Groomed to Consume

Shall we all decide to end this slavish devotion to the Capitalist god? I think there is merit in that concept. We are weaned on the corruption of mass consumerism from the day we break through the matrix. Like so many little sperm cells racing for that pie-in-the-sky reward of beating out the Joneses. Let's not panic if our progeny are able to come to their senses and break the chain of abuse. More power to them.

The lifespan of the mole is about 65 years, they say. Then, you get your gold (colored) watch and your fixed income that keeps you in a hovel for the rest of your days. The watch has a nice inscription, at least: "Thanks for doing such a great job, bonehead, now kindly get yourself off the grid so that the next generation of fools can find your trail."

The irony is that, while employers are constantly demanding higher skill levels and more secondary education, they are not paying enough to cover tuition + lunch, not to mention regular day-to-day expenses. This creates a conundrum for the commoners who are expected to contribute to their own health/benefits packages and work all three jobs without falling asleep at the wheel and causing the company a loss-time incident.

From the cradle to the grave, we in America, are groomed to consume. Conspicuous consumption is what we are all about, after all. Got to feed the machine. Got to keep the crank turning -if not, we will be guilty of crashing the party and that is a major faux pas. So get up, get going, get to work and keep that belt moving. Pass GO, collect your $200 and head for the mall to get mauled.

 



We are defined by our holdings in life. A man on Wall Street, with holdings in six figures is much more valuable than a man on the street corner, holding a cardboard sign. You need to learn one thing in this life -do your job. Elsewise, you will become that man with the cardboard in his hand -and what will your in-laws think of you then? Everybody sees the ladder. Everybody climbs the ladder. Everybody blocks the next guy from following along, because, if they get to your level, and heaven forbid, they find some way to outshine you in front of your peers, well buddy, your days are numbered.

 



I raise my glass to the man with the cardboard sign. He is one of the few Americans who knows what true freedom is. I know, it sounds ludicrous, but, there's nobody on earth who can tell that man where to sleep, what to eat, when or even how often. Nobody can tell him what to wear, how to wear it and where to put it when he takes it off. He pays no taxes, he pays no dues, he comes and goes at will. He takes days off when he wishes, without having to schedule and he doesn't care if he can't afford the latest trendy gadget.

 



So, shall we all decide to end this slavish devotion to the Capitalist god? Yes, let's shall! The time has come to consider the consequences of our choices and the impact that it makes on our progeny and our own feeble existence.