I really hate our damn consumerist society.

So, someone important died. Men stood for something. A religious icon is being celebrated in some way - let's monetize this! Screw the forefathers and what they actually stood for, as long as a person can buy a beer and watch fancy lights in the sky, their freedoms can be stripped away more each year.

Christians don't give a damn about Jesus. They care about their vacations, time off work, shoving sugar down their throat until they can't anymore, hardly any mentions of crosses or atonements or anything at all dealing with Christ, benevolence, gratefulness of a savior, nope. I live in Utah and all they give a damn about is time out of school and how great it is for half the people to vacation, so the other half need to work twice as hard instead of getting any time with their families.

Forget freedom, forget liberty, forget justice. The iPhone 200 is coming out soon and it has a whole half inch bigger screen while weighing less than previous versions! Don't join movements or revolutions because those things don't make you cool. You'll only be cool and important if you have a flat screen TV and the latest phone with no extra functionality.

Don't get me wrong, material possessions are neat, and have their place. Consuming is not inherently all bad - but we've gone way past the tipping point. This year we will once again light fireworks and drink beer, ignoring the fact that the Constitution is less applied than ever. We will once again feel some small form of happiness and maybe even have some barbecue on presidents day while ignoring the fact that puppet after puppet is slowly stripping away our rights, not even close to emulating presidents of old. Once again we might get a day off for Martin Luther King day without any real reflection on the fact that racial tensions are higher now than in decades. We will once again punch, kick, shove and swear at people possibly even kill them if they're unlucky on thanksgiving night - not for a minute reflecting on what the day could mean if we pondered the meaning for more than a second.

Damn you people.

-deadlyhope

Great rant.

I think we in the west have forgotten how to tread lightly, take only what we need and live in modesty.

We upgrade our phones not because our old one is worn out, but because the new model does one more 'thing' than the old one and we don't want to be laughed or sneered at by 'that guy' who just bought one.

We buy new cars, not because our old one is had it, no we do so to 'stay in fashion' usually justifying our lavish expenditure on features we don't even need.

We want bigger houses because someone we look up to has one and because it is a sign of status. We've forgotten that a home is meant to be our shelter.

The list goes on and on.

But at the end of the day we will die.....

And all those fancy trinkets we surrounded ourselves with will not come with us. They will just cause fights among the living who we left behind over who gets to have them

a reply to: markosity1973

Exactly.

Material possessions as objects have their place and function. Materialism,though, as a frame of mind, has run its course, and is not conducive to a great society full of great people. It only works against us when idolized and propped up the way it is.

a reply to: deadlyhope

I think you have nailed it. Those aremy thoughts exactly, everyday i get sick to my stomach seeing the selfishness and greed run rampant because people just have to have more and more. Don't get me wrong i like having nice things and all but i just cant get my head around upgrading gadgets every month. Though i have taken advantage of the system by getting the previous model of tv at a discount, but i only get a new one when it is beyond repair. I may be old fashioned but i would rather fix my stuff than buy new shiny junk.

originally posted by: markosity1973
Great rant.

I think we in the west have forgotten how to tread lightly, take only what we need and live in modesty.

We upgrade our phones not because our old one is worn out, but because the new model does one more 'thing' than the old one and we don't want to be laughed or sneered at by 'that guy' who just bought one.

We buy new cars, not because our old one is had it, no we do so to 'stay in fashion' usually justifying our lavish expenditure on features we don't even need.

We want bigger houses because someone we look up to has one and because it is a sign of status. We've forgotten that a home is meant to be our shelter.

The list goes on and on.

But at the end of the day we will die.....

And all those fancy trinkets we surrounded ourselves with will not come with us. They will just cause fights among the living who we left behind over who gets to have them

Or we like playing with/driving nice things? Do you still play atari 2600 games? No?? Why not!?

Also..adults tend not to sneer at others who don't have the newest phone.

I, personally, own very few expensive things as I dont really care about all that but I understand people like nice, new things.

That's not to say that we couldn't all be nicer to each other and we shouldn't be so wasteful.

a reply to: markosity1973

Manufactured obsolescence.

a reply to: 3danimator2014

Actual societal norms and perceived are different but just as relevant. Through advertising and media and such, a person can feel like a loser if they don't have the latest and greatest. Of course this is mostly perceived, not many live in rich and snobby circles, but the perception does have an impact nonetheless.

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: 3danimator2014

Actual societal norms and perceived are different but just as relevant. Through advertising and media and such, a person can feel like a loser if they don't have the latest and greatest. Of course this is mostly perceived, not many live in rich and snobby circles, but the perception does have an impact nonetheless.

I guess i can accept that up to a point. But one other thing, you guys that are so against all this realise tat all this new tech doesn't just go into shiny phones and cars right? It also used to make our lives safer, our cars run greener, the data from crashed planes retrievable, computers and the internt affordable to most people etc....

And none of it would happen, no company is going to spend billions develloping something unless they get a return. So, sure, stop buying things (i'm not suggesting you upgrade every year by the way) and watch tech dev slow down.

All these people who you guys are railing against are funding the companies that are making that one piece of equipment you WILL want/need one day.

a reply to: 3danimator2014

? I'm not against technology. I'm typing this on a Samsung tablet that I rather enjoy.

I'm against the mentality and atmosphere consumerism creates. Not just technology. Food, snacks, holidays.

Things are becoming more and more shallow and less and less genuine.

If you don't agree with me on that point, that's fine.

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: 3danimator2014

? I'm not against technology. I'm typing this on a Samsung tablet that I rather enjoy.

I'm against the mentality and atmosphere consumerism creates. Not just technology. Food, snacks, holidays.

Things are becoming more and more shallow and less and less genuine.

If you don't agree with me on that point, that's fine.

Where did i say anything about being against technology? You missed my point entirely. It was that unless people bought smart phones and iphones etc.. by the millions, you wouldnt HAVE a tablet to type this on, since they would not exist. Because Apple would not have invested billions unless they knew people were going to buy it. Technological advances require great deals of money, that money can only come from the consumers. And more importantly, those technological advances are not just for cosmetic things like phones, they get used elsewhere in things that actually matter

Food..i agree. We waste too much of it. And we dont need 3000 types of cereal. But thats me...

a reply to: deadlyhope
Absolutely. I mean. I personally care about the time off rather than the religion, but I don't follow the religion...By the way you deserve this. Everyone here, you all deserve this



It's only going to get worse and worse. Religious holidays are at best a combination of familial and commercial, but very few actually celebrate the purpose of the holiday. Of course as individuals we have the ability to refuse to partake and I hope you all do(as do I hope to do). As far as I'm concerned first comes family then morals and then at the very bottom material possession.

a reply to: Tiamat384

Oh yeah I believe in religious freedom and freedom to not associate with religion. But it's a holiday for that reason, and not even the Christians celebrate it in a genuine manner.

I rather think Easter and Christmas should not be national holidays.

a reply to: deadlyhope
Well expect it to become a purely consumerist holiday(s). If you don't celebrate a holiday for its purpose don't consider yourself a follower. And by "you" I mean of course people in general. From the perspective of a college student, I have to say that Easter isn't very easy to even celebrate when you have to be back at college the day of the holiday in order to make it for morning classes. It ends up being one pointless week off.

a reply to: Tiamat384

It applies to more than religion.

July 4th I hear less about freedom and liberty, more about beer and fishing.

I'm disappointed that our nation is so apathetic about everything.

a reply to: deadlyhope
Souls and spirits and gods and any deeper meaning? Bah. How dreadfully boring. Why so serious? Here sit. Ill grill a nice burger and we're going to stop you from thinking or caring with a nice cold beer. Have you seen my car? Yep. It's a new model. I gave my kid last years. *In the background kids on phones and tablets rather than playing ball or talking*.

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: Tiamat384

It applies to more than religion.

July 4th I hear less about freedom and liberty, more about beer and fishing.

I'm disappointed that our nation is so apathetic about everything.

And yet, im willing to bet you don't do anything about it, other than complain on a forum (with all due respect)

a reply to: Tiamat384

You seem to be on a religious or spiritual note - while such holidays are included in what I mean, it's not exclusive to souls or spirits or God.

I'm talking about concepts, personally traits, character...

Altruism
Empathy
Compassion
Connection
Passion

Things like that

a reply to: deadlyhope

What did you think I meant by "deeper meaning"..

originally posted by: 3danimator2014


Or we like playing with/driving nice things? Do you still play atari 2600 games? No?? Why not!?

I never owned an Atari 2600 - we were too poor. I still have the one and only game console I have ever owned though - a PS2. I'm not into games much.

Also..adults tend not to sneer at others who don't have the newest phone.

I, personally, own very few expensive things as I dont really care about all that but I understand people like nice, new things.

That's not to say that we couldn't all be nicer to each other and we shouldn't be so wasteful.

So say you....

I am telling the bare honest truth when I tell you that I own an old (1978) caravan. I took it on holiday this year, travelling around having a great time.

But

On at least three occasions people very loudly commented on what a #ty old caravan I had and 'Why would you tow it with a car like that?' (My SUV is fairly new, but I intend to keep it pretty much forever)

So, no Adults don't play nice. There are LOADS of snobs out there. And more the fool them for buying into a shallow materialistic existence. The sun was no poorer when it shone on my corner of the campground. The view was no less spectacular from my 1978 window and the bed was no less comfortable because the mattress is new.

originally posted by: markosity1973
We upgrade our phones not because our old one is worn out, but because the new model does one more 'thing' than the old one and we don't want to be laughed or sneered at by 'that guy' who just bought one.

Not everyone. My last 2 phones conveniently went wonky within a month of my 2 year contracts coming due. Planned obsolecence is very real in electronics and it's creeping into other things...