Category Archives: Consumerism

My Constant Frustration

Activism, Ambitions, Character, Consumerism, Dysrationalia

I live my life under the constant frustration that things of fundamental and preeminent importance must so frequently take a back seat to the practical business of being a worker/consumer cog in the prevailing economic machine.  And the machine does not care one iota for grand ideas such as reality, authenticity, and self correction.  Rather, it does considerable and deliberate work to the detriment of these principles.

Philosophy in general, and societal reform in particular, are not pursuits well suited for those who lack the means for leisure.  This is because Continue reading My Constant Frustration →

What is My “World View”?

Activism, Character, Consumerism, Dysrationalia, Economy, Ethics, Fallacy, History, Logic, Paradigms, Pelham's Laws, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science

Every once in a while, someone inquires about my “world view”.   Here it is:

  1. There is nothing unreal in the entire known Universe, with the one exception of what happens in the imaginations of humans.
  2. Humans often get trapped in the unrealities that they (or others) have imagined, and attempt to practice or to adhere to those unrealities in the real world.  This is and has always been, in every known case, bad. Continue reading What is My “World View”? →

10 Quick Tips for Choosing a Political Party

Consumerism, Politics

Far be it from me to tell anybody to which political party he or she should belong, but for those of you who may be giving the issue some thought, I’ve written a few tips below for your own private consideration.  Your primary goal—and I can’t stress this enough—should be to make a decision that is easy—both easy to make and easy to justify down the road.  What you do not want to do is to put too much thought into it, to analyze anything, or to have to give careful consideration to the results of your choice later.  So just pick your favorite question from the easy list below and answer it.  Then find the political party that best matches your answer.  It’s just that easy! Continue reading 10 Quick Tips for Choosing a Political Party →

We Love Our Labels!

Character, Consumerism, Paradigms, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science

I’m about to crack open a can of worms that can’t be fully dealt with in a single article.  This is a topic that has been strongly on my mind lately and it seems time at least to get it on the record, if only briefly so.

I observe that a great many people seem to label themselves in various ways.   This is a common behavior and we see examples of it every day.  Here are a few examples, just to get the ball rolling: Continue reading We Love Our Labels! →

How Can I Trust You?

Character, Consumerism, Politics, Religion, Science

Have you noticed how some people seem hard-wired to get you to believe and to act like they do?  Indeed, some people seem to operate on the untested assumption that all their friends ought to do as they do.  Having learned many lessons the hard way as a result of going along, I’m now taking a more sophisticated view of such things.

Yes, it tends to offend others when you don’t jump on their bandwagons as they pass by your house, but why jump onto something that you know (or should know) that you’re going to regret later?  It’s this way of thinking that Continue reading How Can I Trust You? →

Just One Pull of a Trigger

Character, Consumerism, Politics, Religion

If it ever were to become necessary for me to shoot someone, I sure do hope that that person has colorless skin, has no sex, nor sexual preference, and no nationality, belongs to no socio-economic class, has no political affiliations, and belongs to no religious or non-religious or even irreligious group, has no family, friends, coworkers, employer or employees, or acquaintances, and is neither homeless nor lives in a particularly controversial or racially-charged place, nor on either side of the tracks, and has no beliefs, habits, or heritage whatsoever against which one might suffer temptation to take offense, including, but not limited to a criminal record, morally questionable behavior, tattoos, sectarian clothing or regalia, socially-identifiable music, a lawn taller than allowed by the local ordinance, or any hairstyle that I’m not already on the record as liking.

And I hope that nobody is running for office at the time, Continue reading Just One Pull of a Trigger →

Most People Don’t Want What They Need

Character, Consumerism, Philosophy, Politics, Religion

This topic probably deserves a book of its own, but for now, I wanted to post some observations.

I’ve been watching, and I see a general rule at work in our society:  Most people don’t want what they need.  Instead, they want what they want, and they’re quite willing to neglect their needs, or even to lie to themselves (and others) about the nature and importance of those needs.   Continue reading Most People Don’t Want What They Need →

Why (and for whom) Our Economy Works

Character, Consumerism, Economy, Politics

Contrary to popular opinion, it’s fairly simple to understand our national economy. I’ll cut to the chase and tell you that our “economy” is built for the benefit of those who profit every time money changes hands.  Therefore, their priority is simply to keep the machine running. As long as money is changing hands, profits are being earned….even in a “poor economy”, such as the one we are currently suffering. Continue reading Why (and for whom) Our Economy Works →