consumerism
August 14, 2009
- I can hear the drums. A bunch of young people will form a human pyramid and break a clay pot filled with curd and lots of money. Gods don’t come cheap anymore. The stakes are up. Because devotees are full of greed.Today is Janmashtmi, the birth of Lord Krishna. As a young boy he survived attempts to kill him because of divine intervention. He was like most boys and was raised by a cowherd and ...
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August 5, 2009
- She exposed pink underwear worn under a short black leather kimono. Japan’s finalist for the Miss Universe, Emiri Miyasaka, caused a bit of a storm in the preliminaries. Is the reaction prudish? I think not. I am often amused by how these beauty pageant winners are termed ambassadors of nations. We send a young woman from our country after she has won the title at home, she is trained and ...
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July 28, 2009
- Consumerism, Financial Systems and the FutureWe are building towards a sustainable future that defines itself on one whole. There are a lot of debates over the state of the economy at the moment, especially concerning the financial situation of the world at present. People are focusing a lot on the issue of consumerism, especially when it links to over indulgence with money, whether it is ...
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June 29, 2009
- When the preschoolers said in Sunday School that we'd be having our annual dinner honoring fathers down at the picnic shelter rather than downstairs, I thought surely they were wrong. Surely we wouldn't eat outside because surely it was too hot to eat there, but they were right and I was wrong on two counts. We did eat outside, and it was extremely pleasant. I imagine our church hostess ...
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May 12, 2009
- They are tut-tutting that the holy city will become a mini Dubai, a consumerist paradise. Yes, Dubai is about consumerism. So is religion. It is all about buying a bit of sawaab (reward for piety). The very fact that Saudi Arabia has a monarch whose lifestyle isn’t exactly an example of austerity should make the criticism invalid. "Architectural designs being considered by King Abdullah of ...
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March 26, 2009
- Well, John, as the Brits put it, what's getting up your nose today?Today, without a doubt it's advertising. Not any one campaign, but the whole industry. Don't get me wrong -- it makes me very happy that in advertising there are well-paying, expense-account-padded jobs into which many failed poets, novelists and artists can move to pay their mortgages.But have you noticed how over the past ...
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December 5, 2008
- (Show of hands.) How many people have seen Adbusters? This is that magazine where all the ads look like ads until you stop and look closer and you discover they’re anti-ads ... like those billboards “liberated” by the Billboard Liberation Front. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one paid ad in an entire issue … which couldn't be said (for what it's worth) for many a nonprofit ...
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December 4, 2008
- As a Christian - one who tries to live according to the teachings of Jesus, one would think I would be excited by the upcoming celebration that is Christmas. And I am. But I'm not.I look forward to being with family, I am enjoying following an advent reading plan to hone my thoughts in on the miracle of the incarnation. And I am certainly looking forward to relaxing over the break, however... The ...
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September 22, 2008
- With the federal government sending waves of panic throughout the nation over the present condition of the financial markets, one has to wonder what all of this means. With the impending $1 trillion bail out of more banks for their greedy, unethical (and possibly illegal) pursuit of profits, how can this move benefit the average American? On the surface, it doesn’t. What this bail out does is ...
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June 3, 2008
- Maybe it's just too much exposure to commercials for Bridezilla, a sort of WWE with smackdowns between maniacal brides and their wedding planners, families, and bridesmaids, but I was horrified to read a press release today from MyKidsRegistry.com, a new "social networking" website that allows children to register for the gifts they want for their birthdays and holidays. When planning ...
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