(Image by Bill Medcalf from The Great American Pinup, by Louis K. Meisel and Charles G. Martignette. Alteration is all me.)
It's that time of year again. the Sellabration is on, and once again I'm disgusted. Just the same, I am an American so, I am label conscious and brand loyal. If I ask you what your favorite cereal is, you'd have an immediate answer. If you took few seconds to think about it, you might even be able to tell me who the manufacture is. Almost every choice you make on a daily basis involves choosing one brand over another. The problem is, we never truly think those choices through.
The premise is that it's the things you love that define who you are. (this is one of the things that defines us as a consumer culture: your possessions say more about you than your actions.) I don't buy it.
For example:
1) Every computer I've ever owned has been made by Apple. Since 1992 I've purchased seven different pieces of Mac hardware. All of them have performed like thoroughbreds. (even the over hyped Quadra 840 AV)
2) Since high school the only jeans I've worn are GAP jeans. They simply fit, look, and feel better than any other pair I've ever put on.
3) My favorite food? Any meal I've cooked. My favorite meal? Quesodillas and Progresso tomato basil soup.
The problem is...
if you ask me what i value most, i'll tell you human life.
We like having choices. We want what we want when we want it. We don't seem to care about the realities of what it takes to get those products to on our shelves.
The reality is that we consume something like 90% of the world's resources.
The reality is the majority of the rest of the world starves, is poisoned, and dies so we can have all our stuff.
