Forum Post: "Smart consumerism"

One problem in what we have done in North-America is allowed Wallstreet to become this powerful due to an unhealthy inclination towards the culture of consumerism.

We are driven by advertizing towards an ideal that involves working the individuals backside to the bone in order to accquire what is seen by many as the "ideal" life.

I speak of big cars, big house, perhaps two, the latest fashions and designer drugs and powders all served to us with a generous helping of "buy now, pay later", a sauce that is viscous and ladden with credit card numbers (operators are indeed standing by!!).

And in the public mindshare, we are told to look this way, eat this way, wear it this way and to buy now and pay later.

The end result? The current economical nightmare we have. We want and we want, and now we can no longer afford but we want still.

But how to remedy to all this, because of this "hunger" that gave wallstreet the keys to our city, to our freedoms and our democracy. We are the ones responsible through our own petty wants, and this needs to stop. If we are to turn the tide and actually achieve anything, then let us take control of one thing that the powers that be have yet to have complete control over.

I do not advocate a return to a "simpler time". No, such social atavism is really a pointless venture. Nor do I advocate a solution that carries the stygian aroma of soviet-era communism. As we recall, they lost because the system they had simply didn't work.

But what I will advocate, dear readers, is the control we still have over the proverbial drawstrings over the proverbial wallet.

And I will give you a few examples of how this can be done. I will warn you that such draconian mesures do hurt. It mostly hurts the profit margins of people who have done the mistake to assume that penny-pinching had gone out of style.

For one, do get rid of the idiot box commonly known as "television". At the very least the cable-channels. They have no practical use, other to make your braincells utterly void of content. It also gets rid of the unnecessary clamor of advertizing, which one has have no need for.

Also, it deprives Fox news of viewers.

The second thing one needs to do, is when it comes to investing in consummer goods, is to NOT buy from any big box stores such as wal-mart any further until they buy truly local. If a north-american store sells products, then they should make sure that the goods they buy come from local factories and farms.

If you can't find a store that buys local, find out if you can't buy direct from the factory. In many cases, some factories have outlets.

If you have to buy electronic goods, buy refurbished. You keep people employed still while lessening the need to make "new and better products".

As for anything else, Do not be shy to say to a shop clerk "I'm sorry, but that's too expensive" and then walk out. Nothing more empowering than to say something like that, especially when it comes to overpriced goods.

Do not be shy also to use social networking to tell people about where they can buy moderately priced goods and services. Make sure they are local and local businesses will thank you and you may even gain money while you do so.

Those are only but a few examples, I am sure others can add to this?

W01F