As I watched Obama's inauguration I had very mixed feelings about the whole spectacle. At first I felt that the inauguration itself was a huge sham; inaugurations in general seem somewhat silly. It's nothing but some over publicized spectacle meant to boost public moral and rally the troops, which serves it's purpose, but romanticizes the whole act. Even though the inauguration doesn't need to be a public matter, people like to see it; in a way it validates the voter's effort to support him throughout the long and arduous campaign. I guess its just too phony for me, but then again, who am I to determine whats important?
While watching the inauguration I gazed around the room looking at the people who had all flocked to see him speak. Very few actually looked at the screen; most of them were talking, playing around, cuddling, or sleeping. There was one sight in particular that stuck with me: I saw one student from my grade, a huge Obama fan, who had pulled up a chair right in front of the tv, clad in a HOPE shirt from Obama's campaign, fall asleep the second the big speech began. It speaks for our generation; (from what I can tell) we are a bunch of kids, obsessed with the image of change and HOPE that Obama speaks of, only we don't understand or care enough about what he is acutally saying to even stay awake long enough to hear him speak.
I have yet to hear a single intelligent or well thought out comment on Obama and his rhetoric from anyone my age, yet every time I make a single crack at him or any of his policies people rush to his defense. I, like most children my age, know nothing of his policies nor the greater impact they will have on society. We know only his image and how it makes us feel good about him being president which is dangerous. Obama could very well be just another solicitor trying to sell us something and we wouldn't know it. This I feel is a very negative trait and it speaks for more than just our political perspective. It shows how receptive and easily manipulated we are by the elite. All we know is that he represents change and hope the same way we know that we are "lovin'" McDonalds.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Capitalism and the Primordial nature of man, and Capitalism Vs. Socialism
I remember hearing of a group of infants who had been left alone in the woods by their evil mother who felt she was unfit to care for them. Surprisingly enough the children survived thanks to a pack of wolves that cared for them as their own (how very cliché). When they were found years later by some people, aside from their physical appearance, they weren’t what most would call human. They were wolves at heart, for that was all they knew.
One could say the same for any other person; we only know what we are taught, and from that we create our greater meaning, so the claim that capitalism is “the manifest form of human nature” is not at all true. It would be more appropriate to say that man is destined to be alienated because what we are at the root of it all, is a blank slate. But of course there is a degree at which de-alienation becomes a paradox, since we have technically been alienated from our true selves for most of our lives, the de-alienated self that we revert to is alienated, unless of course we become comatose beings that indulge in nothing but the most basic, proprioceptive sensations.
Is this not what the stereotypical man does; does the average American not thrive on the most base of human sensations? I personally believe that your average person does little else than perform the most basic acts necessary to satisfy their most primal of needs. In our society, with the dawn of technology, we have transcended the need to use our brains as tools in survival. Our brains can now perform higher levels of thought that previously held a vestigial purpose; a crude attachment to the material world is what I define as being disembodied. To take advantage of the higher functions of our brain and transcend the physical plane that once firmly bound us to this world is my definition of de-alienation.
De-alienated people, are no longer just surviving, they find meaning in other things. The vast majority of Americans still cling to these basic functions, deriving all worldly meaning from acting them out. We now compete in similarly different ways; we commodify our existence and change ourselves accordingly to the beliefs of society. Just like a pack of wolves people have an inherent need to fit in and be part of a group, a reminiscence of our primal days. But still capitalism isn’t even a manifestation of the primordial nature of man. Capitalism is a system that takes advantage of and nurtures these primal urges, pushing man further and further away from his newly achieved ability to think and find higher meaning/importance in the world around him.
We learned early on that the capitalists and big corporations didn’t get to where they are today by working hard or being kind and considerate of those around them. At the roots of every tree lye the rotting shells of the tiny seeds that sucked the soil dry of it’s natural resources. Only through primitive accumulation of capital did they get to be the filthy rich people that they are today. They abused natural resources and enslaved people, selling their primitive collateral for capital that they could then use to make even more money, soughing the seeds of materialism and class difference in our young culture. People, in hopes of emulating their wealthy slave owners of ancestors, strive to become wealthy while living the myth, passed down to us generation by generation, that with enough hard work and sacrifice, we too can become affluent. Yet this is the same attitude that the capitalists want us to have because without it they couldn’t as easily exploit us.
Another thought:
While I do agree with Marx’s ideas I think that there is no absolute, black or white to it all. Capitalism is an evil system based on consumerism, the accumulation of capital, the exploitation of the prolitariate, and human greed. I believe that it is doomed to fail. Why it hasn’t happened yet is because people have found comfort in the mind dulling redundancy of the material world and they are unwilling to give it up despite how evil and stupid it may be to continue living in it. It’s just like smoking, no matter how many times people hear it’s bad for them they continue doing it. Like tobacco, the material world and the work-spend-get bored cycle is addictive and equally unsustainable: smoking will kill you and you will eventually be unsatisfied by the shit you buy.
But aren’t all systems, like Capitalism, doomed to fail? Marx’s concept of base and superstructure stated that the basic structure of the economy determines how everything in that society will go. In a capitalist society based on competition and accumulation of capital everyone is bound to be competitive and cut-throat, with the exception of the few individuals that will supposedly bring on the apocolypse of Capitalism. Marx’s dialectic would have shown Capitalism 50 years ago to be the thesis, or the idyllic version of the structure. Then, because Capitalism is essentially a free-for-all where everyone tries to take as much as possible, the anti-thesis will develop and there will be a small but still significant disapproval of the system itself. Lastly, after the people can no longer deal with the booms and crashes there will be the aufhebung/ revolution that will start a new world order with a different framework, but still one that maintains ideas of the old system of Capitalism.
This is what seems questionable to me: if a new system, let’s say socialism, is started, there are bound to be a few people who disagree with it or are ambivalent about it. Those people are still around even after the downfall of Capitalism, then regardless of the economic system they are bound to have some influence on the economy or other people. If you have such a presence in a socialist society it doesn’t seem unthinkable that it could easily revert back to Capitalism.
One reason I doubt Socialism is that there has yet to be an effective one. This is not to say that I think Capitalism is better, because I don’t, but Socialism seems to be an unrealistic ideal. I’m no expert on government, but there have been far more intellectual people who have attempted to create socialist systems and in trying to create equality the system becomes a dictatorship. Were we all las tabulas rasas or like minded individuals, socialism would make more sense. But since we are all slightly different people with different opinions it remains idealistic system to me.
Another argument against Capitalism is that it stifles creativity and intelligence. Just think about it for a second, in a system that promotes equality, what room is there for originality and difference. Let’s say an exceptionally bright or creative individual is born into such a society, should they be treated like every other kid? At that point the line would have been set so low, thanks retardation, that kids as bright as this one would not be in a nurturing enough environment. What if the society as a whole decided to kill off retarded kids or other children with low comprehension to maintain a high but equal standard of education? I don’t know what to think about either of those scenarios; while I do value education and intellect I believe that an unequal society creates imbalances that result in a power shift.
But what’s so wrong about equality; I think that is the fundamental question that separates Capitalists and Socialists. If we make all equal like the socialists would suggest then society as we know it would be made up of a bunch of un-motivated and poorly educated people. As I stated earlier we are nothing but what we are taught to be. You could be the brightest child in the world, but if your raised by wolves you’re going to act like a wolf. If we maintain the system of Capitalism we will remain in a rigor based society with major differences in class. From this point of view Capitalism wins because I still value education and intellect. That’s probably just my Capitalistic ego talking, but because I am so torn between what I want and what I think would benefit humanity as a whole I can’t rightfully express any clear position on what to do about it.
Of course, these are just generalizations; I am trying to learn more and more about these systems as I go along. I know that most socialists wouldn't force stupidity on bright children, especially since alienation and thoughtless receptivity are things that many socialists claim to be wrong with Capitalism. If anything, they would probably give their kids better educations to make them less accepting of the media. Socialist elements do work in other countries; take Sweden for example, it's socio democratic system with socialized medicine. Many visitors of the country have asked, where are all the homeless people, where are all the lunatics, the killers. Sweden is rumored to have a strong foundation of family values carried generation to generation. They have substantially less homeless people than we do because people have more days paid vacation than there are days in a year, this is not to say that they have an unemployment problem as a result. The people are willing to work in order to maintain their way of life. But even Sweden has it's flaws. Despite it's many positive attributes, Sweden was also one of the first countries to develop a eugenics program in hopes of sterilizing the mentally ill. In 1998 it was reported that the Swedish government had lobotomized about 4500 people, in some cases, without the consent of their families (David Dieteman PhD, Sweden and the myth of Benevolent Socialism). This, to me, seems just as fascist, if not more so, than U.S. government.
One commonality between several Socialist countries is the position of race in the development of their government. Cuba, for example, became what it is today through slavery just like the U.S.. Even the benevolent Sweden took part in the slave trade during the 17th century. If slavery and corruption is at the roots of an economy, the apples that fall from the tree are bound to be corrupt.
I decided to do a little research on Anarcho-syndicalism and found it to be more or less a people run version of capitalism. Anarcho-Primitivism, another form of Anarchism, is based on de-industrialization; anarcho primitivists would argue that hunter gatherers have traded based on need and not trade value, which to them sets the grounds for a less materialist more community oriented society.
One could say the same for any other person; we only know what we are taught, and from that we create our greater meaning, so the claim that capitalism is “the manifest form of human nature” is not at all true. It would be more appropriate to say that man is destined to be alienated because what we are at the root of it all, is a blank slate. But of course there is a degree at which de-alienation becomes a paradox, since we have technically been alienated from our true selves for most of our lives, the de-alienated self that we revert to is alienated, unless of course we become comatose beings that indulge in nothing but the most basic, proprioceptive sensations.
Is this not what the stereotypical man does; does the average American not thrive on the most base of human sensations? I personally believe that your average person does little else than perform the most basic acts necessary to satisfy their most primal of needs. In our society, with the dawn of technology, we have transcended the need to use our brains as tools in survival. Our brains can now perform higher levels of thought that previously held a vestigial purpose; a crude attachment to the material world is what I define as being disembodied. To take advantage of the higher functions of our brain and transcend the physical plane that once firmly bound us to this world is my definition of de-alienation.
De-alienated people, are no longer just surviving, they find meaning in other things. The vast majority of Americans still cling to these basic functions, deriving all worldly meaning from acting them out. We now compete in similarly different ways; we commodify our existence and change ourselves accordingly to the beliefs of society. Just like a pack of wolves people have an inherent need to fit in and be part of a group, a reminiscence of our primal days. But still capitalism isn’t even a manifestation of the primordial nature of man. Capitalism is a system that takes advantage of and nurtures these primal urges, pushing man further and further away from his newly achieved ability to think and find higher meaning/importance in the world around him.
We learned early on that the capitalists and big corporations didn’t get to where they are today by working hard or being kind and considerate of those around them. At the roots of every tree lye the rotting shells of the tiny seeds that sucked the soil dry of it’s natural resources. Only through primitive accumulation of capital did they get to be the filthy rich people that they are today. They abused natural resources and enslaved people, selling their primitive collateral for capital that they could then use to make even more money, soughing the seeds of materialism and class difference in our young culture. People, in hopes of emulating their wealthy slave owners of ancestors, strive to become wealthy while living the myth, passed down to us generation by generation, that with enough hard work and sacrifice, we too can become affluent. Yet this is the same attitude that the capitalists want us to have because without it they couldn’t as easily exploit us.
Another thought:
While I do agree with Marx’s ideas I think that there is no absolute, black or white to it all. Capitalism is an evil system based on consumerism, the accumulation of capital, the exploitation of the prolitariate, and human greed. I believe that it is doomed to fail. Why it hasn’t happened yet is because people have found comfort in the mind dulling redundancy of the material world and they are unwilling to give it up despite how evil and stupid it may be to continue living in it. It’s just like smoking, no matter how many times people hear it’s bad for them they continue doing it. Like tobacco, the material world and the work-spend-get bored cycle is addictive and equally unsustainable: smoking will kill you and you will eventually be unsatisfied by the shit you buy.
But aren’t all systems, like Capitalism, doomed to fail? Marx’s concept of base and superstructure stated that the basic structure of the economy determines how everything in that society will go. In a capitalist society based on competition and accumulation of capital everyone is bound to be competitive and cut-throat, with the exception of the few individuals that will supposedly bring on the apocolypse of Capitalism. Marx’s dialectic would have shown Capitalism 50 years ago to be the thesis, or the idyllic version of the structure. Then, because Capitalism is essentially a free-for-all where everyone tries to take as much as possible, the anti-thesis will develop and there will be a small but still significant disapproval of the system itself. Lastly, after the people can no longer deal with the booms and crashes there will be the aufhebung/ revolution that will start a new world order with a different framework, but still one that maintains ideas of the old system of Capitalism.
This is what seems questionable to me: if a new system, let’s say socialism, is started, there are bound to be a few people who disagree with it or are ambivalent about it. Those people are still around even after the downfall of Capitalism, then regardless of the economic system they are bound to have some influence on the economy or other people. If you have such a presence in a socialist society it doesn’t seem unthinkable that it could easily revert back to Capitalism.
One reason I doubt Socialism is that there has yet to be an effective one. This is not to say that I think Capitalism is better, because I don’t, but Socialism seems to be an unrealistic ideal. I’m no expert on government, but there have been far more intellectual people who have attempted to create socialist systems and in trying to create equality the system becomes a dictatorship. Were we all las tabulas rasas or like minded individuals, socialism would make more sense. But since we are all slightly different people with different opinions it remains idealistic system to me.
Another argument against Capitalism is that it stifles creativity and intelligence. Just think about it for a second, in a system that promotes equality, what room is there for originality and difference. Let’s say an exceptionally bright or creative individual is born into such a society, should they be treated like every other kid? At that point the line would have been set so low, thanks retardation, that kids as bright as this one would not be in a nurturing enough environment. What if the society as a whole decided to kill off retarded kids or other children with low comprehension to maintain a high but equal standard of education? I don’t know what to think about either of those scenarios; while I do value education and intellect I believe that an unequal society creates imbalances that result in a power shift.
But what’s so wrong about equality; I think that is the fundamental question that separates Capitalists and Socialists. If we make all equal like the socialists would suggest then society as we know it would be made up of a bunch of un-motivated and poorly educated people. As I stated earlier we are nothing but what we are taught to be. You could be the brightest child in the world, but if your raised by wolves you’re going to act like a wolf. If we maintain the system of Capitalism we will remain in a rigor based society with major differences in class. From this point of view Capitalism wins because I still value education and intellect. That’s probably just my Capitalistic ego talking, but because I am so torn between what I want and what I think would benefit humanity as a whole I can’t rightfully express any clear position on what to do about it.
Of course, these are just generalizations; I am trying to learn more and more about these systems as I go along. I know that most socialists wouldn't force stupidity on bright children, especially since alienation and thoughtless receptivity are things that many socialists claim to be wrong with Capitalism. If anything, they would probably give their kids better educations to make them less accepting of the media. Socialist elements do work in other countries; take Sweden for example, it's socio democratic system with socialized medicine. Many visitors of the country have asked, where are all the homeless people, where are all the lunatics, the killers. Sweden is rumored to have a strong foundation of family values carried generation to generation. They have substantially less homeless people than we do because people have more days paid vacation than there are days in a year, this is not to say that they have an unemployment problem as a result. The people are willing to work in order to maintain their way of life. But even Sweden has it's flaws. Despite it's many positive attributes, Sweden was also one of the first countries to develop a eugenics program in hopes of sterilizing the mentally ill. In 1998 it was reported that the Swedish government had lobotomized about 4500 people, in some cases, without the consent of their families (David Dieteman PhD, Sweden and the myth of Benevolent Socialism). This, to me, seems just as fascist, if not more so, than U.S. government.
One commonality between several Socialist countries is the position of race in the development of their government. Cuba, for example, became what it is today through slavery just like the U.S.. Even the benevolent Sweden took part in the slave trade during the 17th century. If slavery and corruption is at the roots of an economy, the apples that fall from the tree are bound to be corrupt.
I decided to do a little research on Anarcho-syndicalism and found it to be more or less a people run version of capitalism. Anarcho-Primitivism, another form of Anarchism, is based on de-industrialization; anarcho primitivists would argue that hunter gatherers have traded based on need and not trade value, which to them sets the grounds for a less materialist more community oriented society.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Blah
This may seem somewhat off topic, but it plagues my every thought and action...
I'll keep it succinct, I don't much like reading unnecessarily wordy pieces. I read someone elses AWOL blog and the brilliant simplicity of it impressed me.
I am writing a paper on absurdism and the philosophies of Albert Camus. My writing of this essay has been a love hate experience; I have reasoned my way into an absurd hole. Despite Camus' optimistic spin on the absolute meaninglessness and indifference of the universe, I find being lucidly indifferent to it rather difficult. I find myself siding with the cynical Samuel Beckett. One can either live blissfully ignorant to our absurd universe, accept it and live life, finding a metaphysical honor in doing so, or become overwhelmingly depressed at the futility of ones actions.
While watching a TV special on the Prophecies of Nostradamus our imminent demise seemed even closer to home. I am an Athiest, there are no pearly gates or eternal flames for me. My body, my mind, my soul, all that I value in life will die in an absolute sense.
My point being that if being a materialistic, gluttonous, universally shallow human being makes one happy why not live that way. Being aware of all of the contradictions, superficialities, and ignorance in our society amounts to nothing.
I hope that this does not depress anyone, but just think about it. I'll post my essay as soon as it is finished.
Flogger
I posted this for a few friends earlier this week. If it resonates with you, do something about it!
There is a point to this so bear with me...
I was reading the newspaper this morning and I saw something truly horrific. 250 killed in Palestine, children starving and dying of aids in Africa, people torn from their homes, mother brutally kills her adorable daughter...disgusting. All over the world truly horrific things are happening; people killing others in religious/political wars, parents snuffing out their own children, a depressed teen killed innocent people in a mall shooting. With all of the death and horror in this world how can we be so removed? We as a people (all people, not just Americans) have grown so desensitized to violence that we peer right past the 250 killed recently in Palestine and go on living. Seeing as I only can only speak from an American perspective, I can only say that here we live lavishly, like filthy spoiled kings who prefer convenience above all else. I find it difficult to live this way, so non-chalantly, when there is so much death and destruction present.
I am supposed to be writing an analysis on christmas (I like to call it Gift-mas or Eul) Even facebook is infringing upon my right to be an athiest, the spell check on face book is forcing me to capitalize "christmas," making it more monumental than it is, by putting an obnoxious little red line beneath it. Ha. Anyway, I actually found it difficult to enjoy christmas this year, my mother gave me gifts despite me telling her to give it to starving children in Africa. Thankfully we are sending $300 to an organization that can help educate them about sex and feed them (Sex-Fed). Here is my analysis of Gift-mas: The materialism permeates even the best of us, my mother, an un-materialistic person felt the need to get me gifts. This recently initiated tradition of giving gifts has become an obligation in our culture, hell, even non-christians get people gifts. Everyone here is fully aware of all of the atrocities that go on around the world and yet people are still seduced into spoiling each other with superficial items that somehow validate their appreciation for one another.
Now I won't continue ranting and raving about how shitty America is and how callous we have become so I'll just cut to the chase. Fuck New Years resolutions, as a life resolution I feel responsible to try and promote positive change in any way I can, so I have something to ask all of you. Please, help me, this world needs caring conscious people to get past all of the superficialities that plague it. Just do what you can, I don't expect people to change the world, just do what you can to make the world a more beautiful place. Be better than your average oblivious consumer whore of an American. Change should be more than just a bullshit campaign slogan, make it happen.
There is a point to this so bear with me...
I was reading the newspaper this morning and I saw something truly horrific. 250 killed in Palestine, children starving and dying of aids in Africa, people torn from their homes, mother brutally kills her adorable daughter...disgusting. All over the world truly horrific things are happening; people killing others in religious/political wars, parents snuffing out their own children, a depressed teen killed innocent people in a mall shooting. With all of the death and horror in this world how can we be so removed? We as a people (all people, not just Americans) have grown so desensitized to violence that we peer right past the 250 killed recently in Palestine and go on living. Seeing as I only can only speak from an American perspective, I can only say that here we live lavishly, like filthy spoiled kings who prefer convenience above all else. I find it difficult to live this way, so non-chalantly, when there is so much death and destruction present.
I am supposed to be writing an analysis on christmas (I like to call it Gift-mas or Eul) Even facebook is infringing upon my right to be an athiest, the spell check on face book is forcing me to capitalize "christmas," making it more monumental than it is, by putting an obnoxious little red line beneath it. Ha. Anyway, I actually found it difficult to enjoy christmas this year, my mother gave me gifts despite me telling her to give it to starving children in Africa. Thankfully we are sending $300 to an organization that can help educate them about sex and feed them (Sex-Fed). Here is my analysis of Gift-mas: The materialism permeates even the best of us, my mother, an un-materialistic person felt the need to get me gifts. This recently initiated tradition of giving gifts has become an obligation in our culture, hell, even non-christians get people gifts. Everyone here is fully aware of all of the atrocities that go on around the world and yet people are still seduced into spoiling each other with superficial items that somehow validate their appreciation for one another.
Now I won't continue ranting and raving about how shitty America is and how callous we have become so I'll just cut to the chase. Fuck New Years resolutions, as a life resolution I feel responsible to try and promote positive change in any way I can, so I have something to ask all of you. Please, help me, this world needs caring conscious people to get past all of the superficialities that plague it. Just do what you can, I don't expect people to change the world, just do what you can to make the world a more beautiful place. Be better than your average oblivious consumer whore of an American. Change should be more than just a bullshit campaign slogan, make it happen.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Christmas Analysis
On December 25th of every year, people around the world celebrate the birth of the lord Jesus Christ with decorated evergreen trees, candy filled over
-sized stockings, and of course, gifts. It is a time of giving, a time of love and goodwill towards fellow man, and don’t forget jolly old Santa Clause with his big white beard, red fluffy suit, dangerously large paunch, and enormous sack of gifts. To emulate this pudgy, jovial man people stuff their faces with calorie-dense foods and fritter away their yearly salaries on plastic shit mostly made in China. Yes, I’m talking about Christmas, the one time of the year where it’s considered ok to buy, eat, and drink (ironically) to excess.
Ideally, Christmas is a winter wonderland filled with joy and happiness and morbidly obese men squeezing their way down chimneys with bags filled with colorfully wrapped gifts for Jack and Sally. But, as one could expect, this is hardly the reality most face come December 25th. For me, the Christmas season brought nothing of the sort. Several days before Christmas I accompanied my father on a trip to Macy’s in hopes of finding evidence to use in this analysis. It was a very white Christmas at Macy’s. I got what I expected, people crowded together cursing under their breath at how crowded it was, lines of exhausted white people stretched throughout the store, each one tapping their feet, waiting to purchase Christmas gifts. Workers uselessly stationed at random places throughout the building giving samples of cologne and only increasing the general intensity of the store. When the people on line finally reached their destination, the look on their faces was priceless, or worth as much as they were spending. In short, the place was an absolute mob-scene, Macy’s as the scene and the consumers as the mob.
Macy’s is overwhelming if you don’t know what to look for or where to go, thankfully there were large red signs advertising the great sales in honor of the Christmas season. A pair of Levis that initially cost $200.00 were marked down to $150.00, $1000.00 dollar fur coats were half off… Kindness and generosity were in the air and they reeked of the sweat, perfume, and flatulence of the customers.
When we escaped from Macy’s we emerged into not a winter wonderland, but a freezing wasteland. Garbage lay in the black snow and people stumbled through it, nuzzling their despondent faces into their chests for warmth. The damn carolers didn’t help when they mockingly sang “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” and “Jingle Bells.”
On Christmas day my family relaxed at home, breaking our past tradition of visiting my dad’s family in New Hampshire. There we typically wake up early, look through our stockings, assist my grandma to church, then stampede back home to open our gifts. This year we relaxed, we didn’t really worry about gifts, but since my parents are still Christian my mom bought me three shirts, a pair of pants, and a few books. As a gift to me my parents donated $300.00 to an organization helping to feed starving children in Africa. Then we went to Bryant Park and enjoyed the remainder of the day just walking around and talking, a pretty humble Christmas in comparison to the hyped up shopping sprees and binge eating frenzies.
But Christmas is more than just a consumer holiday… right? Christmas supposedly celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, after all, the root of the word “Christmas” is Christ. The actual origins of Christmas are not as glorious and true to the story as one would hope. Before Christianity became popular, many people would celebrate the pagan holiday of Yule on the 25th of December. However, Christians, hoping to snuff out holiday competition, planted Christmas on the same day as Yule and made everyone become Christian. It’s funny that people would celebrate the birth of their lord and savior on a day that he wasn’t even born, no less the same day as a pagan holiday. Christians also managed to steal the tradition of the evergreen tree as a symbol of life and birth, from the pagans. For a group of people that criticized the pagans as much as they did, the Christians had no problem stealing their traditions and symbols.
In our culture, the Christmas evergreen tree is supposed to symbolize fertility of land in the midst of winter; I don’t know where the snow came from seeing as Jesus was born in the middle east. This stolen symbol of life has been butchered like so many other meaningful symbols by American society. Ironically, to celebrate life and birth we kill a tree and watch it die, it’s once lush pine needles lying shriveled and dessicated on the living room floor.
Even the act of giving has lost all meaning. Back when China didn’t mass produce everything Americans bought, people actually made their own gifts. A father may have spent all year carving his son a toy boat or building him a sled that they would then play together on. Now parents buy their kids stuff from Toys R’ Us or GameStop and leave them to do whatever they will with it. “A cellphone, DESIGNED BY TEAM MOBILE, built by child labor in China, with help from the diamond war in Africa…Love, Mom.” What kind of culture have we become that we buy useless, superficial shit, fully aware that child labor is used by the big corporations to reap big profit, to get there? As an alternative, some people cut out the middle-man entirely and just give their kids money, if that counts for anything.
If parents are nice enough they lie to their kids about a morbidly obese white man in a velvety red suit who sneaks down the chimney…wait, that sounds horrifying! We all know and love him as Santa Claus. In Germany, people used to praise a real man named Saint Nicholas or, as they called him, Saint Nicklaus, a benefactor of children. Saint Nick differed from Santa in that he was not fat, he did not wear that silly suit, he was German, and he did not exactly give gifts to children. He was a benefactor of children and a religious symbol to children and adults alike. But once again Americans had to steal and destroy a beautiful and meaningful old tradition. Santa Clause was used as an advertising ploy for Coca Cola; they technically built Santa Claus. But no longer is Santa a symbol of generosity and good will, Coke turned him into a fat American man who teaches the glory of consumerism and helps them to sell their calorie-dense cocain-enriched beverage to children. They also robbed him of any clear religious association; they took away the “Saint” and put “Santa,” which is Spanish for saint, and also a clever trick because around the time Santa was created there were very few Spanish speaking people in the US. Coke turned him into a commercial icon, and a perfect excuse for kids to beg for gifts.
So what is the Christmas that we now know? Is it a consumerist holiday fueled by corporate-instilled greed, or is it a religious holiday, or is it both, or is it simply a day off where all of America can kick back and walk to the park with their families? I am not one to tell people how to live their lives, but with all the convoluted and immoral things that make Christmas what it is in America, I don’t see how people can bring themselves to perpetuate the bullshit and all of the fallacies that form it’s foundation. People need to revive the tradition of Saint Nicklaus before we are crushed beneath the weight of Santa Claus.
-sized stockings, and of course, gifts. It is a time of giving, a time of love and goodwill towards fellow man, and don’t forget jolly old Santa Clause with his big white beard, red fluffy suit, dangerously large paunch, and enormous sack of gifts. To emulate this pudgy, jovial man people stuff their faces with calorie-dense foods and fritter away their yearly salaries on plastic shit mostly made in China. Yes, I’m talking about Christmas, the one time of the year where it’s considered ok to buy, eat, and drink (ironically) to excess.
Ideally, Christmas is a winter wonderland filled with joy and happiness and morbidly obese men squeezing their way down chimneys with bags filled with colorfully wrapped gifts for Jack and Sally. But, as one could expect, this is hardly the reality most face come December 25th. For me, the Christmas season brought nothing of the sort. Several days before Christmas I accompanied my father on a trip to Macy’s in hopes of finding evidence to use in this analysis. It was a very white Christmas at Macy’s. I got what I expected, people crowded together cursing under their breath at how crowded it was, lines of exhausted white people stretched throughout the store, each one tapping their feet, waiting to purchase Christmas gifts. Workers uselessly stationed at random places throughout the building giving samples of cologne and only increasing the general intensity of the store. When the people on line finally reached their destination, the look on their faces was priceless, or worth as much as they were spending. In short, the place was an absolute mob-scene, Macy’s as the scene and the consumers as the mob.
Macy’s is overwhelming if you don’t know what to look for or where to go, thankfully there were large red signs advertising the great sales in honor of the Christmas season. A pair of Levis that initially cost $200.00 were marked down to $150.00, $1000.00 dollar fur coats were half off… Kindness and generosity were in the air and they reeked of the sweat, perfume, and flatulence of the customers.
When we escaped from Macy’s we emerged into not a winter wonderland, but a freezing wasteland. Garbage lay in the black snow and people stumbled through it, nuzzling their despondent faces into their chests for warmth. The damn carolers didn’t help when they mockingly sang “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” and “Jingle Bells.”
On Christmas day my family relaxed at home, breaking our past tradition of visiting my dad’s family in New Hampshire. There we typically wake up early, look through our stockings, assist my grandma to church, then stampede back home to open our gifts. This year we relaxed, we didn’t really worry about gifts, but since my parents are still Christian my mom bought me three shirts, a pair of pants, and a few books. As a gift to me my parents donated $300.00 to an organization helping to feed starving children in Africa. Then we went to Bryant Park and enjoyed the remainder of the day just walking around and talking, a pretty humble Christmas in comparison to the hyped up shopping sprees and binge eating frenzies.
But Christmas is more than just a consumer holiday… right? Christmas supposedly celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, after all, the root of the word “Christmas” is Christ. The actual origins of Christmas are not as glorious and true to the story as one would hope. Before Christianity became popular, many people would celebrate the pagan holiday of Yule on the 25th of December. However, Christians, hoping to snuff out holiday competition, planted Christmas on the same day as Yule and made everyone become Christian. It’s funny that people would celebrate the birth of their lord and savior on a day that he wasn’t even born, no less the same day as a pagan holiday. Christians also managed to steal the tradition of the evergreen tree as a symbol of life and birth, from the pagans. For a group of people that criticized the pagans as much as they did, the Christians had no problem stealing their traditions and symbols.
In our culture, the Christmas evergreen tree is supposed to symbolize fertility of land in the midst of winter; I don’t know where the snow came from seeing as Jesus was born in the middle east. This stolen symbol of life has been butchered like so many other meaningful symbols by American society. Ironically, to celebrate life and birth we kill a tree and watch it die, it’s once lush pine needles lying shriveled and dessicated on the living room floor.
Even the act of giving has lost all meaning. Back when China didn’t mass produce everything Americans bought, people actually made their own gifts. A father may have spent all year carving his son a toy boat or building him a sled that they would then play together on. Now parents buy their kids stuff from Toys R’ Us or GameStop and leave them to do whatever they will with it. “A cellphone, DESIGNED BY TEAM MOBILE, built by child labor in China, with help from the diamond war in Africa…Love, Mom.” What kind of culture have we become that we buy useless, superficial shit, fully aware that child labor is used by the big corporations to reap big profit, to get there? As an alternative, some people cut out the middle-man entirely and just give their kids money, if that counts for anything.
If parents are nice enough they lie to their kids about a morbidly obese white man in a velvety red suit who sneaks down the chimney…wait, that sounds horrifying! We all know and love him as Santa Claus. In Germany, people used to praise a real man named Saint Nicholas or, as they called him, Saint Nicklaus, a benefactor of children. Saint Nick differed from Santa in that he was not fat, he did not wear that silly suit, he was German, and he did not exactly give gifts to children. He was a benefactor of children and a religious symbol to children and adults alike. But once again Americans had to steal and destroy a beautiful and meaningful old tradition. Santa Clause was used as an advertising ploy for Coca Cola; they technically built Santa Claus. But no longer is Santa a symbol of generosity and good will, Coke turned him into a fat American man who teaches the glory of consumerism and helps them to sell their calorie-dense cocain-enriched beverage to children. They also robbed him of any clear religious association; they took away the “Saint” and put “Santa,” which is Spanish for saint, and also a clever trick because around the time Santa was created there were very few Spanish speaking people in the US. Coke turned him into a commercial icon, and a perfect excuse for kids to beg for gifts.
So what is the Christmas that we now know? Is it a consumerist holiday fueled by corporate-instilled greed, or is it a religious holiday, or is it both, or is it simply a day off where all of America can kick back and walk to the park with their families? I am not one to tell people how to live their lives, but with all the convoluted and immoral things that make Christmas what it is in America, I don’t see how people can bring themselves to perpetuate the bullshit and all of the fallacies that form it’s foundation. People need to revive the tradition of Saint Nicklaus before we are crushed beneath the weight of Santa Claus.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Ebay
When I first began bidding on e-bay I expected a barrage of competing bidders. I sat there waiting for about two hours anticipating other bids, but none came. I ended up winning a new pair of Emerica skate shoes for only $25.00, and soon after I won a cool retro videogame from the good old Playstation 1 days called, Wild 9, for only $3.00 with tax. The entire process was so easy, using a credit card in general makes it seem as if you aren’t spending money, and by using e-bay, it makes it easier to spend large amounts of money. Everything is less expensive than it is in stores so buyers feel more comfortable spending money and can easily end up buying more than they had planned. After buying the shoes I browsed around a bit more and found many things that I had not wanted before-hand, and had to restrain myself from buying any more.
I felt limitless, the site had everything that I could ever want at lower prices. It perfectly represents the system of capitalism and demonstrates the microcosmic variables that make up our capitalist society. Individuals auction off their stuff to others through the website like small businesses, but the whole thing is owned by somebody with the money and the power. People operate within the system to make money because anything outside of that system is unreliable. Who do the people trust more, some guy selling his old shoes or good old reliable Nike, a company that assures convenience and perfection. E-bay is even more convenient than shopping at actual stores, for one, you don’t even need to leave your home to buy stuff, you can just open up your laptop and listen to music while you fritter your hard earned money away on more stuff that seems cool at the time.
When I used e-bay I didn’t go in wanting anything, but once I looked at the site and saw all of the crap that I could buy more and more things captured my interest. Like in any market certain items are more scarce than others, so the sellers try to sell non-commodities. This scarcity can also increase the amount of time people spend on E-bay so they feel the need to be hardwired to their computers in search of more stuff.
The ability to buy and sell also gives people a feeling of control, a feeling that they aren’t entirely helpless against the almighty power of the rich business owners. Like the power granted us by the constitution, we have a collective potential only attainable through mass cooperation. E-bay and Pay-pal are both owned by the same group of individuals who just sit back and reap the riches while buyers and sellers work within the system. E-bay perpetuates our lack of power, the individual has no control over the system, but the rich owners of e-bay get progressively wealthier while the general population simultaneously becomes poorer. By operating within the parameters of capitalism we spin further out of control.
I felt limitless, the site had everything that I could ever want at lower prices. It perfectly represents the system of capitalism and demonstrates the microcosmic variables that make up our capitalist society. Individuals auction off their stuff to others through the website like small businesses, but the whole thing is owned by somebody with the money and the power. People operate within the system to make money because anything outside of that system is unreliable. Who do the people trust more, some guy selling his old shoes or good old reliable Nike, a company that assures convenience and perfection. E-bay is even more convenient than shopping at actual stores, for one, you don’t even need to leave your home to buy stuff, you can just open up your laptop and listen to music while you fritter your hard earned money away on more stuff that seems cool at the time.
When I used e-bay I didn’t go in wanting anything, but once I looked at the site and saw all of the crap that I could buy more and more things captured my interest. Like in any market certain items are more scarce than others, so the sellers try to sell non-commodities. This scarcity can also increase the amount of time people spend on E-bay so they feel the need to be hardwired to their computers in search of more stuff.
The ability to buy and sell also gives people a feeling of control, a feeling that they aren’t entirely helpless against the almighty power of the rich business owners. Like the power granted us by the constitution, we have a collective potential only attainable through mass cooperation. E-bay and Pay-pal are both owned by the same group of individuals who just sit back and reap the riches while buyers and sellers work within the system. E-bay perpetuates our lack of power, the individual has no control over the system, but the rich owners of e-bay get progressively wealthier while the general population simultaneously becomes poorer. By operating within the parameters of capitalism we spin further out of control.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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