If you have a few minutes and Fark.com hasn't updated recently and you just can't face another game of FreeCell, check out www.storyofstuff.com. We watched it with the kids the other night. It's never too soon to start brainwashing the next generation. If only I would have used that extra-utero-Ipod more selectively...not that classical music is ever a bad thing.
The short video calls into question the amount of stuff we decide to bring into our homes, how we make purchasing decisions, and what we keep. It's mostly well done, in that you wish to not even take in the overwhelming information but keep watching anyways. Some of the statistics provoked a couple of "huh?" reactions, and if the only thing I remember from grad school is how incredibly easy it is to manipulate stats, I will be less resentful about student loans. (admittedly, not a catchy mantra...) The essential point remains - consumer decisions have been shamelessly manipulated to increase consumption since post WWII. And we're playing along, without any evident qualms.
Case in point: the motto of a local car dealer: "Buy happy." I'm sure if it was a commentary on the actual purchasing of said vehicle, it would of course opt for the grammatically correct "Buy happily." but no, I think they're implying that you can purchase happiness. I think I'm somewhere between charmed at the blatant nature, and mortified that I need to follow cars with license plates with that - well - platitude.
Lest I become a SanctiMommy - I was happy to be roused from an afternoon torpor by the FedEx guy to receive a box from Yardiac.com. Full disclosure: I just logged on, whipped out the credit card, and bought a circle hoe. A must have, for any gardener. The ingenious design allows you to take out weeds with minimal soil disruption, even up close to the plants you actually want to keep. Despite our 95 degrees, I was perfectly happy to dig right in.
No, I didn't look for this wonder gadget at the thrift stores. It's plenty obscure, even on-line. And, of course, I can't even find my old one in my own backyard. Darn kids.
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