Livin’ The Dream
While I was in Ireland, it became apparent to me just how warped the North American lifestyle appears to be. Watching an episode of ‘Friends’, I noticed that Monica and Rachel’s apartment was roughly the size of most Irish families’ entire houses! Most movies showed homes that were not only disproportionately large compared to North American standards of living, but also nearly palaces by European standards. No wonder so many people around the world feel bad about themselves.
People in other countries must think we’re crazy, given some of the things that we consume. Think of the things that get made in places like China, Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh, to name only a few of the world largest Export Processing Zones. In No Logo, Naomi Klein presented the disturbing image of a child in one of these zones producing Disney merchandise for consumption by her North American counterpart. Imagine what she must think of us, or of the child that will be the eventual recipient of the toys she produces.
Personally, I always wondered what the workers in these zones think about producing all of the exotic sex toys consumed by the world market. How do you explain your job to your child? I guess all you can say is that daddy works “in plastics” or something equally vague. It must be surreal to work in one these factories, and to think that you have to scrape a living out of creating artificial phalluses for the pleasure of bored housewives. What do they think of us?
Even our perception of how we should be living is distorted within North America. Look at ‘Sex in the City’. Do you think Carry Bradshaw could afford some of the outfits and shoes she wears? I don’t think so. No wonder that, according to the Age Of Access, the saving rate of American has dropped from 25.5% of post-tax income in 1944 to -0.2% in 1998. In other words, they’re spending more than they make!
The time has come for us to stop this feel-good-about-ourselves consumption binge. We’re not living a dream, we’re living an illusion. It’s not healthy for us, those producing these goods, or the planet. Next time you’re in a store, ask yourself, “Do I really need this? Is this something that I can’t actually live a full life without?” and if the answer is “No”, then do the right thing. Don’t buy it.