence upon us. No one wants to admit they are susceptible to marketing hype. But really...would marketers spend all that money if their advertizing strategies didn't work!? >> >> >> >> > > Perhaps the greatest secret to happiness is to know wben you have enough ,and to be grateful for all that we do have. (gratitude is the mother of joy) >> >> >> >> > It is tragically ironic that all marketing continually focuses our attention on what we don't have (and therefore distracts/blinds us from all tbat we are blessed with)and continually encourages us to want more. We are bombarded with advertizing that tries to make us believe that we need every new product in order to be happy. >> >> Actually the surest formula for unhappiness is to continuously focus on what we don't have(therrby becoming blind to all that we have )and therefore to be in a perpetual state of craving/deficiency. (wch condition continually robs us of any feeling of contentment,gratitude,happiness) ---and keeps us ever running on a treadmill chasing after the proverbial "carrot"...but never reaching its false promise of fulfillment. > >> >> >> >> To disregard all that one has and to obsessively and continuously focus on all that one doesn't have is a surest way to make oneslf feel inadequate,miserable and even depressed. >> >> >> >> By cultivating an attitude of gratitude we can find happiness within ourselves and among the people who are dear to us.
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> We don't need all that external "stuff"!
