Check out this very thoughtful and articulate post on the nature and impact of first-world consumption, told from the very personal perspective of Zoe. I particularly appreciate her discussion of "new is a new concept".
This post really is worth reading.
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I've been thinking about this a lot lately, particularly in light of the holiday season and the mad consumerism driving it.
ReplyDeleteTo be labeled a "consumer" is to be objectified and dehumanized. The The ultimate denial of human dignity is to be drawn and quartered by the manufacturers and middlemen who profit from centralizing all aspects of human life and slapping a price tag on it all that was carefully calculated to appropriate every cent we earn.
The surest way to rebel against this consumerism is to make our own and reject the crap they make for us. Make our own food, clothing, associations, styles, tastes, customs.
Take what we need from the big machines, but never abdicate our humanity by queuing up to be allowed to riot for the chance to buy cheap plastic goods made by near-slave labor.
D.: It really is dehumanizing! I find it so hard to come to terms with the inhumanity it causes to other (as it exposes my own), esp. in light of the "need" to consume in order to live the life I am accustomed to.
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