“What numnut had that bright idea?” I say to myself as I catch a glimpse of the shifting images on the the giant billboard ahead on my right.
I am on the stretch of I-95 where worn-out commuters compete with frenzied airport-goers for one car length of asphalt on what has to be one of most congested highways on the east coast.
Am I crazy or do digital billboards with their alternating 8 second ads seem like a good idea to you? Personally, I can’t see how they add anything much to the world, and least of all to our driving experience, which is already an extreme sport. Poor beleaguered drivers that we are, heads cockeyed from to-do lists and ring tones, did we need one more distraction? Did we need a big screen TV on our highways as well?
Capitalism. Hallowed be thy name.
Similar—though a risk only to our aesthetic—is the idea put forth by one city councilman to deal with Philadelphia’s budget deficit. Cover public buildings with ads, he proposed proudly. Pepsi, Geico, University of Phoenix and Dr. Scholl’s—Billy Penn, watch your back. Or your forehead, as was the case a few years ago with the innovative sales gambit, “Lease your Body,” which paid individuals to wear company logos on their foreheads. A wonder it never took off!
Ads in cyberspace, however, have. My online read is now rife with so-called “text enhancers,” pop-up ads that I can’t ignore and can’t figure out how to destroy. I find it disquieting (to say the least) that corporate Big Brother is watching everything I do online, tracking my moves and anticipating every need, every want. It’s downright eerie.
However, if you happen to want matching dresses for you and your six-year-old daughter, maybe not. According to the company spokesperson who pitched the story as news the other day, Dianne Von Furstenberg is now making matching mother and daughter outfits. Why? To build early brand loyalty in your adorable and most pliable little girl, why else?
I hate capitalism. There, I’ve said it. I’m sick of the constant push to sell, to buy, to use, to throw away, and then to buy some more. I hate that we look for profit in every opportunity; that more is its fundamental tenet; and that the greater good be damned.
Adept consumers and hucksters that we are, capitalism has become our brand. Everything’s for sale. And it’s not just the facades of our government buildings either. Our congress, our courts, our institutions and our humanity; all sold to the highest bidder. That’s good ol’ capitalism, for ya. I’m no social scientist, but it seems clear that we as a culture have not done so great worshipping at its altar.
But Mayzee, you say, you sound just like a… Communist!
For those defenders of the faith, let me spare you the trouble of a lengthy rebuttal complete with historical backup. This rant is anything but scholarly. Truth is; I’m not interested in communism, or any other ism. I’m after utopia. You know, on earth as it is in heaven.
What I’m talking about is a new way of living together on this planet, designed only for very evolved beings. It’s elegantly simple and predicated on just three principles
- There is enough here for everyone
- If you need, I give
- If I need, you give.
“Yeah, right,” you say, eyes rolling with incredulity. “How’ll that work?”
I don’t know. I’ve only gotten as far as the vision. In the meantime, I’m working on the “evolved being” piece.
Some inspiration I stumbled upon last week:
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. Brilliant video presentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM
The Man Who Quit Money, a book by Mark Sundeen. A new and revolutionary slant on what it means to live abundantly. http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-Who-Quit-Money/dp/1594485690
Bryan Stevenson, Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, speaking at the TED conference on what defines a culture. www.ted.com/speakers/bryan_stevenson.html
Sixties Chick 