Soundscape #91: “Poor And Content Is Rich, And Rich Enough” — William Shakespeare
July 11th, 2008It’s hard not to be swept up into a culture of consumerism in this increasingly global world. We get firsthand information about what’s happening in other parts of the world via internet; we see what other people are doing, eating, wearing and as with the greener grass syndrome, we want it too.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Le déjeuner des canotiers, 1881.
Advertising is a big factor in this vicious cycle. We all know how marketing can make even the most boring thing cool. Flash something in neon lights and after a while, the blinding lights can numb even the most astute minds into submission. Take the iPhone for example, it has quite a number of things against it: you can’t send a mass text, it is only 3G, etc etc. But the iPhone has Steve Jobs and because of that, there are shitloads of people queuing round the block just to get it.
What this consumerist culture means is that there will be a greater gap between the haves and the have-nots. We all know what it feels like to be the kid with the new toy on the block. The rest of you could just salivate in envy. It’s a little scary when you think about all the people who can’t put food on the table or buy warm clothes for the winter. The world is indeed going to hell in a hand basket.
Playlist:
1. (0:00) Pavement - No Life Singed Her (Slanted And Enchanted)
2. (2:07) Manic Street Preachers - The Masses Against The Classes (Forever Delayed)
3. (5:31) Radiohead - There There (The Boney King Of Nowhere) (Hail To The Thief)
4. (10:53) Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Me And Mia (Shake The Sheets)
5. (14:27) The Weakerthans - This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open (Left & Leaving)
6. (19:34) The Flaming Lips - Thank You Jack White (Fight Test EP)
7. (23:00) Yo La Tengo - Be Thankful For What You’ve Got (Little Honda EP)
8. (27:57) Wilco - Poor Places (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
9. (33:15) Radiohead - Fitter Happier (Ok Computer)
10. (35:17) The Go! Team - We Just Won’t Be Defeated (B-Sides)
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