Here’s a collection of thoughts that I had a year ago. Decided to put them here incase you missed them the first time…
“Materialism is the biggest challenge to this generation. We’ve got sucked in bad. The advertisers have convinced us that luxuries are necessities and that we just can’t do without them. They have filled our lives with so much stuff that our priorities have drifted off course…”
(Banks, 2000:22)
We fill our lives with it…the need to have stuff. Advertisers tell us we need it, and we casually accept it…
BUY IT!
O.K
We just accept adverts at face value, ignoring the messages embedded within. Advertising works on one of two levels.
On fear or desire.
Oh, if I don’t buy it…I won’t be sexy. I won’t ever, never, ever have sex with anyone ever! No sexy sex for me. What a scarey thought, no one will like me Cause I’ll be such a looser.
Maybe if I wear this sexy, manly fragrance…Kelly Brooke will have sex with me. she’s so sexy…she…and this man-spray is the ACtaul SEX.
“Consumerism, like all addictions, is a spiritual problem. Few people in their rational moments really believe that owning more things creates a greater sense of security. All of us know that money is not a panacea for every ill…We live in a culture that says that it is essential to look good, feel good and make good. It was Eve, the first consumer, who fell for the lie that God was holding back from her something that was essential for her satisfaction”
(Glass, 2000:20/21).
And let me tell you, no one can escape. Even high-flying business men and sucessful working women are willing victims in consumerism.
Some may say it’s like we fill our life with stuff…as something’s missing. We always feel it don’t we? That we’re not good enough, or we’ll be good enough if…if only I had this…more of this…less of that…
What happens when we become addicted to consumerism? To ‘stuff’? It becomes a consuming force in our life…a god that we create? Or is consumerism the god…and the buying of ‘stuff’ the worship??
This is what God has to say about ‘stuff’ that’s worshiped…
Isaiah 46…
5-7“So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
Can you picture me without reducing me?
People with a lot of money
hire craftsmen to make them gods.
The artisan delivers the god,
and they kneel and worship it!
They carry it around in holy parades,
then take it home and put it on a shelf.
And there it sits, day in and day out,
a dependable god, always right where you put it.
Say anything you want to it, it never talks back.
Of course, it never does anything either!8-11“Think about this. Wrap your minds around it.
This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart.
Remember your history,
your long and rich history.
I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have—
incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul,
I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’
Calling that eagle, Cyrus, out of the east,
from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it.
I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done.12-13“Now listen to me:
You’re a hardheaded bunch and hard to help.
I’m ready to help you right now.
Deliverance is not a long-range plan.
Salvation isn’t on hold.
I’m putting salvation to work in Zion now,
and glory in Israel.”
Better go, have to go buy some shoes…
Banks, Duncan, (2000), Breakfast with God, Marshall Pickering – An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers: page 22
Glass, John, (2000), Released From the Snare – Racing Towards Your Destiny, Paternoster Publishing: page 20/21
June 18, 2008 at 7:33 am |
yup, that is sooo true! Personnaly, I would never fall for consumerism, this is too obvious and stupid. I just wanted to add that…….. oh.. is it 08h30 already??? Sorry gotta go, have to go shopping, the commercials said that if I don’t, my brain will explode….
June 18, 2008 at 8:23 am |
Is it really possible to ‘not fall for consumerism though’? Arguably it’s one big metaphor for the fall of man. So are you saying you’re better than Adam and Eve? eh? eh?
What brand of computer do you use? Why is this? Apple or P.C? Why?…
June 18, 2008 at 5:13 pm |
Interesting blog post but consumerism only really works if your stupid or you actually want it to work though(an example would be rich people who must buy the very best products or like spend thousands on an instrument just because of the brand name). Those 2 quotes you used as in how people think in terms of fear and desire, well I don’t think anyone actually thinks like that literally when they are buying things, I think it’s much more subliminal the way advertising plays on peoples minds rather than everyone standing there calculating they need this because they will then be able to do something.
The way advertising works as far as I can see is that they bombard you with visual effects, scenery and audio to recall certain emotions lets say….they use birds tweeting and a countryside scenery in an advert, so they make you subconsciously recall emotions from seeing these things in your past….perhaps it was a nice summers day that you enjoyed, they then quite quickly (partially due to costs of adverts partially due to how long this subconscious state would last…very little time) switch to the logo or the name of the product, subconsciously linking those happy emotions to seeing this company logo and seeing the packaging or name of the product they are advertising. Then you go to braehead, see that logo on the product and then this anchored emotion will come back to you and then you may find yourself with that feeling you get when you don’t really know why but you just must buy this product.
You probably already know this since you did you go university so sorry if it at first glance appeared to patronising. Cya tommorow at little shop.
June 19, 2008 at 12:03 pm |
I think your thoughts on consumerism and advertising are actually spot on – and unfortunately I think that we all fall prey to it at some point, whether or not we are aware of the cons and constructs of advertising.
Of course most of us are aware that when an Ad comes on TV the goal is that we buy their product. Some of us at this point are more strong-willed and can say no, I don’t want to drink Irn-Bru to make myself more Scottish, because guess what? I’m already Scottish and Irn-Bru isn’t going to make me anymore so. Done. On to the next one. Others fall to this all the time. Mmmm why do I suddenly crave chocolate, ooh they just advertised cadburys. Yup, I’m aware of it. But yet I still want chocolate now. They win, and I know that.
However, many advertising campaigns aren’t as easy to evade. For example – ever though about the supermarket? I go there frequently, and buy lots of stuff that I don’t really want. Why? Many reasons? Eye level advertising, End of aisle targetting and the fact that there’s a specific route that most people follow – with the essentials, i.e. bread, milk etc being at the end of that trail. The obvious, but obviously subliminal, message behind this is that we need to be bombarded by many many products that we didn’t want but do now before we get to what we need originally. This is some of the greatest advertising as it capitalises on the fact that we’re already ready to shop.
Lee is partially right, in saying that advertising is emotionally connected – but this is all part of the fear or desire (which btw isn’t always to do with sex, but its a good, relevant, frequent example). Although we’re emotionally blackmailled by advertising, the basic principle of desiring that good feeling is still the same. You’re either seeking to feel that way or fearful that you’ll never experience that again if you don’t tap into the products ability to release that emotion in you. Or there’s the possibly that we think the product will block a bad emotion that we’ve had in the past.
Just the other day I saw the ad for the Nokia phone with sat nav on it – the ad said ‘Glasgow is opened now’ and I drove past it every day. I don’t need a new phone, and I don’t get lost in Glasgow anymore, and I also know loads about advertising. Yet, I felt like I needed that phone. It reminded me of a time when I moved to Glasgow and got lost for 2 hours, driving round and round (in Denniston and Maryhill none the less), I felt upset, slightly scared and angry. I don’t want to feel that way. This phone will ensure I never do again. Done deal.
Basically, I think fear or desire is a great summary, and that no one can avoid advertising, even if they know heaps about it. Consumerism is here to stay, and they get more clever and find ways to trick us. If anyone thinks they do not fall prey to it they they are most probably naive or should write a book on how they managed to avoid it!
Answer me this? What brand labels are YOU wearing today?