"Operating on the principle that triviality is more profitable than substance, and dedicating itself to unceasing material overkill, consumer culture has become a fine-tuned instrument for keeping people incomplete, shallow and dehumanised. Materialism continues to gain ground, even in the face of an impending eco-apocalypse.
"Pulp culture is a feast of tinsel and veneer. The ideal citizen is an empty tract through which gadgets can pass quickly, largely undigested, so there is always space for more. Reality races by as a blur of consumer choices that never feel quite real. We know it as the fast lane and whip ourselves to keep apace."
John Schumaker, Triumph of Triviality (SMH Essay, 19th July 2008)
1 comment:
Yeah, that sounds right. It's going to be hard when the emissions trading scheme kicks in and we have to be aware of the other again, not just ourselves (albeit through legislation)!
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