Jolt Country

Sailors for millenia bought hemp rope because it worked (still does).

Hippies buy it because its associated with being hippies.

Computer Dorks buy the newest video card because all they know is that minor inkling to gain a few more fps in Doom 3.

Artists are now using computers because it works.

Either its about using tools to create or remedy a situation, or its about sticking to a cultural trend and not clearly knowing why blowing $1500 on a computer (or $5000 for a plasma) is neccessary to living (instead of just realizing that the majority of the people watching your movies, are most likely doing it on shitty, old analog televisions).

Even dumpster divers are being consumers if they grab anything that seems remotely useful without the neccessary knowledge of how it will be.

Knowledge of useful. Having a bunch of random shit for no discernable purpose (to oneself) isn't.

Why I use a large, empty tub of washing detergent as a trash bin as opposed to buying a new one from wal-mart; instead of being stuck on the image, or the pattern of doing this and thus becoming say, a hippie, its about utilizing the tools and articles around you instead of resorting to purchasing excess junk for the sake of feeling part of a group.

Its also about history; dorks are buying hot topic to be goth or punk, while I love my cap I found in the gutter while sleeping on part benches for a week (lucky me with a shaved, cold head at the time).

Coming upon an item one may need instead of actively seeking it, is much more fulfilling. It creates a history instead of an arbitrary beginning.

Just like I was saying, anti-consumerism is only found through draal.

Just as many people chance upon things in giant chain stores, as you do on your Bohemian Adventures. Trying to assert some negative or positive values based on how one behaves in a consumer society is the entire reason anti-consumerism fails. It all comes down to how you feel about the constructs of currency, product, and service. Buying habits are entirely meaningless.

Let me rephrase myself...

Excalibur would never have been important if it was a piece of wal-mart retail; the lore behind it makes the item interesting and enduring.

I have a story behind my cap, which leads to an emotional attachment and a sense of lore that makes it both interesting, and if I were to care, appreciative of the item.

The idea of "anti-consumerism" is a loaded term which contradicts every notion of decent sense; my assertion is one of emotional connection to our daily goods or an act of creation which allows and enforces the reuse of items as opposed to one of simple buy and discard, the miserable end in making a connection between a certain act and a social group, or failing to utilize the items readily available as opposed to the purchase for this same need.

Certain thoughts or actions limit the ability to apply items to certain events; if I were to hate wal-mart to not use it at all, I'd limit what was available to me. Thus if I believed that being a consumer is harmful and by not buying any items at all from wal-mart I could be anti-consumer, I wouldn't do it. On the other hand, understanding my own needs and the items I have available, I can more adaquately decide where to place my resources (money).

Buying habits are important in judging the charactertisics of where the energy and resources of a populace are being diverted; money is the allocation of resources and the power to purchase "energy" and expertise, and where it ends, entities are given the ability to place resources in their favor (whether that is a family or a large corporation).

Placing negative or positive values is meaningless because of the fact these rely on belief; I was merely pointing out human emotional constructs and how these are placed on goods, and the resulting outcome.

Son of a bitch! I wrote this nice three or four paragraph reply to this and I get that MISTAKE! ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US! message.

Know what I did? in order to avoid individual spelling mistakes I wrote the thing in WORD and ran the spell check a couple three times, then tried to paste the message into the reply box. PHBBS prolly thought I was some kind of spammer and popped up with the YOU NOT VERY WELL RIGHT! thing.

well it was a grandiose reply filled with the wit and charm that is only seen when I have a day off from work and can lounge here after breakfast. Oh well....


THE
DENIED!
AARDVARK

You know if that happens, you just need to hit "back," copy the text (which is all still there), hit "reply" again and paste the text, right? I mean, I am going to remove that stupid mod that doesn't do what it says it does tonight, but your posts are NOT trashed.

Draal quips wrote:. . .
Buying habits are important in judging the charactertisics of where the energy and resources of a populace are being diverted; money is the allocation of resources and the power to purchase "energy" and expertise, and where it ends, entities are given the ability to place resources in their favor (whether that is a family or a large corporation). . . .

Thanks for the economics lesson, draaal. Why not just say 'reduce-reuse-recycle' and be done with it?

Why are you bitter Rage Masters taking it all out on Draal? We're never going to get any new blood over here if we keep bagging on the new guys.

And yes, I put my brother squarely into the Public Enemy #1 slot when it comes to this, but still.

probably because his first few posts were totally incoherent so why not.

Worm wrote:The anti-consumerist stance is hopeless. Farmers and hicks always buy trucks and liquor. Hippies and ecologists always eat free range and buy hemp. You, well, I assume you've got a metric ton of leather belts with queer studs and shit in your closet. I've got a new video card.

I din't mean consumerism as just buying things. I mean about placing inordinate importance or happiness in the act of owning better and better things, bonus points if better than someone else's. It's not like I looked this shit up in a dictionary before I posted it. As Art Bell said: "It's just stuff. It's nice stuff, but it's stuff"" before he went off to <s>bang</s> marry a 22 year old Filipina.

Excalibur didn't fucking exist, your cap, is just a cap that someone else bought and lost.

Historical significance of consumer goods you "happen upon" is just a cheap way to retroactively catalog and validate your own existence. Souvenirs picked up off the ground and given a good dusting are only interesting to you because of your perception of them having more of a history. If people don't roll their eyes during the story, then your friends have much restraint.

my assertion is one of emotional connection to our daily goods or an act of creation which allows and enforces the reuse of items as opposed to one of simple buy and discard, the miserable end in making a connection between a certain act and a social group, or failing to utilize the items readily available as opposed to the purchase for this same need.

So, cheap mass produced goods are not "readily available", and if you buy a pair of pants and keep them for six years that's "buy and discard"? I'm glad you found some way to install the StumbleUpon plugin, into real life, and wow that detergent garbage bin sounds really cool. But, the fetishism of trash, and the assignment of mystic properties to the relics of society is just completely absurd.

Certain thoughts or actions limit the ability to apply items to certain events; if I were to hate wal-mart to not use it at all, I'd limit what was available to me. Thus if I believed that being a consumer is harmful and by not buying any items at all from wal-mart I could be anti-consumer, I wouldn't do it. On the other hand, understanding my own needs and the items I have available, I can more adaquately decide where to place my resources (money).

I don't go to Walmart because it has an awful supermarket and I already have clothing.

Placing negative or positive values is meaningless because of the fact these rely on belief;

Yeah, FUCK BELIEF.

Mistake! There was an attempt of an automatic insert of the message in a forum. Your message is sent to hell. Try still times who knows - can it will turn out? Still probably, that you too long wrote the message - then pass to page back, copy the text, update page, insert the copied text and press button "Send".

Twice

ICJ, because the entire "I threw it all away" stance is entirely untenable, and I don't need to fucking hear it outside of punk-rock music. Also, "Your cap? Man your cap doesn't have any history. Let me tell you about when I was OUT ON THE STREET for an entire WEEK." is far more obnoxious that people trying to look different by going to a different nation-wide chain. At least when people are uniformed you don't have them trying to assert that they love their clothing more than the next guy.

Vitriola wrote:I din't mean consumerism as just buying things. I mean about placing inordinate importance or happiness in the act of owning better and better things, bonus points if better than someone else's. It's not like I looked this shit up in a dictionary before I posted it. As Art Bell said: "It's just stuff. It's nice stuff, but it's stuff"" before he went off to <s>bang</s> marry a 22 year old Filipina.

Technology is just that way. If having a thing on the wall like in a futuristic movie is worth it to the OP, what's the problem? There is some giant consensus against video equipment, and I can't blame you for hopping on that. But fucking hell, what else can you do with money?

Worm wrote:But fucking hell, what else can you do with money?

Pay for BBS software that doesn't send your posts to "Hell"?

Worm wrote:But, the fetishism of trash, and the assignment of mystic properties to the relics of society is just completely absurd.

this reminds me of the scend in American Beauty where the wierd drug dealer thought he was some kind of artist because he filmed a stupid newspaper floating in the wind and called it "the most beautiful thing i've ever seen" or something like that. Truth is Draal is probably just stoned.

Vitriola wrote:placing inordinate importance or happiness in the act of owning better and better things

Hey, if you wanna carry a 55", three-ton projection monstrosity up three flights of stairs, please do make your flight arrangements now.

Sometimes it's less about having the greatest, newest thing, and more about not rupturing major internal organs.

Not that I have to defend myself here, but the only reason for a new TV is 1) mine is heavy as Pinback has said and 2) my eyesight is not as it used to be and TV is my life. So if I have the option of staring at a screen that won't send me into epileptic fits, I'm going to take it. And it's really no different than a computer. The stupid TV is 2700, what's a new laptop go for these days, not much less.

So, in summation, don't speak too much without knowing another person's situation first. Or if you do, aw what the hell, make fun of them because humor IS the spice of life.

*Raven steps off her soap box*

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:

Worm wrote:But fucking hell, what else can you do with money?

Pay for BBS software that doesn't send your posts to "Hell"?

Oh fuck. I might be inordinately happy if you go ahead and do that, you consumer pig, you.

savvyraven wrote:TV is my life.

Wow. Just, wow.

Worm wrote:But fucking hell, what else can you do with money?

My non-profit is in the hole $400 this year, which is why we laugh when people can't believe we charge 'adoption fees' or, gasp, 'shipping fees' for flying our animals out to adopters. Put that shit, in my hand, bitch.

Yeah, it's going to be fantastic talking to the same five people on here for the next thirty years. Whoo-hoo.

Fuck all y'all.

Leaving forever.