RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Hello fellow Philosophy Now Members,
I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the following issue:
How are we pressured to consume in today's society? And do you consider current trends in purchasing too much or items which others may consider unnecessary to be unethical? Do you believe that advertisements, marketing, peer pressure, and even your own self has gone too far in consumption?
I look forward to hearing what you people have to say,
Corey-FS
I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the following issue:
How are we pressured to consume in today's society? And do you consider current trends in purchasing too much or items which others may consider unnecessary to be unethical? Do you believe that advertisements, marketing, peer pressure, and even your own self has gone too far in consumption?
I look forward to hearing what you people have to say,
Corey-FS
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
John Kerry couldn't park his boat so he had pier pressure
others who are jealous of your consumption will try to tax you out of it
-Imp
others who are jealous of your consumption will try to tax you out of it
-Imp
- Arising_uk
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Not really true tho' is it as it appears that the richer you are the less tax you pay.Impenitent wrote:...
others who are jealous of your consumption will try to tax you out of it
-Imp
- Conde Lucanor
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
That's easy: everything is transformed into merchandise, all human needs and relations are moved to the field of trade. It's the basic mechanism of capitalism. Without it, capitalism would not exist.
Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.Conde Lucanor wrote:That's easy: everything is transformed into merchandise, all human needs and relations are moved to the field of trade. It's the basic mechanism of capitalism. Without it, capitalism would not exist.
- Conde Lucanor
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.thedoc wrote:Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.Conde Lucanor wrote:That's easy: everything is transformed into merchandise, all human needs and relations are moved to the field of trade. It's the basic mechanism of capitalism. Without it, capitalism would not exist.
Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
But currency is also applied to labor and time, not just commodities, even if labor and time are used to produce commodities. How would you account for the minimum wage being expressed in currency.Conde Lucanor wrote:Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.thedoc wrote:Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.Conde Lucanor wrote:That's easy: everything is transformed into merchandise, all human needs and relations are moved to the field of trade. It's the basic mechanism of capitalism. Without it, capitalism would not exist.
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
The pressure definitely is there. And is is unnecessary. Your questions are simple to answer .... But there are other important questions to be asked, not so simple to answer:Corey-FS wrote:Hello fellow Philosophy Now Members,
I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the following issue:
How are we pressured to consume in today's society? And do you consider current trends in purchasing too much or items which others may consider unnecessary to be unethical? Do you believe that advertisements, marketing, peer pressure, and even your own self has gone too far in consumption?
I look forward to hearing what you people have to say,
Corey-FS
- Who applies this pressure to consume and what are their motives? And when has it started?
- Why is the majority of modern world people defenseless against this pressure to consume?
- Doesn't the situation testify to the fact that young humans (children) can be shaped to do basically anything at all, and live in any way possible (even kill each other), by the condition that enough pressure and "convincing arguments" are applied on them while they are still young and just forming their ideas and opinions of the world and way to live?
- Hobbes' Choice
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Corey-FS wrote:Hello fellow Philosophy Now Members,
I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the following issue:
How are we pressured to consume in today's society? And do you consider current trends in purchasing too much or items which others may consider unnecessary to be unethical? Do you believe that advertisements, marketing, peer pressure, and even your own self has gone too far in consumption?
I look forward to hearing what you people have to say,
Corey-FS
The corporate entities will not be satisfied until the earth is complete squeezed dry of all its resources, not a sinlge wild animal is free to roam and the climate is out of control, so that the earth shall turn into a desert, with polluted seas, with strange mutant creatures struggling for life.
And without an untouchable enlightened global government to control consumption the human race is doomed to destroy itself.
- Conde Lucanor
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Labor power is treated as a commodity. It is offered and exchanged in the market.thedoc wrote:But currency is also applied to labor and time, not just commodities, even if labor and time are used to produce commodities. How would you account for the minimum wage being expressed in currency.Conde Lucanor wrote:Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.thedoc wrote:
Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.
Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Imo it's not-so-bright-easily-manipulated people that let themselves into buying sprees.Corey-FS wrote:Hello fellow Philosophy Now Members,
I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the following issue:
How are we pressured to consume in today's society? And do you consider current trends in purchasing too much or items which others may consider unnecessary to be unethical? Do you believe that advertisements, marketing, peer pressure, and even your own self has gone too far in consumption?
- Hobbes' Choice
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
It is not like any commodity. Most commodities are thoroughly alienable. Labour can never be. And minimum values have to be enforced, because the value is the value of a human.Conde Lucanor wrote:Labor power is treated as a commodity. It is offered and exchanged in the market.thedoc wrote:But currency is also applied to labor and time, not just commodities, even if labor and time are used to produce commodities. How would you account for the minimum wage being expressed in currency.Conde Lucanor wrote:
Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.
Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Folks are pressured by advertising, peer pressure, and desire.Corey-FS wrote:Hello fellow Philosophy Now Members,
I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the following issue:
How are we pressured to consume in today's society? And do you consider current trends in purchasing too much or items which others may consider unnecessary to be unethical? Do you believe that advertisements, marketing, peer pressure, and even your own self has gone too far in consumption?
I look forward to hearing what you people have to say,
Corey-FS
Buddha was saturated with opulence as a young man, before he became Buddha. From this we can speculate that opulence precedes awakening.
Unnecessary stuff fills the emptiness and occupies attention so that folks are not bored. If one is spiritually inclined then accepting all the stuff to your heart’s content will saturate your desire. You will see why the unnecessary stuff was so necessary that it moved you to trade your life force and time for it.
If spiritually inclined, once saturated with stuff and you see the truth of the desire you had for that stuff, then you see the nature of all desire, which is eventually what happened to young Buddha. Renunciation is a point of mental development. Once you no longer need the unnecessary stuff then the accessories and their absence are regarded with equanimity. Fine if they’re there, fine if they’re not.
But, Buddha first knew opulence before awakening.
*
Choose to be the right brand. It’s all about image.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOqavW7UytU
- Conde Lucanor
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
It is the one commodity that can create other commodities. That's why it's so valuable for capitalists.Hobbes' Choice wrote: It is not like any commodity.
Actually, in the form of paid wages it's alienated from its true owner, as capitalists rent it as an instrument of production in order to extract maximum surplus value. Besides the practical social implications, there is a psychological one, too, which is alienation of man from himself.Hobbes' Choice wrote:Most commodities are thoroughly alienable. Labour can never be. And minimum values have to be enforced, because the value is the value of a human.
- Hobbes' Choice
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Re: RE: How are we pressured to consume in today's society?
Women do most of the work around the world, and many work for no money.Conde Lucanor wrote:It is the one commodity that can create other commodities. That's why it's so valuable for capitalists.Hobbes' Choice wrote: It is not like any commodity.
That is why it is not really a commodity in the same way as all others.
Actually, in the form of paid wages it's alienated from its true owner, as capitalists rent it as an instrument of production in order to extract maximum surplus value. Besides the practical social implications, there is a psychological one, too, which is alienation of man from himself.Hobbes' Choice wrote:Most commodities are thoroughly alienable. Labour can never be. And minimum values have to be enforced, because the value is the value of a human.
But truly alienated Labour is slavery.