Forum Post: The root of all problems is DNA

Evolutionary psychologists often talk of biological imperatives, behavior hardwired into us by our evolutionary history. So what is the most important biological imperative? The first behavior that had to be learned in order to begin the process of evolution? Self preservation. The will to self preserve and replicate/reproduce are the most basic traits of any creature, plant or animal. These traits, unfortunately, bleed through from our psyche into every aspect of human interaction. Every government, every marketplace, every idea wants nothing more than to survive and procreate. Enter capitalism. With its invisible hand, it seemed as though anything was possible, indeed even likely, with hidden market forces steering us in the direction of prosperity. However, that innate need to self promote conflicts with the very heart of capitalism. The free market survives and thrives on the idea that markets will pick the best products and the best prices for those products, taking the hard part out of consuming. Advertising is the manifestation of our biological imperative to self promote, but in a capitalist system, advertising unbalances the market forces, allowing for imperfect products and services to out compete their less well monied competition. Ceterus parabis is nothing compared to the influence of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on advertising every year. Advertising has corrupted almost every industry to emerge on this planet so far, not least of all politics. Our democracy now allows corporations to make unlimited “free speech” in monetary donations to political groups. In the political marketplace, platforms are often lost under tidal waves of money, and the more wealth concentrates, the more political capital concentrates, leading to the plutonomy that we have today. I’m not saying we should end advertising, but I can think of a few more constructive ways to use that money while still promoting your company. What are the some of the most well designed, well maintained multi-use buildings in the world? Sports stadiums and event centers are the most advanced structures in the world. They have something else in common. A Corporate sponsor. The fact is that our infrastructure is crumbling and we don’t have the money to fix it. Advertisers do. Instead of buying a 30 second slot that will play 8 times a day for 2 months, put your logo on a bridge, community center, or other public structure that will last for years.