- Capitalism and Alternatives -
There's no American pie glory in that
Posted by: Claire on September 05, 1997 at 19:38:19:
In Reply to: Don't speak for me! posted by Kevin on September 01, 1997 at 09:57:14:
Dear Kevin,
You have a lot of valid points regarding the importance of striving for excellence and improvements in the work world. Hard work should equal better circumstances. And although there is plenty of exploitation, US workers don't have much to complain about.
I just feel that as a society, we have put all our eggs in one basket, only valuing what is profitable, really. You claim that I should leave people alone who choose to exercise their freedom when buying products made by efficient professionals. I think there is a lot of manipulation hiding within this equation, however. I think that trillions of dollars and time is spent encouraging, for example, eating out all the time. Burger King doesn't balance their ads with messages such as, "How about getting out the wok tonight and learning how to stir fry with your boyfriend, sharing laughs when a snow pea catches on fire, and remembering the night well. You can visit our store some other time."
No. Advertising manipulates. I hope to be a good enough example to counteract some of this influence and provoke thought about what is, in my opinion, a neglected lifestyle. What you say is freedom to buy seems to me ignorance of the consequences and alternatives. People aren't ignorant because they are stupid. People do what they do because our whole society is doing the same thing, and it's snowballing. Efficiency and an ambitious, compensated worker are great, but not when people are selling yet another thing that we don't need. There's no American pie glory in that.
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