Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
Will they use anti-terror legislation to silence this heretic?
BBC: Should shopping be a patriotic duty
"As an anti-consumerism campaigner, I'm frequently labelled as irresponsible when I encourage people to stop shopping. But the government is being much more reckless, when they ask us to shop our way out of the crash."
Over-consumption is also the root cause of environmental destruction, says Mr Boorman.
Posted by phdinbubbles @ 12:54 PM (1187 views) Add Comment
30 Comments
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1. doom&gloom said...
Krusty hereby loses her "idiotic ridiculous pig-swill-spewing b1nt award" to Lucia Van Der Post for the statement, "The way of austerity and only buying things we strictly need leads to Cambodia under Pol Pot, Afghanistan under the Taleban or China under Mao," she concludes.
2. doom&gloom said...
...I'm planning a protest outside the FT offices until she is sacked.
Luckily Amanda Ford is speaking our language: "We must stop purchasing things because we are bored, lonely, stressed or simply going through the motions of obligation and routine. We must support small, local shopkeepers, artisans and farmers. We must buy things that will serve a distinct purpose in our lives for years, not just keep us entertained for a season."
3. gardeniadotnet said...
d&g... The way of austerity and only buying things we strictly need leads to Cambodia under Pol Pot, Afghanistan under the Taleban or China under Mao...
Remember, women don't think like us.
What?? What did I say now?
4. planning4acrash said...
Total nonsense, shopping with debt based money is causing the problem, shopping is not the problem, lie problem is the false price signals from inflation and the business cycle of mania and crash that it causes. Inflation stops environmental protection.
5. gardeniadotnet said...
"There is absolutely no joy to be found in mindless shopping."
Try telling my w...... oh, excuse me...
Coming Dear!
6. jackas said...
Try digging a bit harder into Mr Boormans claim to fame.
You'll find that he thinks he's special because he used to be addicted to buying branded goods. Now he isn't. Well done Mr Boorman. I used to parts of my body into a blender, but now I don't. Well done me..
He's just a pusher of the no-brand brand.
7. mountain goat said...
What a great title to the article :-)
Answer: no, saving is your patriotic duty.
8. vindicated said...
Gardeniadotnet........ drop the shovel and back slowly off the news blog... there are women amongst us ;o)
9. titaniccaptain said...
If my wife had our credit card stollen it would be a blessing......the thief could never spend as much as her
10. doom&gloom said...
@TC. rotflol :-D
11. bellwether said...
I can't imagine a women wasting time reading these posts. It's the male equivalent of shopping.
12. titaniccaptain said...
Bellwether.......ooooowwww your a braver man than I.......hell hath no wrath and all that.......
13. Dbc Reed said...
There's good cartoon in the FT.Two cops are standing outside a house with a housewife at the front door : "Should n't you be out shopping m'am?"
14. vindicated said...
@ bellweather.... what titaniccaptain said!!
If its all the same to you though, I'll keep reading and leave the shopping to the debt-ridden!! ;o)
15. Doghouse said...
Hi chaps, girlie here...must tell my hubbie how he should appreciate my careful spending and saving more...lol Think i must have a gene missing cos i don't have the female shoe addiction!!!!! TC, good one :-)
Agree with D&G, good points by Amanda Ford - spending isn't bad, but many just don't think beyond the instant gratification of buying stuff for the sake of it.
I think the psychologist provided a pathetic excuse that it's okay to consume because it gives us the motivation and reward we need and deserve for leading stressful lives...uhum, the big problem is that our consumer driven capitalist society pushes us into servitute to accumulate the things we think we need to make us happy, thus creating our stressful lives. People have lost all sense of spirituality, community and belonging, so seek to identify with brands and worship in the great church 'shopping mall'. Long retail hours and 7 day shopping are ruining family life and inhibit the sheeple's imagination to do more creative things with their time.
Trying to spend our way out of this mess is just going to prolong the recession and encourage people to build up more debt - afterall, the guvmint is hammering savers and the prudent, and sending out messages that spending and borrowing is good...please carry on as normal and when you get into trouble we'll bail you out. Hard though it will be in the short-term, support productive businesses while all the 'real' markets correct (ie stop propping up 'virtual' wealth in property, land etc) and return to sensible lending, consuming and levels of debt.
16. charlie brooker said...
If Darling wants to taser a few bankers that's fine by me.
Yours,
Charlie Brooker,
Banktanamo Prison
17. down wave said...
If women reduced their shopping obsessions, they may find more
time to educate themselves and their children.
This also would make them more interesting to listen to.
And besides, there would be more room in the shops and on the roads
buses and trains for men. Perhaps even, they might go to bed earlier and lay in it
longer in the mornings, but this I doubt.
Women can never give up shopping, they all would suffer nervous breakdowns.
18. whostolemyendowment said...
From Youtube...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yaTdRR15kG4&feature=related
19. doom&gloom said...
There is definitely a gender difference attitudes to shopping. It's sickening how brands use marketing to create insecurities which can only be remedied by spending money on beauty products, clothes, and the rest. And also how they promote 'fashion', which is an ingenious way of encouraging people to throw out perfectly good clothing and run to the shops to buy more after a just a few months wear. I feel my time as a tight unfashionable git has almost arrived.
20. doom&gloom said...
WSME. nice vid. Particularly liked the Hitler outfit. Unfortunately for today's generation the problem of consumerism is not just the spending - countless millions are also reliant on it for their income - retail, fashion, fast food employment... The wind of change is blowing and it is not going to be a pleasant time for a lot of people.
21. theboltonfury said...
@17 too true. My Mrs likes to put Creme De La Mer cream on her face before bed at £75 a throw. Instead, I much prefer to smear my face in Hofmeister lager at around the same time. I can make a whole can last weeks
I consider this a fundamental reason as to why I am superior to her
22. andrew said...
Completely agree with you "down wave", radical thinking is required here.
I have always argued, that if women were as interested in sex as they are shopping then the world would be a better place overall. Imagine, even all the louts and muggers would stay at home if their women gave them a reason to. Saturday nights would be quieter, no need to drink and try to pull, most young people would be at home, not so much of a need to compete or become the alpha male, because all women would feel this great enthusiasm to .... hang on this is all just a silly fantasy...wake up ...
23. mountain goat said...
Sorry guys going to disagree. I would be the first to agree that men and women are different but don't kid yourselves that men are not shoppers. They just shop for different stuff like cars, gadgets etc.
Some of the challenges we need to face up to are:
1. don't compare yourself to friends and neighbours. All the stuff they bought comes at a price so feel sympathy for them instead.
2. find more meaning in your life. Adverts exploit our lack of confidence in this area.
any others?
24. paul said...
I can't stand it when the BBC does this - suggestive legitimization of pro-government views. It goes like this:
1. Get call from Westminster saying they need an article on how shopping is good. They want us to use the word "patriotic".
2. Ask some carefully selected "experts" on shopping and economics. Especially good if they have an authoritative-sounding title like "Professor" or "Dr".
3. Present their opinions, using four pro-argument interviews and one anti-argument interview. Put the anti-argument first, leaving the reader with the pro-arguments.
4. Wrap up with a title posing the argument as a question for the reader. Note: DO NOT WRITE "Shopping is Patriotic. It is your civic duty to shop." but something like "Is shopping our patriotic duty?". Posing ridiculous idea as a credible argument this way lends it weight.
5. Get a pat on the back from "HQ", nice fat license fee increase and possibly scope for another BTL flat purchase next year.
25. doom&gloom said...
P. There are plenty of other pro-keynesian lobbyists than Westminster. And it features in the 'magazine' section so is clearly opinion and not news. Personally I read it as such, and did not feel compelled to hit the shops after reading it.
26. down wave said...
22. andrew said...
Completely agree with you "down wave", radical thinking is required here.
I Love women, especially the learned variety but they are rare. Parliament is full of the dumb
variety, all trying to be heroes. The more argumentative and sure footed they are the better. The
eleventh Commandment is: Thou Salt Not Bore God, so God invented Women. Men have shot
themselves in the foot by providing so much addictive consumer rubbish designed to distract
women from their spiritual destination and its sublime rewards. For example, if the understood
organic chemistry, they would never ever spend so much money on the outrageously expensive
cr*p that Boots fill their selves with.
I can say that I am very lucky to know around perhaps 10 or 20 brilliantly intelligent Ladies
and I don't mean this in any other sense, other than conscousness.
27. paul said...
Can I just point something out about this article? If you ever wanted evidence that the BBC has become little more than a state-sponsored propoganda outlet, have a look at their article with the following highlighted:
But even in the current hard times there are still dissenting voices who want to use this opportunity to tackle consumerism once and for all. They say our love of stuff we often don't really need and can't afford is what got us into this mess in the first place. Shopping became our god and must be toppled, they say.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of people who will stick up for shopping - as something to cheer us up when we are down, as a social activity, as an assertion of freedom and as the "vice" that could save us.
The BBC Charter states:
Well, you decide ...
28. doom&gloom said...
Hmm. But you could still read their majority/minority concensus/dissent standpoint as representative, in that the majority of the population are still buying pointless stuff that they don't need, and the people who would love to see the back of consumerism (most of us) are probabkly still in a minority. But yes, it could also be seen to reflect the views of the govt. Looking at the comments allowed so far, 3 are anti-consumerist and 2 are abstaining.
Interesting that this article is one of the few that doesn't have an author credited; it is just 'the word of the BBC'!
Came across an intersting philosophy article in the magazine while browsing. Can't beat a few unanswerable questions for a good debate!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7739493.stm
29. Dibble Dibble said...
If you think that women are bigger consumers, you should speak to a company such as Porsche. Quite a few years ago things were not going so well for Porsche. And the they brought out the Boxter. The Boxter was specifically targeted at men that could not actually afford a Porsche but would be willing to get themselves a whole bunch of credit so that they could "own" a status symbol. Up until then, most Porsches were bought with cash. Since then most Porsches are bought by men with credit.
30. dohousescrashinthewoods said...
He'll get David-Kelly-ed if he doesn't watch out.