nad_oceanem
22.02.09, 06:45
www.happierabroad.com/ebook/Page31.htm
"I’ve written this essay to help others, especially Americans, understand how most Europeans view America, and why they are so critical of it (most of them agree with the contents here). Some of these viewpoints also reflect, I believe, how many Americans feel, but are unable to find the words to express it or are afraid to. (Note: If at any time while reading this, you wish to accuse me of stereotyping or generalizing, or you wish to protest that you know exceptions to what I describe, please click here)
A culture of hype and consumerism
In the old days, America had a pioneer/cowboy culture of expansion during the days of the Old West. But that’s been reduced to nostalgic remnants of the country and Old West films. Nowadays, modern American "culture" is basically an industrial culture consisting of two primary ingredients - HYPE and CONSUMERISM. These two elements pervade almost all facets of American life, all for commercial purposes.
American culture has little or nothing to do with reality and substance. Instead, everything is hyped up beyond substance or reality for commercial purposes. The US economy lives and thrives on hype, which is a mere illusion of advertising to attempt to psychologically create the desire among the populace for the goods and services being sold. The hype of course, serves and perpetuates our lifestyle and routine of PERPETUAL CONSUMPTION without end, which is encouraged as well.
This is exemplified everywhere in advertisements, commercials, billboards, strip malls, mass media, etc. We are programmed to think that being able to buy things leads to happiness and fulfillment. And in fact, in most of America, there is nothing to do but go to strip malls to BUY and CONSUME everyday in a neverending routine of hyped consumption. The US lifestyle simply offers little else.
It's no wonder that my Greek college buddy used to always say to me that, "Americans have no inner life. All they do is consume, consume."
In the US, most people see life only in terms of making money, buying things, and surface practicalities. There is no spiritual or intellectual dimension in their lives, and no “inner life.”
Excess consumption=excess production=excess work
The problem with the American lifestyle is that people consume more than they need to and they work more than they need to. They both go hand-in-hand. Excess consumption means excess production, which in turn leads to more work and jobs to be done. Plus, if you consume a lot, then you have to work more to make enough money to keep up that lifestyle. The thing is though, that neither are really necessary. We are simply programmed to think it's necessary and act on it.
To see an obvious example of excess consumption in America, go to a typical home and look in the garage or basement, and notice the excess of things stored there that are never used, making moving a total pain in the ass. As ancient wisdom goes, too much of anything is never any good.
Though excess consumption is supposed to lead to happiness and fulfillment, for many it doesn't, so they are left confused as to why they feel empty and flat when they should be happy for being allowed to consume to their heart's content. Hence they wonder "What is wrong with me?" rather than see a problem in the whole hyped consumerist system which they've been programmed to think as the perfect epitome of life. And of course, our system's train of thought is that anyone who doesn't fit into it or find fulfillment in it is "the problem" rather than the system itself.
Some socialist authors have postulated that there is enough productivity in this country for everyone to work only 3-4 hours a day, yet maintain the same lifestyle. But the reason we don't is that the powers that rule production and resources in this country do not wish us to, for if everyone had that much more free time, they'd start to think on their own, organize grass root movements in their own interest, and upturn the status quo. In other words, they know that a revolution of the people would be much more likely if everyone had that much more free time. So, they prefer you to always work at least 8 hours a day so that you'll be so tired at the end of the day, that all you can do is lounge off on TV the rest of the night, becoming a passive observer rather than a participant. That's how the ruling class in America maintains a slave labor to keep doing its job.
Stagnation of mind and soul in an industrial culture
The problem with mainstream life in America is that there is basically nothing to expand your mind or soul, like there is in Europe in plenty. On the average, not much good or bad happens; time just passes and life is wasted in mind-numbing mechanistic routine in conformity to the industrial culture of hype-driven consumerism to perpetuate the stability and expansion of the industrial forces that dominate the country. These forces also seek to control the rest of the world, often overthrowing foreign governments and regimes due to corporate greed. Let's elaborate on some of the factors at work.
Although America tries to pretend to be a multi-cultural melting pot of diversity to appease its many ethnic groups, in reality it is a culture of assimilation with no real culture left (notwithstanding a few cities, e.g. New York, San Francisco, New Orleans), at least not by the standards of the rest of the world. Instead, it's basically a giant "industrial machine" of mass production and consumption, seeking to dominate the world and make all in its path serve its interests.
Even foreign immigrants who come here lose their culture, as they become immersed and "assimilated" into the gigantic industrial culture of modern day America. Those who "assimilate" into the industrial culture are rewarded with a mechanistic automated life of non-expression and hype-driven overconsumption, while those who don't are labeled as misfits and losers, who will be left behind in the "rat race".
