Randal Rauser
    • About Randal
    • Books
    • Articles
      • Articles (single)
      • Articles (in series)
    • Audio/Video
      • Audio Interviews, Lectures, and Debates
      • Video Interviews and Lectures
      • Powerpoint Slides
    • Blog
      • Current Posts
      • Blog Archives
    • Podcasts
      • The Tentative Apologist
      • 59 Second Apologist
    • Reviews
    Search the site...
    • Home
    • The Tentative Apologist
    • Did Adam Smith’s invisible hand give us the “Skymall” catalogue?

    Did Adam Smith’s invisible hand give us the “Skymall” catalogue?

    August 23, 2011 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 3 Comments

    I continue my recent practice of reposting old articles from my CP blog that are no longer available. In this post (originally titled “The Tragedy of Capitalism”) I offer a meditation on the absurdity of contemporary consumer capitalism.

    ***

    One hour into my flight home yesterday from Denver, panic set in. I had completed my book (Sam Storms, Chosen for Life) and with some reluctance had even resorted to reading the in-flight magazine. Now with more than an hour still to go and the magazine done, my eyes darted around for more food for the eyes. Perhaps read the safety card? Or the vomit bag? (Wait a minute. I don’t even have a vomit bag.) Then my eyes settled on it: the Skymall shopping catalogue.

    This should be good for a laugh, I thought to myself. After all, it is hard to find a more impressive collection of ridicuous, pointless products assembled in one place.

    I was not disappointed. First up was “The Million Germ Eliminating Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer” for 30 bucks. Said the advert copy: “This compact device from VIOlight uses proven germodical UV technology … to eliminate up to 99% of the millions of germs that can accumulate on your toothbrush.” On the other hand, you could avoid the need for the Sanitizer altogether by not dropping your toothbrush on the hotel carpet to begin with.

    Next up was the 25 dollar “Marshmallow Shooter”. “This clever pump-action device shoots sweet, edible miniature marshmellows over 30′, and — unlike other marshmallow blasters — it comes with an LED light….” Other marshmallow blasters? You mean this is a competitive market segment? (Of course it could be more fun if I were to use the stale marshmallows in our cupboard.)

    But the winner of the “Inane Product of the Year Award” goes to “The ‘Keep Your Distance’ Bug Vacuum.'”  For fifty dollars you can buy a vacuum with a 2′ extension whose sole purpose is to send bugs to the next life via a 22,400 rpm suction motor. Gosh, wouldn’t it make more sense (and be more fun) just to fire at them with your marshmallow shooter? Inane indeed (or should I say vacuous?).

    We have come a long way since Adam Smith laid the theoretical foundations for capitalist theory more than two centuries ago in “The Wealth of Nations”. Smith had high hopes for capitalism and its providential ability to better society through the unseen hand that could rein in even selfish personal interests for the common good.

    There can be no doubt that in many ways capitalism has succeeded beyond Smith’s wildest dreams. (Just compare a 1989 East German Trabant to a 1989 West German BMW M6. Okay all you communists out there: which one would you rather drive?)

    But the success of capitalism should not blind us to its excesses and manifold shortcomings.

    And so we come back to the Skymall catalogue. In another time and place the ridiculous list of products available at thirty thousand feet might merely serve as intercontinental amusement.

    But what about in a world where thirty thousand children die every day of preventable illness and starvation, where millions have no access to clean drinking water, and where there is so much pollution and waste from the rest of us, that even astronauts have to pilot the shuttle to avoid space junk?

    You know, the more I think about it, the more it seems the Skymall catalogue is an exercise not in the ridiculous, but in the tragic.

    For some food for thought please check out Annie Leonard’s brief film, “The Story of Stuff”:

    http://www.storyofstuff.com/

    Share
    capitalism, consumer capitalism, consumerism, consumption, economics, environmentalism, ethics, The Story of Stuff

    Follow This Blog

    Randal’s Books at Amazon.com

    What’s So Confusing About Grace?


    Randal-Rauser_An Atheist and a Christian Walk into a BarAn Atheist and a Christian Walk into a Bar…

    Randal-Rauser_Is-the-Atheist-my-NeighborIs the Atheist My Neighbor?: Rethinking Christian Attitudes toward Atheism

    Randal-Rauser_What-on-earth-do-we-know-about-heavenWhat on Earth Do We Know About Heaven?: 20 Questions and Answers about Life after Death

    Randal-Rauser_The Swedish Atheist, the Scuba Diver and Other Apologetic Rabbit TrailsThe Swedish Atheist, the Scuba Diver and Other Apologetic Rabbit Trails

    Randal-Rauser_God or Godless?: One Atheist. One Christian. Twenty Controversial QuestionsGod or Godless?: One Atheist. One Christian. Twenty Controversial Questions.

    Randal-Rauser_You're Not As Crazy As I Think: Dialogue in a World of Loud Voices and Hardened OpinionsYou’re Not As Crazy As I Think: Dialogue in a World of Loud Voices and Hardened Opinions

    Randal-Rauser_Finding God in The ShackFinding God in The Shack

    Randal-Rauser_Faith Lacking Understanding: Theology 'Through a Glass, Darkly'Faith Lacking Understanding: Theology ‘Through a Glass, Darkly’

    Randal-Rauser_Christian Philosophy A-ZChristian Philosophy A-Z

    Randal-Rauser_Theology in Search of FoundationsTheology in Search of Foundations

    Recent Posts

    • How to Respond to Ken Ham in About a Minute
    • Christians and Skeptics Can Change the World Together! Won’t You Join Us?
    • Is Theistic Evolution a Contradiction in Terms? A response to J. Warner Wallace
    • Rethinking Origins: The Evolution of a Young Earth Creationist
    • Give a Little Bit: My Super-Duper Christian/Skeptic Anti-Malaria Fundraiser!

    Archives

    Browse Blog Archives by Title >>

    © Randal Rauser - a steady site