The Healthy Consumer
This morning I get up around 7:15 AM, like I normally do. I finally roll out of the bed around 7:30 AM. I go to the bathroom and get into the shower and stand there for a few minutes trying to get woke up. I wash my hair and then as I grab my bar of soap I notice a bottle of Axe body wash (It’s not mine, I don’t live on my own). I got to reading the back of it as I lathered up my washcloth. The back of the bottle basically says “If you buy and use Axe soap, you’ll get girls.” The first thought that came to my mind was that these people are being offensive to the GLBT community. Secondly, it bothered me because there are actually idiots who will buy that soap and actually think they are going to “get some ladies.” I then remembered that I’ve been wanting to write a post about consumerism, so here I am.
I’ve been wanting to buy a new computer for a while now. I haven’t been able to because at the moment I don’t have a fulltime job. The computer I want is a MacBook Pro. The problem with me is that I feel I need a lot of things. I feel as though I need a MacBook Pro, then I want a couple of PC desktops. One desktop to act as a file server, local network test web server, virtual machine server, etc. The other desktop would be the one that I use for running Windows and Linux in a dual boot environment (at least I didn’t say 3 PC’s so I could have Windows and Linux on their own). Oh wait, maybe I need 4 so I can have one to tinker with. Then at the same time I feel as though I need a new camera. A dSLR to upgrade the Sony Cybershot that I have outgrown. At the same time I want a good video camera so my videos will look better. But you see, it doesn’t stop there. I also need software. Software to work on photos, videos, web design, etc.
Yesterday I got to looking at a website that showed some of the most world changing photos. There were some photos of young men in Africa that really bothered me. They were so tiny. They were young boys who couldn’t find food. There was even a photo of a young boy who was being stalked by a vulture because he was so tiny. The vulture could have attacked him and the boy would not have had a chance. A child of that age in this country would not have been stalked by a vulture because children of that age in this country are much larger than the vulture.
I go into the kitchen and I see food that we don’t really like but we have it on hand because it’s cheap. Ramen noodles for instance. They’re extremely cheap. Most people don’t like them, I actually kind of like them. The thing that bothers me is that if food like ramen noodles is so cheap, why aren’t we taking ships full of it to places where people’s bodies are so frail and they are just wasting away? I know it’s not the healthiest food on the planet but at least it would put some meat onto their bones.
I think about those things a lot. It really bothers me a great deal. It makes me wonder if people really care. Do people really care in this country? Or are people in this country only concerned with the latest celebrity gossip and the latest and greatest gadget, currently the Apple iPhone.
All of that makes me realize that I need to think and question myself before I buy anything. As a healthy consumer I should be asking myself, constantly, Do I really, need this? It makes me realize that I need to look at an object and ask myself if I really need it or if the people who market the product are just trying to convince me that I do, when I really don’t.
As Americans we are born consumers. Everything we do involves consumerism. However, we very seriously need to think about the things we are consuming. Question every single thing about it. Question the reasons why we need something. Question, Question, Question. That’s what we as citizens of Earth need to be doing! Question everything! Don’t just go through life blindly. If we don’t start asking more questions, things are only going to get worse.
Technorati Tags: apple, iphone, technology, macbook pro, axe, body wash, soap, consumerism, consumers, americans, earth, deatrophication, deatrophication of the brain
August 26th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
It’s tough, beating back the consumerism bug. And speaking of all these starving babies everywhere, the thing that gets me about America and our food habits is the waste. How much food do we throw away every day? Just ’cause it’s a day old?
August 27th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Shawno - Thanks for bringing up the point about food waste. I wanted to bring that up in this entry but I honestly forgot about it. I was thinking about it while I was in the shower. I really need to start taking a recorder with me to the shower so I can record all of those things. But then. If I’m talking, I doubt ideas would flow freely into my mind! Anyways. We do waste, SO much. That’s why I try my best to save as much food as I can and eat on it for several days. Probably not helping the planet much. But I guess someone has to do it. Food is expensive to begin with. I don’t care if you’re talking about healthy food or food that’s bad for you. It’s all expensive!