Philosophy Now Forum

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

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

Impenitent wrote:...

others who are jealous of your consumption will try to tax you out of it

-Imp

Not really true tho' is it as it appears that the richer you are the less tax you pay.

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 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.

Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.

thedoc wrote:

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.

Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.

Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.

Conde Lucanor wrote:

thedoc wrote:

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.

Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.

Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.

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.

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 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:
- 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?

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.

thedoc wrote:

Conde Lucanor wrote:

thedoc wrote:
Everything is converted to currency, including merchandise, production and service. Currency is the lowest common denominator of capitalism.

Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.

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.

Labor power is treated as a commodity. It is offered and exchanged in the market.

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?

Imo it's not-so-bright-easily-manipulated people that let themselves into buying sprees.

Conde Lucanor wrote:

thedoc wrote:

Conde Lucanor wrote:
Actually, money is just an expression of the exchange of commodities.

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.

Labor power is treated as a commodity. It is offered and exchanged in the market.

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.

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

Folks are pressured by advertising, peer pressure, and desire.

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

Hobbes' Choice wrote: It is not like any commodity.

It is the one commodity that can create other commodities. That's why it's so valuable for capitalists.

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.

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.

Conde Lucanor wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote: It is not like any commodity.

It is the one commodity that can create other commodities. That's why it's so valuable for capitalists.

That is why it is not really a commodity in the same way as all others.

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.

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.

Women do most of the work around the world, and many work for no money.

But truly alienated Labour is slavery.