Consumer Capatalism and its Impact on BPD

Question:
If we are raised within a consumer capitalist society can we use that system to our advantage?
Statement:
We have been indoctrinated from birth with images depicting materialism as god (happy smiling family getting into there new car, happy smiling people who use this brand of deodorant, successful, sexy, HAPPY....) and brain washed into believing that this is achievable by means of psychological techniques that reinforce feelings of inadequacy which reinforce negative self-perception.
Question:
Is the root cause of all peoples unhappiness a system that turns us into slaves (how do you leave a system that owns EVERYTHING) to feed an unquenchable desire for control (Money) irrespective of peoples Fundamental Human Rights and the damage that they do to the only system that we know of that will support us?
If the answer to the above questions is yes:
Do you think can I sue every manufacturer that uses these (false advertising) methods?
(Where there's blame there a claim!!)
Do you think I could sue the Government for neglect of my Fundamental Human Rights?
(Would Eastern Europe pay my legal costs to p**s Capitalism off?)
Do you think I could make enough money to live in the sun, comfortably off for the rest of my life?
Do you want to come? I will get the beers and drugs in!!

It's #######4 anyways. Money can't buy happiness. I can't imagine being happy in a giant empty home full of electronic toys and expensive furnishings. It would still be empty. It's human interaction that brings happiness, not accumulation of meaningless #######4. Unfortunately people with more money than they know what do do with spend it all on meaningless #######4 while others live in misery because they can't get basic needs met. It's not going to ever change though, because the majority of human beings are complete $#%^.

frostfern wrote:It's #######4 anyways. Money can't buy happiness. I can't imagine being happy in a giant empty home full of electronic toys and expensive furnishings. It would still be empty. It's human interaction that brings happiness, not accumulation of meaningless #######4. Unfortunately people with more money than they know what do do with spend it all on meaningless #######4 while others live in misery because they can't get basic needs met. It's not going to ever change though, because the majority of human beings are complete $#%^.

Hot topic ##
I agree with you
But I dislike the concepts system and brainwashed into believing something.

time4change+ wrote:brain washed into believing that this is achievable by means of psychological techniques that reinforce feelings of inadequacy which reinforce negative self-perception.

They are to blame for getting you to feel this way?
Is this a lucrative way of thinking, better than others..
The only thing we can do is to look for like-minded people around us. Whatever our beliefs are.

time4change...OMG YES! Thank you for posting this. These have been my thoughts too for awhile but I don't find anyone who agrees with me. My theory is that they are so entrenched into this mindset, they can't see the forest for the trees. I was this way too for a long time. I was addicted to shopping, TV, name brands, etc. But I knew deep down something was off. It wasn't making me happy. The more I got, the more I wanted. I left the country and spent some years in Africa. At first I missed the shopping, its a different world there. They don't have big box stores, etc. People are much more focused on obtaining just the necessities, they don't have the luxury to go out shopping all the time. I'm sure they have some malls there, but not where I was. I started to see things in a different way. Fulfillment comes from other sources, not from acquiring stuff. I can never go back now, to how I was before, something within me has changed and can never change back. I can't stand to shop now. I don't watch tv.

But if I try to tell your standard American materialist this, they don't understand what I'm saying. I see them as being on the hamster wheel, working 60 hours a week to pay off their overprices cars and designer handbags and shoes, and I wonder, is that fulfilling them? What else could they be doing with that time? It would be arrogant of me to claim I know better than them. So I try not to say anything. But I wonder about it silently, in my mind.

Concerning Eastern Europe, they have become even more Materialist than us now. I lived in Eastern Europe for a bit. Since the fall of communism, materiaism has taken over full force. Everyone is about designer labels and accessories and clothes, etc. Its like since it was forbidden to them for so long, now they are binging on the forbidden fruit.

I prefer to spend my free time making art, music, consuming art, music, poetry, making stuff, etc. I find fulfillment in that. To each his own I guess.

Not sure how this relates to BPD. Sorry, I may have missed your point. Just went off on a tangent that might be completely unrelated. I'm doing that a lot these days. Sorry.....

Happened to see this:
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/02/27/is-it-really-money-that-motivates-us-the-science-will-surprise-you-video/

just a reality check on this argument so that it's not naively accepted:

it's true, money does not buy happiness in that there are more important things which can be obtained without money.

BUT in capitalist system those things are controlled by money!

that is the reality.

so without money RELATIONSHIPS and TIME and QUIET and ETC are in short supply.

in some non-capitalist/non-consumerist societies (etc, the traditional hunter-gatherer group the !Kung) where people know how to live directly off the land, they can obtain ALL THOSE OTHERS THINGS without money...and THAT is where money does not correlate with happiness BECAUSE IT DOES NOT CONTROL ACCESS TO THOSE OTHER THINGS

ALSO, I caution accepting this money does not mean happiness argument in the CONTEXT of capitalist societies because YOU STILL WORK YOUR BUTT OFF TO SUPPORT A MONETARY SYSTEM WHETHER YOU BENEFIT FROM IT OR NOT I.E. GET MONEY

So why should I settle for less while making OTHERS money? with some money-does-not-buy-happiness brief system...

I'll accept your money does not buy happiness, but that means I am not going to work either, or support YOUR richness.

or else you are just deluding yourself.

justagirl00 wrote:But if I try to tell your standard American materialist this, they don't understand what I'm saying. I see them as being on the hamster wheel, working 60 hours a week to pay off their overprices cars and designer handbags and shoes, and I wonder, is that fulfilling them? What else could they be doing with that time? It would be arrogant of me to claim I know better than them. So I try not to say anything. But I wonder about it silently, in my mind.

But you don't know better than them, and took me a while to understand this as well.

It's engaging in shared values, it doesn't matter WHAT. Materialism isn't just about acquiring, it's about engaging in a common value set where certain things are recognized and valued and obtaining those raises your esteem among the group.

For you, it's art, music, poetry, etc, do you not do these things because they are recognised among your group and esteemed? would you do them if everyone you knew didn't care for them or were indifferent?

Then the Materialists BUY your art (if it is really expensive and special) and show it off to their friends...and then they get their peer acceptance/esteem.

and you get yours: "OMG EVERYONE WANTS MY ART"

see how it all fits together? if you were born into their world you would probably embrace it, just as you embrace your culture despite it being arguably a complete waste of time.

someone else may think getting super high all the time and hanging out with friends 24/7 is what life is all about after getting back from the factory or cleaning homes for a day or nannying...screw making stuff in isolation...boring!

but then they might come from a different background and shared values....

Is any value set inherently superior?

probably none in existence currently, because they all exist to support other value sets, rather than achieve true happiness for the people who embrace them

----

P.S. - I know this thread was just meant to be a "I want to believe this in the moment because I need to cope" but it's worth clarifying things for people who wish to cope on the basis of knowledge instead of delusion

that is NOT snarkiness...it's consideration!

LET PRETEND THE OP KNEW ALL THAT

It's also possible the op posted that because they re trying to instigate or support an already occurring value shift in developed countries.

Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-materialism

But why should I accept this value shift? because you posted some research? You can find research to support anything, that's the purpose of research and also what makes it useless.

Why should I lower my standards? I mean if I don't have choice...that's one thing

But if we don't HAVE to accept these values, why should we? Why not maintain our collective values of materialism, and gain all the benefits of shared culture AND more stuff!

it's because the people who are telling you money doesn't buy happiness are the people who are making money off your payless labour.

It's pure exploitation, and this is the clever justification - to make people believe they want it.

That is the essence of consumerist capitalism, and this just feeds into it rather than challenging it.

Crystal......I think I see the argument you're making but its kind of unfair to call us "naive" because we may not agree. Our values and perceptions are just as valid.

When I was stuck in the materialist lifestyle I actually got much more social acceptance than I do now as an "artist." I had a big house, a respected job, well paying. I went shopping every weekend. I was just acquiring stuff nonstop, that was my entertainment, and then watching TV, which told me what I should be acquiring to be more socially acceptable. But there was no fulfillment in it. It did raise my social esteem as you put it, to be able to wear nice clothes and invite people over to my well furnished beautiful home, and people were always saying how impressed they were with my success being as young as I was, etc.

But on a sudden whim I quit my job and got rid of all my stuff. I wasn't happy despite the social esteem. I had chronic pain from working so many hours, the stress of my job was slowly killing me, etc. Now I only work when and as much as I want to. I'm self employed and living a much more modest lifestyle. I never go shopping, I have completely dropped out of the standard American lifestyle, of watching mass produced TV and buying mass produced items and spending every waking moment either working and then spending all their hard earned money on overpriced stuff they think will make them more socially acceptable.

You say these people are happy and fulfilled doing this, then why do they vent every day on Facebook about how stressed they are and all their health problems and stress related illnesses and how they never have time to relax or do what they want? Meanwhile they are busy posting pictures of their new $80,000 cars and as if that is supposed to make up for how miserable they are.

I'm not trying to be arrogant and say I know better. I'm just stating what I observe. To each his own, but I know I am much more fulfilled now doing what I want, even though my friends probably think I'm crazy to have given up my former lifestyle, I don't care what they think, I'm happier now, so that is all I care about.

As for working our butts off to support a capitalist economy, can you expand on that?

I try to support locally owned businesses and encourage others to shop local and not support the megacorporations that thrive on slave labor. Of course they don't listen to me, but all I can do is my little part, and hopefully not appear arrogant or condescending, because many do take it that way. I'm just concerned about my friends who are slowing killing themselves just so they can buy a Mercedes to impress everyone else. I would still like them whether or not they drove a Mercedes. Its sad they think they need to do this just to be accepted. And if I don't like someone, just the fact they drive a Mercedes will not make me like them.

I feel like I can see right through this, while others are so entrenched, they can't see the deeper meanings, they are focused on the surface image.

You say I'm delusional to think that way. Are you qualified to make that diagnosis? Kind of arrogant.