Thursday, February 10, 2005

the frightening power of consumerism

so I just had to blog about this, especially since at hOME yesterday we were thinking about God stripping away all the things we try to use to falsely define ourselves (popularity, humour, sexual attractiveness, consumerism, education etc) instead allowing our identity as a completely loved child of God to define ourselves... this article (and the story that provoked it) just shows the terrifying power of a brand... especially this comment made by a reader of the BBC website (i'm really hoping it was made tongue-in-cheek...):
Ikea is not just a furniture store, it is a religion. A true follower has to make regular pilgrimages to its temples and know it's catalogue back to front. All the queueing and hassle is worth it as ultimately you will find peace and contentment amongst your purchases and life will be better. Sue Beverley, uk
scary whatever way it was made, cos to have power it has to have some kernel of (perverse)truth!

4 comments:

Chris said...

reminds me of fight club:

"like so many others, i had become a slave to the Ikea 'nesting instinct' ...i'd flip through catalogues and wonder 'what kind of dining set defines me as a person?' ...i had it all, including the blue dishes with tiny bubbles and imperfections, proving that they were hand-crafted by the honest, simple, hard-working indigenous people of....where ever"

Was this comment you posted by any chance related to the trampling & stabbing of people at the latest Ikea opening in London? BBC has info here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4252421.stm

It's the perfect example of "the frightening power of consumerism"

Naomi said...

ah yes, Chris, it is indeed linked to that - even in a literal way if you follow the link in the title, this article starts with that incident;) (and there is a link to the article you mention too)

i have never seen Fight Club... I think I may have missed out on a culture defining film (for men??) perhaps as future church leader of the female variety i should see it?

Chris said...

ahhh...i missed the link entirely! I just thought it was fancy underlined title! That's a little embarrassing...

As for Fight Club, it is incredible beyond words! I'd offer to lend you my DVD but it's region 1, so instead I'll volunteer Matt's copy :) I suppose it is a rather male-centric film, but I've never really thought about it that way...I'm more interested in its themes of the spiritual quest and critique of consumer culture rather than the exploration of male and female roles, although that's definitely in there too

richard said...

naomi, you can always borrow my copy if you like. If you don't want to watch it on your pc, I can also offer you a venue and company.

I think i missed some of the point of it when I first watched it. someone had to explain it to me.