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WHAT GOOD IS IT TO LIVE IN A CONSUMER SOCIETY IF THE CONSUMER ISN’T IMPORTANT?
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Exclaimed:"My Master, now declare to me
What people these are, and if all were clerks,
These shaven crowns upon the left of us."
And he to me:"All of them were asquint
In intellect in the first life, so much
That there with measure they no spending made
Clearly enough their voices bark it forth,
Whene'er they reach the two points of the circle,
Where sunders them the opposite defect.
Clerks those were who no hairy covering
Have on the head, and Popes and Cardinals,
In whom doth Avarice practise its excess."
And I:"My Master, among such as these
I ought forsooth to recognise some few,
Who were infected with these maladies."
And he to me:"Vain thought thou entertainest;
The undiscerning life which made them sordid
Now mal~es them unto all discernment dim
Canto VII, Circle IV, The Avaricious Dantes Inferno
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I’m not one these “consumerism is evil” people. I am a proud average American consumer. I consume funky new gadgets and fine wine. I consume shoes and shirts made in sweat shops (not on purpose!!!!). I consume popular culture and fast food. I consume commodities of all shapes and sizes. I consume various and sundry nourishments from the Gonzo food pyramid. I consume things that I don't need but want. Yes, I am the average American consumer.
Tap “consumerism” into Google and you will bring up five million sites with essays/action groups/or whatever telling us how consumerism is THE big evil of our times – as if it didn’t exist before. With names like “Overcoming Consumerism,” “Anti-Consumerism,” “Enough Consumerism,” and all sorts of other clever titles these sites try to sell you on the idea that selling is bad. The ultimate anti-consumerism crusade was called “communism,” and I think we all know how well that went. The reason communism will never work is because we are human beings, not the Borg. Yes, spiritual enlightenment is a noble pursuit, just as philosophy and love are, but have you ever ridden in a Ferrari? They rock.
The debate about consumerism has been around since the ancient world. Plato, in his “Republic,” allows "the masses" to run rampant through life acquiring all they wish, while the “philosopher kings,” through education and experience, are raised to be society’s ascetic leaders who forgo the trappings of the material. Even in 300 B.C. they saw the acquisition of money or goods in the "merchant class" as a destructive path. Dante put the Avaricious in his Fourth Circle of the "Inferno." Avaricious is defined as "immoderately desirous of wealth or gain, greedy."
What most people don’t want to admit is that human beings are, by definition, consumers, and by action, destructive. These true disbelievers can write with all the eloquence in the world, but what they have to say is, at its essence, wrong. If your website is dedicated to eradicating consumerism in our society I assume your master plan will follow these two action steps:
1. Whip up a batch of toxic Kool Aid for six billion.
2. Once we -- the human race-- is gone, hope protracted evolution will create a species that does not need to eat and/or does not include females.
One man's physical therapy is a rich
doctor's 3rd sports car and temptress. |
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I'm not sure what planet some of these anti-consumer people live on, but down here on Earth things follow this simple equation: No money = no women. Math truly is the language of everything. Really, can any of us imagine Carrie Bradshaw forgoing a pair of on sale Manolo Blahniks for a universal sense of justice? Excuse me while I laugh into my copy of "Confederacy of Dunces." Ever see a supermodel get out of Pinto? Of course you haven't and you never will. Supermodels in Pintos are like the Second Coming -- not going to happen. There is a reason Plato’s “Republic” is called UTOPIA, and it is the same reason St. Thomas Aquinas was forced to chase "temptresses" from his room with a hot poker he pulled out of a fire. That's how you become a saint -- chasing away temptresses as opposed to clearing a space for them on the bed.
Even those men who scholars generally agree fit into Plato’s “philosopher king” category have, in complete contradiction to his ideal, never shied away from the material rewards and aquistion of wealth as their rightful bounty. Rage against the machine all you want. You are the machine, and the only thing you can really do about it is DEMAND BETTER CONSUMERSIM. It’s the difference between eating a 6 pound artery clogging obesity causing cheeseburger and a healthy gourmet meal with a bottle (or three) of good wine (may I suggest any 2002 Burgundy). It’s the difference between an IPOD and, well, everything else. So, let us dispense with the arguments for or against “consumerism,” and let’s focus on a more realistic and much more pressing issue: customer service.
American capitalism can be reduced to Man or Woman on Telephone. Being able to pick up the phone and talk to
Corporate dystopia |
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a person about an issue with your brand new battery operated weapons of mass destruction detector is what being a consumer is all about. The customer is always right, right? Right? Actually, no. The joke is on us. As we become a society less and less of, by, and for the people, and more of a bland soulless corporate dystopia, we will zealously participate in a gradual lowering of our service expectations and lifestyles (Wal-Mart anyone?). As an average Giles with average Giles problems, these little subtle shifts in the fabric of my average Giles life are peculiar in their increasing frequency and in what they signify. They are the first sign posts that the only decent thing about living in a rabid consumer society -- being a consumer -- is slipping right out from underneath us.
Here is my first hand account of recent experiences I’ve had dealing with customer service at various companies. They are, in order of shocking incompetence and general vileness:
Click on the link, to go LIVE TO CIRCLE FOUR OF THE INFERNO!
NOW : DELL COMPUTERS
NOW: HEALTHNET
NOW: DELTA AIRLINES
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