Reflections on fad and purpose
"Their menu is good. My only dislike is that it relates to Apple. Relating in the way that the majority of people buy the products for an image of status. Many people I encounter buy basic coffee at Starbucks, nothing else. Many people I encounter buy an Iphone, only to use its basic functions. Everyone may choose to do as they please, but this (me) is a person you don't fool."
- Shakunetsu Akuma
These are the words this writer find it real especially in reagrds to today's generation of consumerists.
Driven by trend rather than purpose behind buying certain products, be it in a form of a mocha frappe or a touch screen cellular phone, today's generation of consumerists rather forget their own selves all in favor of what the market insisted, especially as the latter stubbornly repackaging anything year after year just to make it continuously appealing to its customers, hence raking additional profits nonewithstanding the conditions particularly towards its workers.
However, just like what Akuma stated in TIME Magazine's Facebook page, there are also those whom in spite going to a classy coffeeshop or buying a state of the art cellular phone, rather look at the cheapest black coffee as well as the basic apps such as messaging and call rather than the much featured yet expensive frappe, expresso, if not the apps thoroughly shown in today's gadgets. These people did least have choices that can be contrary to what "free market" demands, oftentimes seeking for an alternative citing quality as well as affordability of the said product.
Actually, in seeing markets and consumption almost replacing politics and production in one's mindset, of consumerism over self and even class consciousness, it seems that these consumerists, rather than humans have been binded by their own invisible chains and be blinded by the illusions such as a vicious cycle of working to earn, buy, and consume what the market has to offer.
That somehow reminds of this writer's father telling yours truly "to live a normal life", living according to the norms particularly those of "living to work in order to live", but come to think of this, is living under today's illusions be called normal? Man has to work in order to live as what the old says, but did mankind live well in its work, particularly those of unfair, inadequate conditions?
This reminds of "Arbeit Macht Frei" if that's the case, working to set man free from its hellish like existence of being poor and destitute, yet in actual that man working under the present order, is eternally bounded by the conditions particularly those of being exploited for long hours, of low salaries whilst creating millions of stuff destined to be brought by consumers for a dear price with profits plummeted after and benefited by the owner, while the actual creator who does directly the work remains disenfranchised except for a few crumbs.
Lucky if there's a chunk of that so-called "fruit of hard work", as well as trying hard to save those crumbs and chunks for that goddamn state of the art bullshit. However, most, if not all, are rather end being spent for basics (food, payments for necessities, etc. as long as it is basic) and not for that goddamn state of the art bullshit being shown time and again courtesy of mainstream media.
Hence, those whom really creating those state of the art stuff, of the ingridients being used for the food people enjoy, are the ones not afford to buy, taste, use. And if there is, then as what Akuma said, are the ones enjoying the most basic stuff and nothing else; since it is expensive to enjoy what today's consumers afford. The latter have the "strength" to "enjoy" that is also supposed to be enjoy by the former, who "works" thoroughly in order to be "free."
And they have the consciousness to break the cycle being insisted by the order. The present decadent order insist image or status, but those whom had seriously created prior to being marketed insist purpose behind the stuff being bought and sold for many.
And its up to the people which is which.