May 16th - Material goodies aren't always good for us

It seems to me that material consumption, the lifeblood of FMUIC (free market unregulated industrial capitalism), might be good for the economy but in so many ways it just isn't good for us or for the planet. To get people to shop fashions continually change in just about everything.  Last year’s colours, last year’s styles are just not OK for this year.  ‘High heels are so last year’  or  ‘pastels are in this year’.  Fashion should be fun, it helps to meet our need to be socially acceptable and to feel sexy! People have always taken an interest in how they look, but fashion 21^st century style does little for self expression and it even cramps our style. If I  want to be creative and self expressive I need to make clothes for myself.  No good going to the shops to look for something - my choice will be severely limited. The shops will tell me very clearly just what is acceptable!  I like pastel colours?  Sorry, bright colours are in this year.

The same applies to our homes.  Wooden fronted kitchen cupboards are old-fashioned – out with the old in with the new white ones.  We work long hours to buy, buy, buy  for which we sacrifice leisure and family time.  

David Edwards in his wonderful book ‘Free to the human’ claimed that industrial capitalism depends on keeping people discontented.  We constantly receive images of how we should be; because we don’t feel quite up to the mark we will go out and buy to feed the insatiable appetite of the industrial capitalist machine.  Inequality, which seems to be a by-product of of FMUIC, throws up all sorts of social problems when people feel that they are not good enough ... can't live up to what is expected of a 'successful' person ... are missing out on the good life which they see enjoyed by others ...
Of course the planet suffers in providing for our material needs. Precious oil reserves are used up in the production of plastic rubbish ... rain forest are cut down ... green spaces are concreted over .. pollution and climate change result. 
Wow is me ... going to get on to the good stuff next!