Posted by on June 28, 2011 at 15:51:56
In Reply to: Re: Consumerism posted by Skep on June 27, 2011 at 14:44:43:
Hey, Skep!
”Actually no”? That’s a matter of opinion; I’d say. More likely, it’s “actually” aimed at all, since even Western marketing and PR reaches all over the world, strongly affecting, for instance, even previously “communistically pure” Red China, which is now scrambling to catch up with the West economically, using identical methods, but under the autocratic control they cannot afford to lose. At least the church grew there under their state-sponsored persecution.
And, not all capitalism is bad, despite some popular opinion. Read any Ayn Rand?
In the US in the ‘20s, contrary to the originally prevailing belief in “Social Darwinism”, the government did have to ultimately step in and regulate against monopolies and trusts, but generally, free market competition has and does generally drive up competition/quality competing for public demand of goods and services; both nationally and internationally, despite any tariffs and other interventions in free trade.
Communist original theorists’ biggest mistakes, IMHO, besides positing the “irresistible pattern with no pattern-maker” dialectics of atheistic materialism in the first place, was to assume wrongly about human nature itself: first, people will always work harder for themselves and their families than any government or idealism, and secondly, government(s) cannot possibly control both supply and demand at the same time; either nationally, or internationally, especially while trying to compete with the much more economically successful West’s US-led military industrial complex (the one Eisenhower warned America about), even with its weaknesses and “necessary” evils.
Result: the fall of Soviet communism, and the Iron Curtain, and the ensuing influx of poverty from Eastern to Western Europe (and even the Euro’s not doing so well; lately). That alone vastly limits rampant consumerism—Economics 101.
Currently, though, it appears that the one-worlders are making some definite headway, towards co-opting the successful West’s US-provided socioeconomic and political infrastructure, and always-diminishing military will, as well as the military’s game of “Musical Chairs” no-win leadership changeovers, despite the US’s obvious war-winning capacity and fully volunteer services, and technological superiority.
Less sucking up to the UN, et al, and more “shock and awe” actual warfare would no doubt have removed the US from Iraq/Afghanistan by now.
And, “fiat money”, printed at will, now, by the US as well as Europe, is weakening all nations’ economic capacity. And China is becoming the US’s major creditor, further weakening the West.
Seems Biblical, for the most part—what’s predicted, at least.
Communism, in its original vision of a quickly victorious uprising and wealth-redistributing proletariat, lost to an uprising worldwide middle class, and has never succeeded.
Neither have the original expectations of a radical worldwide jihadist Caliphate ruling the world via extremist Islam.
Much like still-in TFers, both systems failed miserably, despite their hangers-on.
Communism‘s chronic shortages, and its adherents’ increasing awareness of a much better life for themselves and their families offered in the West, angered their populaces, and in direct ironic contrast to Nikita Krushchev’s prediction, the Soviet USSR/Russia fell from within, and the rest of the world went on to increasingly copy the economics of the “weaker” West.
The “advertizing apparatii”, quite a few of them worldwide concerns by now, are not irresistible, even though, for instance, the mean educational level in the US is only 8th Grade, according to sociologists/psychologists, and marketers/PR firms depend and count on this uneducated ignorance; no doubt.
But ignorance is diminishing, even in communist and previously communist nations, in this new Information Age, powered by a literally World-Wide Web, despite wholesale attempts to censor it.
Older “party lines” are not necessarily so closely followed anymore, probably directly due to even some unintentional counter-propaganda effects worldwide. People are re-examining their belief systems, as they acquire the ability and will to do so.
We’ve not arrived yet at any “final” behavior, by any means; although the worldwide goal of marketing is to relentlessly and continuously lure as many people as possible into buying patterns chosen for them, by and large.
Not much educated intellignece is equired, to discover than no one can eat or own things past a certain point, till those things begin to eat and own the consumer--consumerism has its natural limits, for most people, at least--the foolishly super-greedy are in the vast minority. Berg was wrong about his imaginary and hated "Systemites"--it just appealed to our ex-hippy self-righteousness, IMHO.
Basic needs do not change, though, despite using sex/greed to market to the ignorant, but, as I said, humans will work far harder for themselves and their families, than for any ideology; political, religious, or otherwise; according to their true hierarchy of needs, as Abraham Mazlow taught.
Another Abraham, President Lincoln, advised that “…you can’t fool all of the people all of the time…”, although “…you can fool some of the people some of the time, and even all of the people some of the time”; another truth applicable to our very own former cult, for which I will be eternally grateful, since I was finally able to think for myself, and leave, like the Prodigal Son who “came to himself”, and left off eating pigs’ food (Mo Letters, etc. What crap! What garbage!).
Another chief competitor for allegiance of beliefs and consumer patterns is the influence of, say, jihadist fringe Islam, especially in Europe, after a great influx of Muslims, mostly moderate, have been seeking escape from their Sharia-based home countries, and the absolute lack of freedoms there; economic and otherwise.
While it is no doubt true that even they can be marketed to, to a degree, regarding “new necessities” such as the latest electronic gadgets, and so forth, they are more resistant to other major marketing efforts, because of their religious beliefs as a whole; Halal food and so forth, similar to the Jews and other ethnically/behaviorally similar groups.
I agree with your assessment of the “choices” available in TF. They were there, but unless someone realized that and left completely, as soon as possible, as I did, after my own 2 ½ years of self-imposed slavery, we were all like a bunch of overly-programmed lab rats with freely-chosen electrodes tuck in their heads, if you will. Even with doors left open on each of our “cages”, we had to decide to leave against all conditioning—not so easy at first.
We made ourselves slaves by choice, like hard-line Soviet communists as well as committed jihadists—in the long run; all fools—the blind following the blind, IMO.
That was my journey; anyway!
Respectfully,
OT2