How We Got Here, and More Importantly, How We Get the Hell Out

 I think the biggest issue with America is that large and selfish corporations have control over the government. We should look at the ways of reducing their influence significantly and that should start with the banking industry.

AMEN!

"There is diminished accountability for individuals to seek the causes of their own inner struggles..."

This is an excellent point; the result of this 'diminished accountability' on the part of the individual is a society where people cease to seek the causes of these struggles and an environment where these struggles multiply. The inner demons one faces must be dealt with in one way or another- they don't just go away because one ignores them. In fact, refusing to handle them can lead to all sorts of behavioral and emotional problems.  If we as a culture continue to engage in methods that discourage an individual from dealing with 'inner struggle' will we end up with a society of neurotics? Has this already happened? Whoops, guess I was too busy dealing with emotional issues to notice what was going on around me.... 

Not only must we "need" more, but if for example we are feeling down then capitalism demands we pay for a pill rather than sit in a chair and meditate at no cost.

@michael - I love this point.  Our consumer culture has extended "needs" into esoteric boundaries of mental and spiritual "well-being".  Instead of leaving the journey of self-discovery, inner discipline, and redemption to the non-business world, we have begun dehumanizing everything into happy = good and sad = bad. There is diminished accountability for individuals to seek the causes of their own inner struggles, and take on a more mechanical perspective of "your broken".  We are encouraged to look at inner peace as a pill we can purchase (over and over again).

I'd like to add a layor to Yaholo's narrative, I agree that consumerism relies on our most base, negligent, and lazy instincts. The flip side of that, as Yaholo also pointed out, is capitalism's need for constant expansion.

In our intuitive sense of the world, maybe we need some things provided for us and maybe some things we can handle ourselves. Capitalism demands, however, that we find more and more "needs" that must be satisfied through purchases. Not only must we "need" more, but if for example we are feeling down then capitalism demands we pay for a pill rather than sit in a chair and meditate at no cost.

That's the only way the market can expand forever.

There is a historical moment we can point to, a Devonian leap in the power of advertising to create the illusion of need. Stewart Ewen illustrates it well in his book PR! A Social History Of Spin.

After World War 2, America had a manufacturing base working overdrive that no longer had a war to support. Fearing an overabundance of supply and an economic contraction --because capitalism must always expand, and because they learned this lesson the hard way post-WW1 and the Great Depression--the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)  set to work with the most skilled minds in advertising, marketing, and PR to get the American people to raise their level of consumption to keep the post-war boom going.

This is significant when you consider that, prior to WW2, Americans had an ethic of thrift, efficiency and even a degree of self-sufficiency. Much of that was required for getting through Depression years, of course, but the tradition goes back further than that. Also we must remember that Americans called consumer capitalism into question during the 1930s, and I don't just mean Keynesian Economics, but also radical union organizing and thought toward collective living and a classless society.

So Big Industry, as represented by NAM, had two goals: restore faith in consumer capitalism as the best way to run a society, and get people to buy more to keep consumer capitalism afloat. The solution was to tell stories that equated quality of life and dignity to owning the newest, shiniest products -- and equating repairing what you own or "making due" with dingy, embarrassing drudgery.

And of course we know how the Red Scare years had a chilling effect on anyone who even casually remarked that socialist or collective values had a place in society.

These narratives flooded the public sphere: advertising, sponsored editorial content and programming, magazines, even the World's Fair. Products represented "The World Of Tomorrow", brought to you by GE, GM, Nabisco and Proctor and Gamble.

My point is that thrift, stewardship and a sense of human scale are IN us, we have a legacy to draw on. But we have to reach back past 60 years of addiction, a 60 year consumer-high, to rediscover it. The first step in realizing the politics of this situation is knowing that this way of life called consumerism is the product of a set of coherent, historical actions and policies by a coalition of mutual interests. We can read the memos, look at the board meeting transcriptions, and point to the words of powerful men who said in no uncertain terms "we must make Americans want to buy more things if we are to survive and build our wealth".

And my point is NOT that life was perfect in the 1930s, we have progressed socially and technologically in essential ways, our challenge is to continue carrying the torch of social liberation and the alleviation of genuine ills through innovation without relying on a consumer economy to keep it all afloat.

And as Yaholo stated, that all depends on us, our ability to live with intention in our homes and communities.

Lots of excellent points in this article.  If only our country could all see this website and be changed for the better!

About a month ago, I heard an economist on BBC World News who explained,

"Americans have been spending 106 percent of their income, and they need to cut back to around 95 percent."

All the rest- from Behr Sterns to General Motors- is just fallout.

I have searched all over for this gentleman's name or a video clip of the interview, alas! without success.

Blessings,

Rev. Skip

Thank you, Reverend Billy. Thoughtful and poignant, as always. The current economic crisis has imbued this Christmas Season with a very strang dynamic. On the positive side, as people find their financial resources drained, they are searching for something more meaningful than the vapid transience of mindless consumerisim, and are beginning to reconnect with the simple pleasures of friends family in shared communion and love. On the other hand, the "deep discounts" being offered by the corporations have created a heightened the fervor and intensity of peoples shopping habits. Let us hope the former wins out in the long run. I just watched "What Would Jesus Buy?" again, though this time with my family, who all found it entertaining and enlightening. Oh, and one last thing: in my home of San Francisco, the mega Disney Store in Union Square has recently closed its doors. (I believe the company filed for bankruptcy.) While I feel for those who have lost their jobs as a result, I cannot lament the downfall of such a terrible store. A very Merry Christmas and Hopeful New Year to you and your Church.

Great article, well-stated.  And, to inject a note of optimism, this very year CAN be the tipping point where we evolve an economy that produces REAL THINGS THAT PEOPLE REALLY NEED.  However, I wouldn't want to bet on that outcome.  I'm very encouraged by the White House initiatives I see, but I'm equallly DIScouraged by what I see in the Congress.  Thanks to the high cost of campaigns, Big Business (and especially Agribusiness) owns Congress, heart, soul and vote.  The rich and powerful are circling the wagons to maintain their wealth and power, which of course we expect; but our own elected legislators are helping them!

The people need to rise up and yell "ENOUGH!"  Then we need to get out in the streets in the next campaign cycle and let every Congressperson know who they should answer to.  Meanwhile, vote with your dollars--we have to buy some things, like food, so be very intentional with who you buy from!  I'm sure Rev. Billy will forgive that dangling preposition.  Amen.

Marketers are addicted to appealing to the "least common denominator", or in other-words, the worst of human nature.  Of course, the other problem is that so many products appeal to the worst of human nature.

The motivating force here, sadly, is the demand.  Business can't sell what people don't want.  If we as a culture started demanding products and services which are better for us and better for the world, then the advertising would have to change.

I really like the idea of making it illegal to market to children and teens.  It is during the younger years that status-based materialism ("if you don't have it, you aren't cool) is taught to us.  I think we would grow up much differently as consumers if companies could only sell to our parents.  Then they would have to pitch educational and durable goods as opposed to cheap pointless crap.

 'One study, by Tim Kasser at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, found that young adults who focus on money, image and fame tend to be more depressed, have less enthusiasm for life and suffer more physical symptoms such as headaches and sore throats than others (The High Price of Materialism, MIT Press, 2002). Kasser believes that people tend to embrace material values when they are feeling insecure (retail therapy, anyone?). "Advertisements have become more sophisticated," says Kasser. "They try to tie their message to people's psychological needs. But it is a false link. It is toxic."

Kasser, who has not owned a television since 1992, wants governments to categorise advertising as a form of pollution and either tax it or force advertisers to print warning messages about how materialism can damage your health. His point is that since nothing about materialism can help you find happiness, governments should discourage it and instead promote things that can. For instance, they could support businesses that allow their employees plenty of time off to be with their families, and that practise equality through profit-sharing.'

Just let me say that you write some really great stuff Yaholo.

That's a great post.  I agree with Ian, this looks like something Rev. Billy would write.  Yaholo do you have a website?

Hey Mike, Rev. Billy didn't post this. It looks like something he would write though.

Really great article Yaholo. Keep it up. I want to read more.

I live in South Africa and had alot of crazy things happen in the last month so I'm taking the year off to try make a difference...When you going to do a world tour...cos the whole world needs to STOP SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!