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Freaky economics. Go watch.
One quote from the post-war restructuring of the US economy and the need for a new way of consuming:
Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.
Victor Lebow 1955
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Now playing: Sister Rosetta Tharpe – What Is the Soul of Man?
via FoxyTunes
1. Politics without principle
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Wealth without work
4. Knowledge without character
5. Commerce without morality
6. Science without humanity
7. Worship without sacrifice
Mahatma Ghandi
As a favour to a friend who has dial up and not broadband I promised to post this picture as he doubted my prophecy. I give you: Next Big Thing for Christmas – the Upside Down Christmas Tree.
The Upside Down Christmas Tree (arbre de parapluie for our French readers) is popular in the US as it saves space, decorations can be better displayed, it’s a conversation starter, and the killer application, you can get more presents and bigger gifts under your tree. Don’t know how we managed before.
There are 358 days of turbo-consumerism left to get a tree. I think there are pre-lit versions for the extra busy.
Here endeth the prophecy.
Jubilo was convinced that owning lots of clothing and furniture, far from bringing happiness, could turn people into slaves of their possessions. He thought it was important to think very carefully before buying anything, because things required a certain amount of attention and over time could become tyrants that demanded constant care. They had to be cleaned, protected, maintained; in short, he believed that possessions brought constraints, and he was too free-spirited to consider buying anything that would tie him down. He therefore also refrained from buying expensive gifts. First, because he didn’t think it was a necessary requirement for showing his affection, and second, because he was convinced that if he were to do so, he would also be giving enslavement, except for perishable gifts like flowers or chocolates. To his way of thinking, the true value of a present lay in what it meant to the donor, not in how much it cost. Money had no value for him and he would never dare compare it to a gesture of love.
For example, to Jubilo, arranging a serenade at three in the morning meant so much more than buying a diamond bracelet. It showed his willingness to forgo sleep, to withstand the cold, to run the risk of being mugged or getting drenched by irate neighbours. And that was certainly worth a lot more than simply a bought present. The value of things was so relative. And money, in his mind, was like a huge magnifying glass that only distorted reality and gave things a dimension they didn’t really possess.
Swift as Desire Laura Esquivel
