Why I stop consuming

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Kicking, Nov 27, 2009.

  1. Modern life , the consumption lifestyle is becoming insane !
    For the consumer life is becoming ever closer to slavery, consuming is taking so much of your time that you find yourself working for, not just paying, those companies you patronize.
    They show total disrespect for you, and your time. Customer service is a nightmare, everywhere (or almost). Your life ends up being absorbed into their own bureaucratic world of "procedures".
    A good example is your broker, if you use IB for example, you know they make you work for them, not just pay commissions.


    It seems nowadays every big purchase you make , every act of me-too consumption (of the *new* products we don't need) carries the risk of a huge waste of time, energy and of course , money. What's in it for the consumer ? Increasingly less value as I see it , it's just not worth it. Why bother ?

    For ex, I don't buy electronics anymore because , I have had too many problems with breakdowns, and then customer service nightmares. I don't buy or download software, because there are too many problems with upgrades, developers being the biggest time wasters among the corporate world, same with computers, I am looking for an alternative to the Windows platform and the race to constant upgrades. I wonder, I must not be alone thinking like this, there has to be an anti upgrade movement to counter this IT industry scam.

    But beyond that, we will have to recognize the consumption society is totally unsustainable , the world will have to learn to live with de-growth one day otherwise we will just self destruct.
    That also means capitalism in its current form is not sustainable
     
  2. man you are f^cked up :D
     
  3. Your computer is an electronic. Your TV is an electronic. Your cellphone, your microwave, your electric razor, your car, most likely, your thermostat etc. etc.. What will you do when they break?

    Secondly, how did you see ET without a browser (FF, IE, Chrome, etc.?), all operating systems, your word processor, your email, antivirus, everything on your computer is pretty much software. As is your cellphone, etc...

    You never plan to update them anymore either?
     
  4. consumption is as old mankind when cavemen traded up to multiple room caverns with bigger stalactite

    consumption is why we are here. (you can't take it with you)SPEND IT NOW! :D
     

  5. Realistically I will have to update and will want to , one day, but I certainly don't have to do it on a regular basis and shouldn't be forced to do it because of decisions of marketing dept in corporations.
    The current state of development of IT more than satisfies me.

    I hope you realize electronics and software will take over your life if you don't act now and put a stop to it . One day in newly built homes home appliances and the entire dwelling will depend on software and electronics. Imagine what it will be like not to be able to enter your home because of a software glitch . Or imagine being forced to do regular "updates" a la IB for the home computer which will run your fridge, your living room ligths, the fire extinguisher and the alarm system . It will be insane, you will have to pay people to do all that or spend an enormous amount of time on this. And so will it be for your cars and all your gizmos.

    Planes already crash because of electronic glitches, electronics run everything and it's not all that's crackeup to be reliability wise
    the facts prove it. Cars have become less reliable (Mercedes for ex.) and in my experience all these electronic gadgets (cameras, players) are not what you would call extremely reliable


    Consumers have to unite against corporations to prevent such outcome but the sheep me-too mentality overrides comon sense. In a way we live in a tyranny, all brain washed to consume mindlessly.
     
  6. The opposite is true. Tune-ups, gas mileage, airbags and many other things are way better than ever due to electronics.