This is pretty interesting
I want one!
6.21.2010
Less and More
Less owning, more giving
Less spending, more saving
Less waste, more use
Less wandering, more finding
Less selfishness, more love
Less emptiness, more growth
Less isolation, more community
Less internet, more books
Less sitting, more dancing
Less sugar, more food
Less store-bought, more home-made
Less indulgence, more restraint
Less to-do, more done
Less distracted, more attentive
Less lazy, more active
Less dirty, more clean
Less meat, more veggies
Less me, more us
Less spending, more saving
Less waste, more use
Less wandering, more finding
Less selfishness, more love
Less emptiness, more growth
Less isolation, more community
Less internet, more books
Less sitting, more dancing
Less sugar, more food
Less store-bought, more home-made
Less indulgence, more restraint
Less to-do, more done
Less distracted, more attentive
Less lazy, more active
Less dirty, more clean
Less meat, more veggies
Less me, more us
Conscious consumption (?)
I have been thinking a lot lately about the concept of 'conscious consumerism', and whether or not I can reasonably consider that to be anything but a contradiction in terms. I think there is a possibility that one could 'consciously consume' but consumerism and consumption are fundamentally different, aren't they?
We must all consume to live. Water, food, air, clothing, shelter and tools. The basic needs of the human person require outside material to be sourced, and in some way transformed into useful stuff.I think we can all agree that human life is also greatly enhanced by electricity, indoor plumbing and mechanized transport, and the resources necessary to build a culture and identity. So already we have the human person consuming in order to live at all, and hopefully live well.
Consumerism takes this idea of consumption and runs with it way past any reasonable limit. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, consumerism is "Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods or services in ever greater amounts. " Ever greater amounts? Really? When I read that, I think it seems a little ridiculous. But then I think of the mall at Christmastime (or before "Back to School" a consumerist holy time if there ever was one)
What are we there for? Certainly not to fill our basic needs, at least not most of the time. I don't think I've been in a mall to fill a genuine need since I was still growing out of clothes every six months. In fact, recently, I seem to go shopping more and more for entertainment, or because there is something I want. More than want, really, I feel an overwhelming desire for new things.I WANT things. I make lists of things to do with my money, I fritter it away on random tubes of lipstick and magazines at the drugstore. I wander the drugstore all the time, just looking for some small thing to purchase. Its starting to freak me out, actually. Its starting to freak me out because I know that I don't need any of it, and once it's bought, I only use about two-thirds of the stuff before I want another. And another. And another. This is how I end up with a small plastic bag of "lip products" when getting on the airplane, how I end up with too many vintage nightgowns and slips and negligees to fit in a drawer, how I have three huge stacks of glossy magazines.
There is stuff all over my room, some of it which barely ever gets used. And I know I'm not the only one. Some tidbits of food for thought:
In 1955, economist Victor Lebow stated:
"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 and our ego satisfaction in consumption. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced and discarded at an ever-increasing rate."
"Consumers today spend proportionately less on basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter, than they did 25, 35, or even 50 years ago. But they spend more and more money on discretionary purchases that are motivated by emotion and desire," explains Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of Why People Buy Things They Don't Need. She advocates that marketers and retailers should move beyond the rationally oriented features and benefits of products and services, and instead focus on the emotional satisfactions that drive consumer spending. "Brands with life and vibrancy that really speak to the consumer do so on an emotional plane. By uncovering the interior emotional life of the consumer, you can devise marketing strategies, competitively position products, and craft persuasive advertising messages. In essence, the `why people buy' defines the brand."
The meaning of my life
Buying and owning things
then throwing them away
(David Loy)
We must all consume to live. Water, food, air, clothing, shelter and tools. The basic needs of the human person require outside material to be sourced, and in some way transformed into useful stuff.I think we can all agree that human life is also greatly enhanced by electricity, indoor plumbing and mechanized transport, and the resources necessary to build a culture and identity. So already we have the human person consuming in order to live at all, and hopefully live well.
Consumerism takes this idea of consumption and runs with it way past any reasonable limit. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, consumerism is "Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods or services in ever greater amounts. " Ever greater amounts? Really? When I read that, I think it seems a little ridiculous. But then I think of the mall at Christmastime (or before "Back to School" a consumerist holy time if there ever was one)
What are we there for? Certainly not to fill our basic needs, at least not most of the time. I don't think I've been in a mall to fill a genuine need since I was still growing out of clothes every six months. In fact, recently, I seem to go shopping more and more for entertainment, or because there is something I want. More than want, really, I feel an overwhelming desire for new things.I WANT things. I make lists of things to do with my money, I fritter it away on random tubes of lipstick and magazines at the drugstore. I wander the drugstore all the time, just looking for some small thing to purchase. Its starting to freak me out, actually. Its starting to freak me out because I know that I don't need any of it, and once it's bought, I only use about two-thirds of the stuff before I want another. And another. And another. This is how I end up with a small plastic bag of "lip products" when getting on the airplane, how I end up with too many vintage nightgowns and slips and negligees to fit in a drawer, how I have three huge stacks of glossy magazines.
There is stuff all over my room, some of it which barely ever gets used. And I know I'm not the only one. Some tidbits of food for thought:
In 1955, economist Victor Lebow stated:
"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 and our ego satisfaction in consumption. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced and discarded at an ever-increasing rate."
"Consumers today spend proportionately less on basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter, than they did 25, 35, or even 50 years ago. But they spend more and more money on discretionary purchases that are motivated by emotion and desire," explains Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of Why People Buy Things They Don't Need. She advocates that marketers and retailers should move beyond the rationally oriented features and benefits of products and services, and instead focus on the emotional satisfactions that drive consumer spending. "Brands with life and vibrancy that really speak to the consumer do so on an emotional plane. By uncovering the interior emotional life of the consumer, you can devise marketing strategies, competitively position products, and craft persuasive advertising messages. In essence, the `why people buy' defines the brand."
The meaning of my life
Buying and owning things
then throwing them away
(David Loy)
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