Is it just me or did the Boxing Day news coverage of malls full of desperate addicts sprinting from sale to sale in a never ending manufactured shopping fetish kinda make you a wee bit ill?
The orgy of mindless consumerism on display yesterday reminded me of the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ zombie mall scene as the hordes of undead descend upon a shopping center while elevator muzak plays loudly in the background of the apocalypse.
Lust for stuff is soulless and watching so many citizens abandon the little time off we are guaranteed each year to cram into shopping centers to haggle over things to fill empty and hollow desires seems to be the very definition of sadness.
I’ve always been of the opinion that Public Holidays should be mandatory, as in no one works other than emergency services. Imagine if we rushed to the beach, parks or open spaces with the same blind myopia on Boxing Day as we do when charging to the malls? The sharing of public space respectfully 11 days each year would do more for social cohesion and National pride than 60% off at Briscoes ever will. I’d even go a step further and suggest an extra public holiday – NZ Volunteer Day where every year we get a day off to go and volunteer to clean up our public spaces or plant trees or visit old people or help out at the SPCA, or Greenpeace, or Amnesty International. Relationships take active commitment and seeing as NZ seems to have decided to leave our relationship and national identity to market forces, instead of bridge building and community strengthening, we have this degrading carnal capitalism.
When did we replace leisure with commercialism and how have we allowed that to be culturally preferable? We can understand how corporate media have been seduced, their advertising budgets are dependent on the retailers advertising these sales, so that will always guarantee crap ‘news’ stories about shopping without any critical analysis, but should that be the cultural norm the rest of us adopt?
As NZers we have earned 11 days off each year to do nothing but share time with friends and family in the beautiful spaces of our spectacular land, our public holidays are the reward for being a NZer, an indisputable right and privilege of living in this amazing country. To have allowed commercialism and consumerism to warp that precious time into a debauched spending frenzy with all the soul of a credit card commercial seems to be the very wrong direction for us to have taken.
“I shop, therefore I am’ isn’t much of a philosophical ethos.
It’s the perfect double, triple, quadruple whammy. The social phenomenon of the Boxing Day Mall is a news story. It is the fodder for endless radio, tv and newspaper advertisements. It is a social, family and community discussion topic. It turns it into a frenzy of financial activity.
The perfect world, the perfect picture, the perfect pattern of the mad consumerism model.
@ Martyn . Most excellent and dangerous stuff . The Banks might argue that you’re being cynical and negative .
The money lenders are the enemy and I think they should be purged from our beautiful country and that should be our priority .
Of course , the likelihood of that ever happening is so remote that even suggesting such a thing invites accusations of madness .
And why do people flock , like mindless hoards , to shuffle together in a stuffy series of boxes to spend debt on stuff they don’t need and can ill afford ? What psychological mechanism is deployed to render them incapable of choice ?
What ever it is , it’s very powerful , very effective and it’s very , very dangerous .
Yeah well. It’s all about credit now. Without new credit there would be no growth (in fact ALL our growth is due to increasing credit and then some – minus credit growth we are STILL in recession!). The Auckland housing market is at all new all time highs. Naturally you leverage your “capital gain” so you can buy stuff on credit. Credit spends EXACTLY like actual cash. It’s clearly a win-win. You want new stuff but you can’t pay for it today, you get the stuff anyway on credit, and the banks get interest and a new debt serf who will work their fingers to the bone and keep their mouths firmly shut to stop their shiny new stuff (or house) being repossessed.
When you’re a drug addict you wouldn’t think the cure would be more drugs would you? Cos more drugs will eventually give you heart-attack (or liver damage if alcohol is your drug of choice). The answer to the global financial crisis wasn’t to go “cold turkey” on new ever expanding credit, it was literally to double down on NEW credit. Mark my words, this will not end well.
Unfortunately I couldn’t agree more with your pessimistic outlook.
Creating money out of thin air so the banks can then then charge interest on it is a recipe for disaster, as well as a money for nothing scam for the banks. The inflation this causes in an indirect tax on us all as the purchasing power of our dollar falls. Fiat money is a curse, worth nothing but what people feel it’s worth, it’s not even backed by sterling or gold reserves anymore.
A good comment!
Yes, much of the extra spending is on credit, and also do more and more people use payment and credit cards, EFTPOS and online transactions when shopping. That explains the “growth” in spending. As the older generation passes away, who tended to be “cash spenders”, and the younger generations (with a high percentage of card spenders) take their place, no wonder we have increases in the spending that was reported on.
Yes, the “middle class” is doing it again, using credit available for the “equity” in their homes. All seem to rely on yet more local portfolio investors, and also overseas or new migrant investors, to continue buying over-priced homes, so the “party” can continue.
Sadly it may continue for a while yet, as there are ample “investors” and new migrants from other countries, who have lots of cash, and who would love to buy their “stake” in NZ Inc..
Non resident purchases must be restricted, if not stopped, and new migrant house and apartment purchases must also be controlled, setting minimum standards, like having spent at least 3 or 5 years living here, before being allowed to buy property. That will “miraculously” stop or at least slow the house price growth, I am sure.
But the ones, who rather sell their own country, bit by bit, they regrettably sit in government, and they also continue to vote the same ones in, as it is their vested personal interest, to keep things going. Once the place is sold out, or so stuffed that it is not worth living here anymore, they will move on to the Gold Coast, Western Australia, the Caribbean or Hawaii, I suppose. And there is much “cheap property” in Spain now!?
I read a related article a few days ago that talked about how the various Budget Advice outfits will be extremely busy in January and February as a result of all this purchasing on credit. Basically the result of too much pressure being applied to people who can’t afford to buy up big, and can’t avoid the pressure to buy.
“The orgy of mindless consumerism on display yesterday reminded me of the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ zombie mall scene as the hordes of undead descend upon a shopping center while elevator muzak plays loudly in the background of the apocalypse.”
Yep, I could not agree more, and that is why I stay well clear from all that collective consumerist herd behaviour at malls and in certain busy shopping streets.
I saw it on the news, how people answered questions to journalists, telling them, what they hunted for in the form of “bargains”, and what they bought. Most only bought one or the other item, and it was often nothing that big, expensive or fancy. So I concluded, how the hell can people waste a whole day out there, doing this, while there are hundreds of other, more sensible things to do?
This is the result of endless brainwashing by the commercial advertising businesses, which are the prime financiers of most of our existing, remaining media. No matter, whether you turn on the radio, the television set, go online, or just walk down streets or through malls, you get bombarded with often rudely, aggressive advertising. People grow up with it, and it seems to get worse by the year, and more frequent. This repetitive bombardment of the eyes, ears and minds with such subtle messages, and also less subtle messages is not done by coincidence. Advertising would not be paid for, if it would not work.
Compare our times to a few decades ago, and you will spot the difference in consumer and even general behaviour of people. People learn to work, to do jobs, and to get paid, they get brain-washed constantly to spend the money they get paid, at times for useless stuff, that is really a waste of money and resources.
But so many do it, fall for it, and like lemmings rush out there, to spend most of their time of chasing the basic hunter and gatherer kick, to catch and obtain something, which is supposedly a “bargain”.
In the meantime the social fabric is being destroyed, and like in a modern kind of Orwellian society with commercial features, we – or those that fall for it – end up being nothing but robotic units to produce the statistical figures, end results, the profits and dividends for the small upper percentages, who run the whole agenda. Yes, society is run along an agenda, it is not a good and healthy one. All this can be extended to fast food consumption, excessive boozing and eating, and the ills that follow, which again give diet book sellers and self help promoters opportunities to earn bucks.
Thank you, masters of mammon, for destroying human society, sadly you are succeeding, but the planet will be able to survive, without the humans, who seem to follow the head lemming over the cliff, while they indulge in insane behaviour.
Welcome to the modern day and age, roll on 2014, we will see the next record figures next Boxing Day, I presume. That is unless we will have a change of government, which will hopefully bring in controls on advertising in the mainstream media, by also re-establishing a solid, well resourced and alternative public broadcasting and media system, counter-balancing all this!
Agree with the points you raise but, to be pedantic, I think you’ll find that lemmings committing suicide is a myth; they have a far more advanced survival instinct than us “wise men”.
Yes, the lemming suicide story is in fact a myth fabricated in 1958 by Disney Corporation, in order to make one of their films more interesting and thereby presumably garner more revenue. Kind of ironic that it is raised here in relation to a discussion about consumers being hoodwinked by corporates 55 years later…..
Not only did Disney employees manufacture the myth (but perhaps without the knowledge of the corporation, according to Snopes), they herded non-consenting lemmings off the cliff to make it. Lemmings WERE harmed in the making of that film. As you say, the figure of speech is more accurate than Marc intended.
Thank God I didn’t watch the news. Have a great New Year Martyn.
Reeks of people desperately trying to imitate Black Friday shopping, shows a gradual Americanisation of New Zealand culture. Black Friday isn’t an aspect of American culture that people should imitate, same with American gang culture.
News Flash. News Flash.
Retail spending is down
Personal savings are up
Personal debt is down
Overseas debt is down
NZ economy is on the mend!
Sorry just having a nightmare.
The amount of times this year I’ve heard ‘oh we’re not leaving until Saturday so we’ve got time to go to the Boxing Day sales’…
“I shop, therefore I am…”
“We shop, therefore we are…—prize fucking idiots!”
Typical left wing point of view.
The people aren’t doing what I want them to do so we must re-educate them so they do what I want them to do.
For me personally the Boxing Day sales are the last place I’d like to be but if people want to partake in them then good luck to them.
Maathew, that’s the problem with your libertarian ideology. Aside from a few parroted slogans, it doesn’t really look behind the issues and problems.
For example; what makes it a “holiday” if people have to work?!
Have we sacrificed days of leisure for days of consumerism?
What happened to holidays being leisure time for families?
Why should some have to work (retailers) whilst others don’t? (And don’t give me that “no one is forcing them to work” bullshit.)
None of these questions are addressed by your naive, simplistic ideology.
Sometimes, the “freedom to choose” is an illusion, created by others, for their own gain.
Frank, your discussion is on a slightly different topic to that of the original article. But to answer your point.
Whilst I am sympathetic to workers who work on public holidays it also provides an opportunity in that they are paid at least time and a half plus a day in lieu (in most instances).
That extra money can be spent enhancing the family relationship on another date. It also provides workers with a level of choice as to when they take that day in lieu. It enables workers to take leave on their birthday, anniversary or other significant date.
Yep, if people want to spend their holiday spending their money on things for their use then they should be able to. Right or wrong.
Martyn, these kind of rants don’t resonate with the majority of NZ.
“Public Holidays should be mandatory, as in no one works other than emergency services.” Make that an election policy, i’m sure the lemmings you speak of will love being told what to do with their time.
What you’re witnessing/your observations ( & what this whole article is about) is a phenomenon . An actual phenomenon.
People collectively can be “trained ” in the same way that animals can be trained.
This phenomenon relates to an “invisible” but actual weapon of destruction, called “psychological operation” (psy op), and it is in use today!
Look up ” demoralisation of a society”. It is an actual weapon of destruction. An invisible one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e53diZ0vboM, worth listening to , you just need time & patience. To fully absorb.
Point is, it is an ACTUAL TECHNIQUE.
…an ACTUAL KNOWN & USED technique on how to destroy a society from inside.
Note well , that all that is required , is to get a population too busy to think.*
Too busy to notice what’s really going on.
(Re NZ- you will clearly recognise how in NZ , this has been well achieved. Hence the above article, which really just inadvertantly happens to recognise a major symptom)
Yes , a major symptom of how a population can be trained like ..well, SHEEP …
* Methods = eg introduce time wasting toys technology (Face book, smart phones etc etc
Manipulate economy, (myriads of ways) so that most people too busy trying to make ends meet..
HISTORY HAS NEVER CHANGED!
ALWAYS been about rich & powerful wanting all the CONTROL.
YES!! EVEN MORE NOW in so called “modern times”…2013.
This is the most important fact to ACCEPT.
NOW in so called “Modern Times , too many people ASSUME there are “checks & balances” to prevent this kind of thing!
Well this assumption is FALSE!
PEOPLES BIGGEST VULNERABILITY TODAY:
1) “too busy” to think
2) “too busy (lazy) to question anything .
3) Too content to accept/believe what they’re told
$) TOO CONTENT & LAZY to TRUST THE POWERS THAT BE
= HUGEST MISTAKE.
PLUS An ADDITIONAL & Dangerous COMPLICATION =
Ignorance to the fact that THE MEDIA (upon which too many rely for info) are now mere agent/mouthpiece of the “government”.
PS =”Govt” = an institution/ instrument of control against the population.
(you surely have observed by now that most “policies” somehow end up being detrimental to peoples collective wellbeing)
I wanted to add;
1) Re “manipulating the economy”…(easy to do. “The Economy”=only a $$ Game.)
Present Strategy = create a deliberate DIVIDE :
a)Workers, too busy to survive, too busy to think
while
b) The Well Off, also too busy to think. Because Too busily distracted by myriad of pleasures available by having more $$
(Too busy to even notice anything wrong.)
NEW Zealand is only another minor pawn. In the Global grab for Power , by the “ELITE” who have trillions $$$.(“Neo Liberal” is known label to this particular “mindset”)
(How else can you not understand that the same ugly symptoms happening here, are also happening simultaneously in other countries)
OUR BIG PROBLEM= Can NEW ZEALAND, our own little far away nation be SAVED????????
What a load of. The biggest slap in the face for the consumer is having to buy Xmas pressies at full or inflated prices before Xmas and then, whammo; the prices all fall! The same as food prices up to that date – ham, fruit, strawberries, lettuce, chocolates, Xmas mince pies, etc……all top dollar. Then all of a sudden they can’t get rid of them cheaply enough. It’s rude.
I love the boxing day sales; that’s when I buy the bulk of my gifts at realistic prices, and no, I don’t have a credit card, I pay in hard cash.
If you buy into consumerism, then expect to be had.
Thanks for making a great point martyn. Only thing i would say is that people who turn up en masse and/or unexpectedly to volunteer as i understand happens sometimes with flash mobs etc are more of a pain than a pleasure for community groups. However i like the way their is national litter collection day once a month in Rwanda.
Merry Xmas to all our antipodean chums from the UK …..ain’t it funny how good folk think the same things ? ……my biggest fear is that the conspiracy of silence is growing …. the perceived wisdom of DESERVING AND UNDESERVING POOR is returning ….as someone mentions above, the Americanisation of the world will see our deaths …..fools directed by media interests held by a few wealthy moguls…..my hope lies with ordinary folk like us who are screaming for.change …..my one glimmer of hope was Obama’s victory……where ordinary folk surged to the polls when they saw a possible Right wing victory …..my litmus test in the UK is coming ….. in May 2015 ….if the Uk Tory party win an outright majority I fear the end of the good social traditions of western liberal democracy …..to protect the vulnerable ….this will be a deeply damaged country ….. best wishes to you all ….
I completely disagree with the major media purveyors when they surmise that this outpouring of last minute and boxing day madness is a sign of the economy improving. People are so trusting in the establishment (foolishly) that they bank on the economy improving and get themselves further in debt in advance of any move to pay them more. Wages have not risen on average more than 3% this year and the level of ‘true’ unemployment is still high. The definition used to describe Employment or Unemployment are truly a joke.
Employed: people in the working-age population who, during the reference week, did one of the following:
worked for one hour or more for pay or profit in the context of an employee/employer relationship or self-employment
worked without pay for one hour or more in work which contributed directly to the operation of a farm, business, or professional practice owned or operated by a relative
had a job but were not at work due to: own illness or injury, personal or family responsibilities, bad weather or mechanical breakdown, direct involvement in an industrial dispute, or leave or holiday.
They are ‘having a laugh’ ONE HOUR!! and even if you did that One Hour!! for no pay.
Unemployed: all people in the working-age population who during the reference week were without a paid job, available for work, and had either actively sought work in the past four weeks ending with the reference week, or had a new job to start within the next four weeks.
Don’t be fooled people…almost everyone…apart from the upper wage earners…are worse off than this time last year.
The response to the Boxing Day sales is sickening alright. From my perspective, the whole issue was on the brink of being both disgustingly disturbing and farcically frightening at the same time!
What I saw on the TV news, was hordes of subliminally influenced ferals, virtually in a spending spree feeding frenzy, ready and willing to fill the coffers of retailers regardless!
Nothing civilized about it really, considering humans are supposed to be the species of higher intelligence! Yeah right!
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