Consumers

Re-watching THEY LIVE has reinforced my strong negative reaction to consumerism. It seems there are forces in this world that want to turn us into homo consumerus. When the economy gets bad, everyone worships at the altar of consumer confidence. The Fed constantly reduces interest rates, spurring consumption but ignoring the massive waste and malinvestment that results. Turning people into consumers is just another way of objectifying them, and it should be resisted. My conservatism is based on my own desire to be a saver and creator, rather than a consumer. Though conservatives too have become co-opted by this particular dehumanizing force.