We sit around while our tax dollars are given away to wealthy corporations in the business of war profiteering. We kick our feet up while our leader makes a mockery of our Constitution and everything our founding fathers stood for by abusing the executive branch. We laugh at the television while hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians are dying from our bombs.
We have television sets that receive thousands of channels. We have iPods and accessories for our iPods and accessories for our iPods’ accessories. We have phones that allow us to watch television and movies. We have piles and piles of clothes and shoes that “necessitate” walk-in closets. We have cars with big shiny rims, neon lights, and coolers in the glove box. We have pets that have designer clothes and fancy leashes and whole heaps of toys. We have enough stuff to keep us entertained for our lifetimes. And it is available to everyone, in every class, for every cost. Yes, even the poorest of the poor have similar luxuries that the richest of the rich do because all of this stuff is relatively cheap.
Considering the cost that goes into the labor, shipping, distributing, and retailing a DVD player made in China, it’s a wonder how it can cost only thirty bucks. That price doesn’t even seem to cover the cost of moving the box off the truck and on to the shelf! But we don’t talk about why and how these prices are so cheap. No, instead we talk about our love for this wonderful world of globalization, and how it has bestowed this great luxury of cheap goods upon us. We express our love by shopping. It makes us happy. We constantly shop. Sometimes in the middle of the night. Sometimes instead of being with our families. When terrorists attack our country, we are told not to stay inside with our loved ones, but instead we are told to shop. With all of our shopping, our material goods pile up so high that we need to fill our basements and garages. When those are full we rent storage units.
Due to our excessive materialism, we’ve stopped paying attention to what’s happening to our country, to our world. We’ve become detached from our communities. We’ve become complacent.
We as citizens have morphed into mindless consumers. Our town halls, which once stood as the center of our communities, have been replaced by shopping malls. We don’t have the time or motivation to be active and knowledgeable citizens. We barely have time to read about what’s happening in our local and national governments. We don’t have time to think critically and analyze all of the complex events occurring around us every day. Thus, we cannot make informed decisions about who to elect to office to represent us. But we know that it doesn’t matter. Because no matter who holds office, our lives will continue to be comfortable. We will still be able to flip on the television and relax in our air conditioning while we watch images of political turmoil in other parts of the world. We will still be able to drive to the mall and shop without worrying about being blown up by bombs. As long as the strife isn’t happening here, we don’t really have much to worry about.
But it does matter. So turn your fucking T.V. off and listen up. While you’ve been sitting there wallowing in your own ignorance, your country has morphed into an empire. Your leader has morphed into a despot. And your liberties have been quickly evaporating. The planet you live in is nearing catastrophe. The economic disparities between the rich and poor have grown to record highs. And cheap oil, for which our entire economy and society depend, has left forever, without any viable alternatives in sight.
If things keep on the course you’ve allowed us to be on, that T.V. you’re watching might no longer be affordable to replace.
There, has that got your attention!
Now go out and be an active citizen instead of a mindless consumer. For right now is no time to kick your feet up and laugh at the T.V. Right now is no time to be complacent.
2 Comments
I agree with the sentiment. It is amazing, and sad, how complacent people become with a little comfort. And even for people who aren’t afraid of change, who are willing to think critically and be active citizens, the strive seems to come in cycles. It’s difficult to maintain, as most issues aren’t black-and-white and objectives are always changing with new information. It’s often frustrating to strive for change when the objective isn’t 100% clear, and the more open your mind is the more frustrating it becomes.
I think this feature loses a little steam, in terms of potential progress, just as the steam in the voice picks up. Starting with the line “turn your fucking T.V. off and listen up” there is a lot of finger-pointing, and people don’t respond well to finger-pointing. I think this is the biggest obstacle in the way of progress– being frustrated with people is understandable, and acceptable, but if you really want to make a difference and instigate some change I think it’s important to keep the negativity out of your message. Keep it as constructive as possible, in line with the “my peace city” message. Just my two cents.
But, as I said– on the whole I think the sentiment is right on and the piece is well-written.
I have been thinking about materialism alot lately probably because I just bought a new home and new furniture (albeit not the most sturdy) from IKEA. After days of donating old things to Salvation Army and growing blisters from turning screws I wonder how I can simplify my life and still enjoy the small pleasures like television and air-conditioning.
And I think we need to change the size of our cups if we feel they are not over-flowing. Keep things simple. Buy local (if I only knew how!).
At this point I am glad that cars are not as affordable as say HD televisions or I would probably own one. Let’s end our dependence on foriegn oil…please!
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