I am actually shocked by the number of people on this list who equate creativity and freedom with their potential to consume. These same people then go on to say that there is no brainwashing going on in this country.
Wojtek wrote:
Tarnishing idols always provokes witch hunting, regardless of ideological or religious preferences of the hunters. Is not it special that attacking commercial culture and its idols provokes so much controversy on lbo, while the informative postings about economic and political development outside the US (such as those by Ulhas Joglekar) go virtually unnoticed?
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Surely there are examples of the sort of thing Joanna and Wojtek are talking about on the list.
In the debates about the US’ level of ‘hellishness’ however, the real question has been to what extent American’s, relative to people living in other industrialized countries, endure difficult, thought controlled and pleasure-free lives.
There’s an interesting push-pull-push occurring. It’s not simply the one-sided theory of challenged illusions provoking strong reactions that Wojtek presents. Those who say that the US is the worst of all possible places from the list of available states (and there was quite a bit of ‘you live in hell’ talk thrown about) push others to mention the things they find pleasant and interesting about life here – consumer “choice” (to whatever extent it exists) being one of them for some.
Which, in turn, prompts those who see America as a corporate dominated zombie land to react with laments about their comrades’ unfortunate complex of commodity fetishes and so on it goes.
The irony is that, given the complexity of American life, everyone can find compelling evidence to support his or her beliefs. Thus this debate can circle around itself forever.
This is a true oroboros of discussion; a self-devouring serpent.
DRM
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