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Originally Posted by djchameleon
buuut....
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grindy
You can be anti-consumerist and still really, really obsessed with acquiring and owning stuff. As long as it's hipstery stuff.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djchameleon
It just seems like a strange philosophy to be part of when you still need to consume things and purchase things necessary to live and especially when you have large record collections like this guy. Unless he doesn't actually buy any of them and just barters for them or sells his body in exchange for records.
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I understand how my near-constant influx of rare and elusive vinyl might lead one to question my self-proclaimed anti-consumerist stance.
Please permit me to clarify:
I abstain from purchasing anything
new unless absolutely necessary, including wardrobe, accessories, silver and brass items, media, electronics, appliances, home goods, etc. This decision is born both of both environmental concern and of my general distaste for contemporary goods.
My purchases are the result of careful research and a well-informed evaluation of an item's utilitarian usefulness, entertainment value (where applicable), its potential for intellectual enrichment, and its uniqueness to reflect my own personal character.
These purchases are almost always sourced from independent vendors as I will not support the corporate sales model if ever I can avoid it. I much prefer artisanal craftsmanship and antiquarian treasure over mass-produced goods.
I find very little influence following any sort of consumer trends, (just one of numerous reasons I am vehemently opposed to Apple products), and I reject all of Bernays' notions of social consumer conditioning.
I've effectively eliminated nearly all commercial advertising from my life by way of browser add-ons, my total rejection of mass media transmissions, and by not visiting or supporting websites which employ adverts, (and... frankly... by never leaving the house.)
Together, these practices and value sets are in direct opposition to the traditional, passive consumer behaviors of the hoi polloi. And by not purchasing anything new, I greatly minimize my consumer footprint on the economy.
And a side note with regard to digital goods - never pay for anything in the post-scarcity economy of the web.
Everything is free.