the mecca to consumerism, wal-mart, has dropped their prices 10-30% in an attempt to lure shoppers back to the stores, once more handing over their hard-earned money. with all that has been going on in the united states regarding the credit crunch (sub prime, diving green back, etc), and the current fears of a u.s. recession, or at the very least, a definite slow down, it's not surprising that wal-mart, already one of the cheapest providers of goods, is wading into the fray, showing that even though prices are low, they can go lower. and lower.
this is all well and good, but i often wonder what consumers are thinking when they see prices drop. i wonder if they have ever thought to stop and consider why prices are so low? if they are benefiting from lower prices, who is losing? because you have to figure someone has got to be losing, or at the very least not benefiting as much or as well. consider the debacle in 2007 about lead in the paint of goods manufactured in china. it's been known for a long time that industry standards in china haven't been up to par, so why is that? perhaps it's because of this need to fuel this insatiable desire to consume in the western world, this desire for cheap goods, to the point where no one holds politicians accountable for anything. instead of pushing politicians to pressure the chinese government into better conditions for workers and the improvement of human rights, we pressure politicians for cheaper prices on goods and services. perhaps the reason why goods are so cheap is due to a lack of oversight, of standards, of work conditions, of employee benefits. costs have to be cut somewhere, and usually it's the workers that get the short end of the stick, with ultimately your kid passing out from sucking on barney's lead teat.
and is spending more money, despite how cheap it is, somehow better? yes, the economy depends on consumer spending, but part of the reason why the u.s. got into this economic mess is due to overspending. people buying homes they can't afford, buying furniture and cars for 0 money down - don't pay until judgement day! At which point the interest rate shoots up over 30%. the world is feeling the repercussions of the sub prime mortgage debacle, but where is the due diligence? sure, it's crooked for banks to offer such mortgages to people who can't afford them, taking advantage of the previous market situation for housing as well as people's naivety, but the consumer is also to blame. there has to be some due diligence on the part of the person buying that home, signing onto that mortgage. it's interesting how people will research on what plasma t.v. to buy, but when it comes to simple economics and buying a home, the single biggest obligation a person can take on, there seems to be a lack of oversight. there's no excuse for naivety and ignorance.
then there's the problem of terrorism in the world. everyone is so worried about finding the best ways to torture and kill terrorists, but no one seems to be trying to figure out what drives people, every-day people like you and me, to become terrorists? perhaps it's western hubris, this feeling that cheap products are owed to us, that somehow cheap gas and cheap toilet paper is a human right. the more we consume, the more products are made, the more oil it takes in the production and delivery of those products. now where did we get that oil? what wars have we started, what fights did we pick, to get that oil? i can think of one off the bat... the proverbial elephant in the room that no one sees anymore: iraq. the archetype for terrorists are typically young men, living in a patriarchial society that demands men to be something, to do something, to provide, to be men. well, what happens when your livelihood is taken from you? or you watch your country be invaded on the promise of freedom, when all you're worried about is running water and electricity? or you grow up an orphan after watching the roof cave in on your parents from a stray "smart" bomb? what happens when you have no future, yet your society traditionally demands you to be a man? that's a lot of pressure. but western society and western values could never have created the very monsters that are trying to destroy it, right? that would mean admitting something was wrong with our society, and that's not gonna happen, yeah? of course not! remember when george bush's answer to 9/11 was for people to go shopping?
and let's not forget global warming. more products consumed means more junk in the environment as well as more resources extracted from the earth to make said products to pollute said world. sure, you may think you're saving the earth by driving a hybrid car. but have you ever asked yourself, do i need to drive to begin with? perhaps riding a bike to work is the way to go. perhaps then i can lose this weight i gained over the years. if i can't look like brad pitt, at least i can be healthy, right? lower my medical bills, have more energy, and possibly look good naked again!
on wal-mart's website, it says "save money, live better." now just think about that for a second. does it mean you actually save money, or are you just spending money on goods you don't actually need? is buying that plasma t.v. really making your life better? what about your perfectly functional 27 inch tube t.v.? does the fact that you can see the pores on tom cruise's face in high definition make your life better? still not convinced? let's do the math: if a plasma t.v. comes down in price from $5,000 to $3,000, you're saving $2,000, right? wrong. you're raising your material standards by $3,000, especially when you already have a perfectly functioning t.v. imagine the money you'll save on electricity running that plasma, not to mention helping the environment. a plasma on average uses three times more energy than the traditional tube t.v. in british columbia alone, energy costs may creep 20% in the next few years. imagine living in california! and think of the actual dollars that could be put away into a term deposit or savings account, because you'll have to save for your retirement eventually. did you know that if you were to get in an accident and couldn't work, six months of disability will wipe out the savings you've been accumulating at 5% of your annual salary for the last ten years? do you have disability insurance?
so. "save money, live better." i don't know much, but what i do know is that everything seems to be connected in more ways than one. the way i see it, if you really want to save money, and possibly save the world, perhaps a little moderation is in order. or not. i admit, in high def, shit blows up real good.
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