Choice is Good, Consumption is Good (repost)

Very busy at the moment so here is a little short something from the archives…

Choice is Good, Consumption is Good

At my brothers graduation the person who made the speech to the the new graduates (I can’t remember who it was) made a speech about the role they would have in making new wealth and that the goal was always to increase growth. Growth was the absolute good, the solution for all the problems of the world in general and these graduates in particular. I hadn’t seen the film Network at that point but if I had, I would have thought this person was his scriptwriter.

All through his speech I was tempted to shout ‘rubbish’ and attempt to inspire a bout of chair-throwing.

I was so angry because he seemed to be either utterly unaware of, or so untroubled by the fact that population and consumption are simply not able to increase indefinitely, that he didn’t even mention it.

People very often forget just how much the earth has to produce in order for them to throw away that nauseating toy the day after christmas.

A friend of mine told me about Chris Jordans photography. I looked around the site and was particularly struck by a some of the images in the ‘portraits of american mass consumption’ section.

It is better just to let them speak for themselves..

Try this pile of consisting entirely of spent bullet casings..

Some of the other pictures look deceptively natural and then you find out what they really are. I advise you to check it out. www.chrisjordan.com

 

Whilst I can’t take the credit for the actual photo, I did make this one myself a while ago.

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