The only folks who have difficulty 'giving up' the logos and incessant purchase-fads are those with no {ugh} inner directedness (?) at all - others become their mirror for reflecting, "am I good enough? do I fit in properly? am I kewl-enough?" Giving in early, to child-oriented "buy me this logo" ads - guarantees an endless supply of new fodder for the machine. 4-yr.olds in Designer Jeans.

Oddly (to me) - this vast homogenization describes almost exactly.. the peer pressures of adolescence! Only here in the US of A is the same sort of conspicuous consumption as in the formatory years.. carried on unchanged, for life.

The maxed-out credit card is our symbol for: 'my right to instant gratification' (even though I get 20+% Less stuff - as each payment is due for last month's / last year's hot mall purchase.)

What I do wonder is: what will happen to our entire culture - which is based upon accelerating 'growth' of all things but especially of buying stuff as recreation and even as sustenance of what passes for 'spirit' - should enough folks discover how Well you can live! how Much of YourOwnTime (the *only* thing you actually possess..) you can reclaim and, how much freer of daily anxiety you are when -

You break the consumer habit, buy the Best of a few things you *really* enjoy (which might be Opera tickets to fishing trips). Merely for eschewing the daily flood of fad, hyped over-priced toys - now more than ever, new electronic toys.

ie. Imagine! the $3000 Tee Vee set: getting the same pabulum as your now-free 27" adequate TV - but with 5.1 channels of louder sales pitches and sit-coms. What else could $3K do? Now expand that example past the $2500 'navigation for the car', the $175 electronic shaver, the $150 tennis shoes... 50/mo for DSL?


Rest case.


Ashton