myths of a capitalist society (pete to thread)

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I despair for people who buy things because they are bored. They are buying into the number one myth of a capitalist society. Money does not buy you happiness, and indescriminate purchasing also reduces the intrinsic value of any good stuff you would buy.
Would you get the same thrill getting books out of the library.
-- Pete (pb14@soas.ac.uk ), September 16th, 2003. (later )

I despair for people who collect things. They are buying into the number two myth of a capitalist society. Ownership of stuff does not make you happy, and indescriminate collecting for the sake of completeness reduces the intrinsic value of the item being collected as just a piece of the whole.
Would you get the same thrill enjoying each piece one at a time?
-- Pete (pb14@soas.ac.uk ), September 16th, 2003. (later )

what are the other ones?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

oh I forgot this one:

Alcohol is like boredom in a bottle. Unless it comes in a can. Or a pint glass. i use it to dull my otherwise unstoppable creative urges.
-- Pete (pb14@soas.ac.uk ), September 16th, 2003. (later )

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

money can buy you ice cream hence money can buy you happiness

― cinniblount (James Blount), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

b-but there is good ice cream and bad ice cream and I bet you need enough money to buy the 'good' stuff.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

otter pops cheap

― cinniblount (James Blount), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Pete makes the mistake of thinking that people who collect or buy when bored aautomatically ssume that their purchases will make them 'happy' or give them a better life or whatever.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

yes yes but forget that. just gimme more myths of a capitalist society.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"You can be anything you want to be, with enough hard work!"

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"The goddess is alive, and magic is afoot!"

― Nemo (JND), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Blount OTM about the Otter Pops, if anyone would like to bring me one I'd be v. happy.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Man acts to maximize self-interest.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

...As every individual, therefore, endeavors as much as he can both to employ his capital in the support of domestic industry, and so to direct that industry so that its produce may be of the greatest vaalue; every individual necessarily labors to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it..."

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

myth #3: highlighting the evils of capitalism won't make you even more miserable.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

myth #4: women be shopping

― cinniblount (James Blount), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

How about "Martin Amis would've had the same success and quality of output as a writer had he been the son of, say, a Drano-snorting pedophiliac hot-dog vendor instead of the greatest comic novelist of the 20th century."

OH am I grinding an ax from another thread? SO SORRY...

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"the american dream" is a denial of the class struggle.
It's been the party line of Hollywood-as-capitalist-myth-machine for ever.

― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 05:07 (twenty-two years ago)

"There is no power relationship in markets."

― Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 17 September 2003 06:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Ice cream is the opium of the people. Actually, no-one has thought of making opium falvoured ice cream! Probably because it would taste horrible and be illegal.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

things tasting horrible is the least of our problems. Putting that before the actual struggle is not helpful at all.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

myth #5: all other systems are vastly inferior. i prefer to think of them as equally flawed.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

i like that one where the high priests throw ppl into a volcano to please the gods

― dawnie lizard (mark s), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

myth #6: the market will take care of everything.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 17 September 2003 21:00 (twenty-two years ago)

i kinda covered that one - check the quote in my second post.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 21:11 (twenty-two years ago)

myth #1 is not a myth, nobody's silly enough to think buying something is going to bring you permanent happiness but it can certainly amuse you for awhile so you go "ooh shiny things" or something like that.

― Maria (Maria), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 22:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Or you amass enuf capital not to worry about doing things immediately to acquire it, which is a kind of happiness I suppose. Buying "investments" is still buying.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Strike "I suppose."

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Made think about _slackers_'s Hitchhiker Awaiting "True Call": "Look at me: I made it! ... Sure I may live badly, but at least I don't have to work for it." , or that cynical luxurious hobo Diogenes of Sinope.

― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 23:03 (twenty-two years ago)

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