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I am talking less about waste and more about consumerism as "you are what you have". It's this idea of people defining their identities around the brands they v

I am talking less about waste and more about consumerism as "you are what you have". It's this idea of people defining their identities around the brands they value or (even worse imo) the idea that having "expensive tastes" or paying exorbitant amounts of money for exclusive items makes someone "special". There is an old saying: "the only difference between boys and men is in the price of their toys". It's kind sad if you think about it, and sadder still that some people treat this as a virtue.

ok_dad 4y ago
In this we can agree. I consider what I was talking about to be more like supporting individual humans in their quest to make something beautiful, or to make something useful, without having to have a corporate structure around it. I believe in purchasing goods which I can use or art that I can appreciate, personally, and also support individuals and small business. The true waste from consumerism isn't just from the individuals who live in that world, but from the corporate and social behemoths that push the rampant consumption of goods that aren't made by individuals with care, but by machines who have been programmed to do so, whether electromechanical (robots) or biological (factory workers). We should all strive to support individuals and small businesses over corpos.
dandelany 4y ago
Is it really impossible to appreciate owning well-made objects without devolving into consumerism? I used to have a crappy kettle that brought me frustration. Now I have a nicer one that makes better coffee and I enjoy owning and using it. If you wanna call that consumerism, fine, but it certainly isn’t a big part of my identity.