Consumerism in its purest formulation is not about acquiring particular material goods. Rather, it is about the act of acquiring itself. I saw a great illustration of this principle yesterday when I read an account of one woman’s experience at a Black Friday sale. According to the article in The Guardian, Louise Haggerty lined up at midnight hoping […]
consumption
Did Adam Smith’s invisible hand give us the “Skymall” catalogue?
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 […]