I overheard someone yesterday talking about Christmas, and how their seven year old was wanting an i-pad. I say 'overheard' but it was really on account of the fact that I was stood there listening to every word. She was saying she is torn as she can see the benefits he'd get out of it but it is a bit pricey. Erm...hello!!! Crayons and a pad, love. And maybe some books...remember them?

I think it's fucking disgusting and 'i-corp' and the likes should really be ashamed of themselves. Like we all need any more reason to not buy their 'product'. How/why does a seven year old even know what one is?!

I'm not saying the observations re aspirational advertising are inaccurate, but being honest about things, most of us do have some budget (even if it's meagre) to spend on 'luxuries'. That's not something I believe we should feel guilty about, as we are 'material', physical beings - as well as spiritual of course.

So, why wouldn't we want things around us that give us pleasure or comfort?

We want clothes / art / furniture / toys (techno stuff) etc. etc. etc. So, given that we naturally like having nice things (which I think is fair enough) and we each have a limited amount of cash to spare for these things, each retailer is competing with may others to take your spare £'s off you, by promoting their products and generating familiarity of their trading name.

What pisses me off the most, is that common decency should dictate that these companies build their reputation by producing quality things that are made to last forever (well - have a good life-span anyway, in line with their price) but there seems to me to be collusion between them, to keep the standard of craftsmanship low, so that the market can never be saturated. Whatever you've bought this year, you're likely to be having to replace not much further down the line, because nothing's manufactured to last.

That kettle's a typical example. The photo with it in was taken 3 years ago, and I've had 2 more since then, despite its hefty price-tag.

And the other thing that pisses me off is the amount of advertising for insurances, with insurance so often amounting to money you pay out to get nothing in return. It's no wonder there are so many companies selling it (and vying for your £'s). You could say you get peace of mind in return - but when you've either not claimed / tried to claim & been thwarted by clauses in the small-print / claimed, but had to fork out excess, it's a frigging swindle!

And frankly, if I want to buy something & have the funds available to do it, I want to be the one who decides to look at what's available , as opposed to having stuff rammed at my eyes & ears virtually non-stop.

(Should this be in the vent forum? )

Ab Origine wrote:
Hahaha - when my son was in pre-school, I got an extensive wad of paper handed to me by his teacher, who informed me gravely that it was his 'assessment'.

When I'd read it, & they asked me for feedback, I told them to never, ever waste their time or mine again in trying to create unneccesary anxiety over a 2 year old's mouse skills not being quite up to scratch. FFS!

Definitely, Gilly.

And I'm not having a pop at parents either. I can only imagine how much pressure you all get put under every year around Christmas time!!

I just think we set ourselves up for a lot of it. Why give into it? I mean, will the world end if you or kids don't have that thing that apparently everyone else has this year? There are places in the world - even today - where people (human beings, just like you and me) struggle to get the basics down on a daily basis. I think about this a lot. I don't think it's just must me feeling guilty, more like disgusted at what we're doing to each other.

As has been said before, they couldn't get away with it if people didn't keep handing over their hard earned.

Rick wrote:
It just goes to show that there is still alot of people with extra money.

Nobody is being forced to buy all this materialistic stuff.

These are human choices.

Gilly wrote:
Great reply Gilly

Old school commercials were classics and showed the product's good points.

Today's commercials are mini movies,showing your superiority over another by buying their product,especially cars or trucks.
Glorified indulgence while eating something, to the point of the person looking disgusting in their enjoyment of it.
The creating a of lust of mind, and immediate perceived need to run out and get something before others hog it up,

we're so spoiled, what a bunch of bullshit. i mean, i like stuff too, but 99% of it i dont need. and 2 weeks later i wont want it anyway.
people buy their kids ipads thinking its going to turn them into geniuses, but they'll probably just end up being fatter, stupider little twats.

hey i used the same tricks on my parents, oh a computer will help me with my school work etc. fuck that, i didnt want to do school work on it. i wanted to see boobies and blow things up. this is what i like, and have always liked.

so now im parent age, we use the excuse we had on ourselves for our kids. what the fuck? we do it to ourselves, its a choice.

Yes the nag factor is strong. My son is four and will say "daddy buy me that" and I will say sure. Then he will forget about it...hopefully. I do spoil him but I do try to teach him to appreciate what he has and I do try to give him educational stuff.

Rick wrote:
I don't understand how to create a lust mind?

Where is the individual's responsibility?

RealAmerican wrote:
Good points,choices yes of wonderful humans, herd mentality,instant gratification,impulse spending,buying stuff that is not needed,gluttony,self glorifying individual ego, materialism in all it's splendor, and the rush to lust for things mentality and then the reality of control and debt afterward.

batou wrote:
This....

RealAmerican wrote:
The lust mind is created by the conditioning of a person to think they are lower by not lusting or having or wanting something,by someone who already has this controlled mind of materialistic superiority
Notice people around you they are controlled by their devices and things,and this gives them security and a feeling of I'm better than you mentality, and a smugness of personality in their false reality of security .

Rick wrote:
Ok, now we are getting to the point, which is you can only sell stuff to people that wan't to buy it.

politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/27...h-people/?hpt=hp_bn3

^Obama said it best...
Obama wrote:

I don't think anybody's been wrong with the comments they've posted, but I do think a lot of people are being overly harsh by not acknowledging that it's normal for people to want nice things. That's what the advertisers are playing on. It's natural for us to desire things around us that give us enjoyment.

Batou, the perfect gift for you then would be some exploding tits. A pair of balloons with nipples drawn on, and a drawing pin would do the trick nicely.

lol yes i enjoy the finer things in life

Adverts have never worked on me Except this one;



Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?! Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?! Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?! Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?! *a week passes* Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?! Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?! Will you buy me a speeder bike mum?!

I got my speeder bike though for my birthday

Gilly wrote:
For batou:



Have fun, sweetheart.

Absolutely agree, Gilly. However, I would say that there were periods in our history where we were able to 'make our own entertainment'. What we have now is very, very different and this is really what worries me.

People just don't seem to think too much into the future when making these purchases either. As was already pointed out, it is expected for these things to not last very long and require replacement. Why do we allow this? Who decided it should be so? We used to buy goods that actually lasted a 'lifetime'. When and why did this change and why are we all going along with it?

Those are rhetorical questions, by the by.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting nice things either. If that's all you care about then you're out of balance though.

Tbh, these days a secondary school would probably be shocked if a kid didn't have their own laptop. My son's school has a server they can connect to, and they can message teachers and other pupils online about homework. They can even submit homework. However, my son mainly uses his laptop for Minecraft and watch silly cat videos on YouTube.

Rick wrote:
G'day Rick.

All marketing / sales can be broken down into 4 impulse factors ...

1. A sense of urgency.
2. Fear of loss.
3. Indifference.
4. Keep up with the Joneses.

... which equate with the 4 control dramas used in the competition of energy.

What you have noticed is the keep up with the Joneses impulse factor.

There's actually a movie about this ...


"The Joneses", a social commentary on our consumerist society. Perfect couple Steve and Kate Jones, and their gorgeous teen-aged children Jenn and Mick, are the envy of their posh, suburban neighborhood filled with McMansions and all the trappings of the upper middle class. Kate is the ultimate trend setter - beautiful, sexy, dressed head-to-toe in designer labels. Steve is the admired successful businessman who has it all: a gorgeous wife, big house and an endless supply of high-tech toys. Jenn and Mick rule their new school as they embody all that is hip and trendy - cool clothes, fast cars and the latest gadgets. But as the neighbors try to keep up with the Joneses, none are prepared for the truth about this all- too perfect family.


... of which the basic principle is to keep the 'lower levels of the pyramid' competing for the 'next level' so that they don't interfere with those at the 'peak of the pyramid'. It's a social engineering ploy.