Happiness has no price

Wednesday, mid-way through the week and (now that Weeds is off the air thanks to the incompetent management of Australian television networks) the only night where there is something actually worth watching on TV. Yes, believe it or not, there are television shows out there that can make people actually think. Remember thinking? It's that thing you used to do before you were brainwashed into becoming a consumer-slash-worker rather than a person. For the past 6 weeks, SBS has been screening 2 doco's which investigate modern life:

Counter Culture - investigates mass market consumerism and the cultural aspects of shopping of 6 different countries.

Decadence: The Meaningless of Modern Life - looks at modern society and its concepts of democracy, family, religion, corporatisation and sex.

I strongly, strongly, strongly urge anyone who is interested in society, morals, consumerism, capitalism and their own well being to watch Decadence. Here's a snipit to whet your appetite:



Why is it that we, being the western society, are so easily led? People in 3rd world countries can survive on the basic necesseties or even less, while we complain if we can't get imported sun-dried tomatoes in garlic aoli. Do we need it? Shit no! But for some reason, we've been taught to think that we should always be able to buy anything that we want - for a price. And we are continually wanting more and more to fill in our empty lives. Bitch is, the stuff we buy doesn't fill the void, so we buy more, end up with a heap of crap and still feel empty. We have stopped being people and are nothing but consumers with an isatiable appetite. And the big businesses are more than happy to keep dangling the carrots in front of us to keep us salivating.