I took a walk this afternoon through one of the largest Meccas of American consumerism. They talk about how bad the economy is, but the place was filled with people, from the parking lot on in, caught up in the bustle. Filled with people, and filled with an electric crackle of stress. False excitement, false [...]
Posts Tagged ‘consumerism’
The Prole Wars: the closing
This is the third part of my experience when visiting the demonstrations about the financial crisis. In the second episode of these reviews I pointed out to the protesters that they lacked unity, order and cohesion. They did not have a singular message to convey, but instead their protest was made up from a collection of [...]
The new order
Postmodern theorists talk about the difference between text, or public meaning, and subtext, or private (and usually actual) meaning. In politics, this means we say one thing to flatter the people around us into thinking we’re doing what is in their best interests, or what they have commanded us to do; in actually, what we [...]
The problem is you
The world has become small to too many people, as it’s too easy to communicate across countries for just about anyone. Blogger account? Check. Facebook posts about the travesties going on in Kashmir, in the DMZ between the two Koreas, about finally freeing Tibet from the evil Chinese government? Check. We leave behind something more [...]
The End of the World Anthem
After a long, intensive, exhausting survey of history, politics and philosophy, I have finally figured out how civilization will end. I could have used a wide array of quotes to pump this article up, but I have decided not to, so that this message could be as simple, concise and accessible as possible. Everywhere around [...]
With a Whimper
Someone told me that gay marriage has been accepted in New York. When I heard it I said it was just a matter of time anyway – soon the whole Western world will be ruled by hedonism. One might say that it’s not hedonism, that no-one can’t help it whether he loves boys or girls. But then [...]
Euro or Drachme?
“One of her major points is that while conservatives attempt to use logical argument, liberals jump to slogans, pictures, jokes, metaphors and threats.” – ‘Demonic, by Ann Coulter‘, Brett Stevens, June 2011 This is most definitely true. Take today for example, with Liberal parties and politicians declaring: “We must give money to Greece! If we do [...]
Oversold
One of the problems of consumerist, usurious economies is that we can very easily oversell our products or services. This means we value them at more than they are worth as a utility to others. An oversold commodity fulfills the old saying that “what goes up, must come down.” When you value something at more [...]
Change your life
If the ancient world was primitive man finding ways to conquer nature and thus come to dominate his habitat, the modern world has taken things to another level. The modern state is a construct with interests sometimes at odds with rather than aligned with those of its inhabitants. Some of its minions, the industries, tend [...]
Why diversity self-destructs
Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. The Second [...]
