Consumerism, Entertainment, and Freedom (quotes)
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Consumerism propels the insatiable belief that we need what we do not have. It is a way of being in the world, a fundamental frame of reference for relating to oneself, to others, and to the environment as a whole. The principle socializing force and agent behind this way of being in the world is television and advertising. Consumerism has evolved to its present form by sharing a symbiotic relationship with television. By providing an ideal, highly enriched ad-mosphere, the social task of TV is to transform all homes into colonies of consumptionTV, non-injected, has become our cultures fundamental drug of choice: a powerful sedative to numb, tranqulize and psychically lobotomize the alienated and dissatsified working citizen. The seeds of this obsessive, malignant consumerism are sown in our misery permeated work lives: because I suffer at work, therfore I will reward myself by buying. We find reward through purchasing power (the paycheck and salary) rather than labor power (the artistic ability to create and make, and the humanistic ability to contribute and to serve).
- Bernard McGraine
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There is an extroardinary process of entertainment-addiction occuring in our society: one entertainment moment addicts us to the next and we entertain ourselves by looking forward to entertainment.
- Bernard McGrane
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We are today imprisoned in our freedom. This is almost a reflex with us, it is not examined. We are deeply programmed to believe that we, as free inviduals are the source of all our actions and that further, we are in control of all our actions. We are programmed to be convinced that we are free of all programming; it is unthinkable that we are programmed.
- Bernard McGraine
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Bernard is annoying. I dont enjoy Sociology. Sociology is to ones desire for life what Fire is to piece of paper. It presents its noble truth, and were like Ok, what now. And its all like, I dont fucking know. Its like hes saying The society and the genes work in tandom for no real reason, other than to sustain the current situation Right. And youre my sweet savior baby Rock me with your scientific process. No really. Rock me with it. What is the substitute for the illusion you destroy. Nothing He says, Heres a big batch of nothing. And you can suck it. Call it freedom if you must You know what, fuck you. Sociology is not the answer. Its not even the truth. Its what happens when a scientific method gets applied to people. It can only find the things which it is capable of finding. It finds that society is always very far away from the idealized notion of what it coulda woulda shoulda been if only I, me, ego was allowed to reinvent the thing from scratch. Im not saying your wrong Bernard. Im just saying lighten up, it aint as bad as that. These things you hate. I dont like them either. But is this stepping out of yourself process, this blasting off into sociological space, living in a space suit up above it all, hovering. Is that really a more truthful way to experience your life. Is stepping out of yourself like that a way of winning, or a way of ultimately seperating yourself from the joy of being who you almost are.
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The monster I have to kill every day is realism. The monster who attacks me every day is destruction. Out of these duels come transformation. I have to turn destruction into creation over and over again.
- Anais Nin
Because one does not want to be disturbed, to be made uncertain, he establishes a pattern of conduct, of thoughts, a pattern of relationship to man, etc. Then he becomes a slave to the pattern and takes the pattern to be the real thing.
- Bruce Lee
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Consumerism propels the insatiable belief that we need what we do not have. It is a way of being in the world, a fundamental frame of reference for relating to oneself, to others, and to the environment as a whole. The principle socializing force and agent behind this way of being in the world is television and advertising. Consumerism has evolved to its present form by sharing a symbiotic relationship with television. By providing an ideal, highly enriched ad-mosphere, the social task of TV is to transform all homes into colonies of consumptionTV, non-injected, has become our cultures fundamental drug of choice: a powerful sedative to numb, tranqulize and psychically lobotomize the alienated and dissatsified working citizen. The seeds of this obsessive, malignant consumerism are sown in our misery permeated work lives: because I suffer at work, therfore I will reward myself by buying. We find reward through purchasing power (the paycheck and salary) rather than labor power (the artistic ability to create and make, and the humanistic ability to contribute and to serve).
- Bernard McGraine
---------------------------------------------------------------------
There is an extroardinary process of entertainment-addiction occuring in our society: one entertainment moment addicts us to the next and we entertain ourselves by looking forward to entertainment.
- Bernard McGrane
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are today imprisoned in our freedom. This is almost a reflex with us, it is not examined. We are deeply programmed to believe that we, as free inviduals are the source of all our actions and that further, we are in control of all our actions. We are programmed to be convinced that we are free of all programming; it is unthinkable that we are programmed.
- Bernard McGraine
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Bernard is annoying. I dont enjoy Sociology. Sociology is to ones desire for life what Fire is to piece of paper. It presents its noble truth, and were like Ok, what now. And its all like, I dont fucking know. Its like hes saying The society and the genes work in tandom for no real reason, other than to sustain the current situation Right. And youre my sweet savior baby Rock me with your scientific process. No really. Rock me with it. What is the substitute for the illusion you destroy. Nothing He says, Heres a big batch of nothing. And you can suck it. Call it freedom if you must You know what, fuck you. Sociology is not the answer. Its not even the truth. Its what happens when a scientific method gets applied to people. It can only find the things which it is capable of finding. It finds that society is always very far away from the idealized notion of what it coulda woulda shoulda been if only I, me, ego was allowed to reinvent the thing from scratch. Im not saying your wrong Bernard. Im just saying lighten up, it aint as bad as that. These things you hate. I dont like them either. But is this stepping out of yourself process, this blasting off into sociological space, living in a space suit up above it all, hovering. Is that really a more truthful way to experience your life. Is stepping out of yourself like that a way of winning, or a way of ultimately seperating yourself from the joy of being who you almost are.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The monster I have to kill every day is realism. The monster who attacks me every day is destruction. Out of these duels come transformation. I have to turn destruction into creation over and over again.
- Anais Nin
Because one does not want to be disturbed, to be made uncertain, he establishes a pattern of conduct, of thoughts, a pattern of relationship to man, etc. Then he becomes a slave to the pattern and takes the pattern to be the real thing.
- Bruce Lee