NationStates Jolt Archive

I think that coveting pretty things is fun.
Don't get me wrong, I'm against consumerism, but I can still appreciate high quality or inherent coolness. If I'm going to buy something, I'm going to find the best.
I bought my first pair of sunglasses today. This is the first pair I've ever seen that suited me so. I look really, really hot. It's almost midnight, I'm inside sitting at my computer, and still wearing them. I really do love them.
What do you really want right now?
For me, it's This Is Reggaeton. Soooo cool.

I like money.

Physical pleasure totally beats material posessions. Masturbation, coffee, delicious food, etc. > cool clothes, cool cars, etc.

I'm not really materialistic, but if I have nice things, I try to take care of them

All in all, my faith and my family are far, far more valuable to me than any material possession.

For those following the recent crusades of Faz, this is one of the things I'm talking about.

Nice things are nice, but I can live without them.

Well...no so much quality of the product itself...but the substance of the product.

When I go out to buy a video game, I make certain that it is the best game out there. No crappy movie-based video games for me!

Physical pleasure totally beats material posessions. Masturbation, coffee, delicious food, etc. > cool clothes, cool cars, etc.

I second that, although material luxury enhances physical pleasure.

Well...no so much quality of the product itself...but the substance of the product.

When I go out to buy a video game, I make certain that it is the best game out there. No crappy movie-based video games for me!Any particular game that you currently covet?

I think that coveting pretty things is fun.
Don't get me wrong, I'm against consumerism, but I can still appreciate high quality or inherent coolness. If I'm going to buy something, I'm going to find the best.
I bought my first pair of sunglasses today. This is the first pair I've ever seen that suited me so. I look really, really hot. It's almost midnight, I'm inside sitting at my computer, and still wearing them. I really do love them.
What do you really want right now?
For me, it's This Is Reggaeton. Soooo cool.
You're a hypocrite. The "coolest" sunglasses were made because some company wanted to out-cool its competition. Workers were probably exploited in the progress.

You're indicative of what's wrong with most of the young Left today. You talk and talk, you criticise capitalism. yet at the same time you are lax in helping others and you enthusiastically participate in the system you claim to oppose.

You're a hypocrite. The "coolest" sunglasses were made because some company wanted to out-cool its competition. Workers were probably exploited in the progress.
You're right, all the cool sun glass making companies are using machines now to suck the cool straight out of there workers and inject them into the sunglasses. Then, when the worlers get home, they throw all of their jeans into a fire and start buying flannel shirts.

You're a hypocrite. The "coolest" sunglasses were made because some company wanted to out-cool its competition. Workers were probably exploited in the progress.
Probably? You're advocating a political philosophy that is hell-bent on preventing this sort of thing based on the premise of 'probably?' Where exactly does the Left get this idea that it's wise or even advisable to attempt to prevent against things because they're probably going in a direction you don't happen to like? Whatever happened to assessing a situation based on its own individual requirements? Why is the Left bending over backwards to attempt to deploy its panacea [which doesn't exist] for all of humanity's ailments? You talk of 'minimizing suffering' in a world where it's been minimized to the greatest extent in recorded history. Granted, there's always room for improvement, but improvement doesn't come without motivation. I can't speak for the rest of us of course, but if I happened to live in a Socialist hellhole that cared more for the 10% of the people below the poverty line than the 90% who weren't, I'd probably lose a little bit of that motivation. Governments should not favor a religious ideology, an ethnic group, or a tax bracket. To do so only encourages throwing up more walls between individuals, which is something most Leftists outwardly denounce.

Also, how is someone being 'exploited' by having a job? This is something of a monstrous leap of logic, if you don't mind me saying so. I can't say I've ever seen any of your liberal buddies answer this question satisfactorily. You can give it a shot if you want, but I'm pretty sure I know exactly what you're going to say: and trust me, it misses the forest for the trees.

Melkor, I applaud your questioning, as it points out something that most leftists don't truly understand. I'm not going to explain it fully here, as it's incredibly complex an issue, but I'm just going to say that it starts at international debt and political corruption and includes unsafe work conditions, racism, environmental destruction, and militaristic expansionism.

And shame on every liberal who doesn't know exactly how the above items are linked.

I happen to know because I was raised in a _very_ conservative location and have been forced to question and defend my every belief. I'm a leftist because I weighed each side of every issue and chose one for myself. Not because my friends/family/anyone else was doing it.

I think that coveting pretty things is fun.
Don't get me wrong, I'm against consumerism, but I can still appreciate high quality or inherent coolness. If I'm going to buy something, I'm going to find the best.
I bought my first pair of sunglasses today. This is the first pair I've ever seen that suited me so. I look really, really hot. It's almost midnight, I'm inside sitting at my computer, and still wearing them. I really do love them.
What do you really want right now?
For me, it's This Is Reggaeton. Soooo cool.
A machine that could fire a laser so powerful and precise it would zip around the world and seal up your throat.

I like money.
What a coincidence?! I like your money too!

Physical pleasure totally beats material posessions. Masturbation, coffee, delicious food, etc. > cool clothes, cool cars, etc.
What about masterbating whilst drinking coffee, eating, wearing cool clothes, in a cool car?

I'm not really materialistic, but if I have nice things, I try to take care of them

All in all, my faith and my family are far, far more valuable to me than any material possession.
Loooooooooooooooooooooooooser!

For those following the recent crusades of Faz, this is one of the things I'm talking about.
is it? Or is it one of those things the rest of us are ignoring...?

Nice things are nice, but I can live without them.
That's only because you don't buy the right things...

Well...no so much quality of the product itself...but the substance of the product.

When I go out to buy a video game, I make certain that it is the best game out there. No crappy movie-based video games for me!
If I have a choice between quality (ie ability to work and comfort) and the appearance... style wins by a long yard.

:mp5: Material things are good... But I value my family over those things.

You're a hypocrite. The "coolest" sunglasses were made because some company wanted to out-cool its competition. Workers were probably exploited in the progress.

You're indicative of what's wrong with most of the young Left today. You talk and talk, you criticise capitalism. yet at the same time you are lax in helping others and you enthusiastically participate in the system you claim to oppose.I'm already blind as a bat, and my optomitrist told me that I was damaging my eyes by not wearing sunglasses. So I bought sunglasses. I could have gotten ugly ones. Would that have made it less likely that workers were exploited? No. I bought sunglasses, and I bought hot ones.
Please explain to me again how I am a hypocrite. I can't quite recall a time that I have said that sunglasses were evil... Refresh my memory, will you?

What about masterbating whilst drinking coffee, eating, wearing cool clothes, in a cool car?

I wouldn't attempt masturbating while drinking coffee. I don't want to risk spilling the coffee on my dick when I'm having an orgasm. o.O

Coveting material items is entirely commendable in my book. Often part of the appeal of worldly goods for me is that they can induce various forms of non-tangible goodness. Like a fine scotch. Or eight.

"The things you own end up owning you." -- Tyler Durden, Fight Club

It is a wretched thing that the young men of today are so contriving and so proud of their material possessions. Men with contriving hearts are lacking in duty. Lacking in duty, they will have no self-respect.

-Hagakure

It is a wretched thing that the young men of today are so contriving and so proud of their material possessions. Men with contriving hearts are lacking in duty. Lacking in duty, they will have no self-respect.

-Hagakure

NOOOOOOO!!! We have no duty!

"The things you own end up owning you." -- Tyler Durden, Fight ClubI know what you mean, but trust me, I most definitly own these sunglasses.

And why is no one answering my original question??? :(

I think that coveting pretty things is fun.
Don't get me wrong, I'm against consumerism, but I can still appreciate high quality or inherent coolness. If I'm going to buy something, I'm going to find the best.
I bought my first pair of sunglasses today. This is the first pair I've ever seen that suited me so. I look really, really hot. It's almost midnight, I'm inside sitting at my computer, and still wearing them. I really do love them.
What do you really want right now?
For me, it's This Is Reggaeton. Soooo cool.
Mmmm sunglasses, I got a new pair for me hols - they're wrap around for snow etc. Tried them out on a glacier in Austria last week. Sweeeeet, I could see forty k, easily. Only problem is, I forgot to sunscreen my nose. Looked like this I did! :cool:
What I really want? Erm, either a really big airship or a clipper. Dunno why, I just like them. Okay, so it's not exactly on topic, but hey.

I'm not that big on material possessions, though if I were going to pick one, I'd get a Sony PSP.

id rather like a *real* fender telecaster, instead of a squire one. sunburst.

http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0131202303

You're a hypocrite. The "coolest" sunglasses were made because some company wanted to out-cool its competition. Workers were probably exploited in the progress.

You're indicative of what's wrong with most of the young Left today. You talk and talk, you criticise capitalism. yet at the same time you are lax in helping others and you enthusiastically participate in the system you claim to oppose.
Wow, you got a lot from a little. She said 'consumerism,' that's 'keepin up with the Jones,' not hammer and sickle. She is able to have a less rigid life-she didn't say she got her sunglasses on the cheap-I believe that she even implied that she forked over a premium. Without knowledge of the company she bought from we could just as easily extrapolate that these where botique sunglasses bought from a small volumne cottage-style sunglass maker.

Way to project, dude.

Wow, you got a lot from a little. She said 'consumerism,' that's 'keepin up with the Jones,' not hammer and sickle. She is able to have a less rigid life-she didn't say she got her sunglasses on the cheap-I believe that she even implied that she forked over a premium. Without knowledge of the company she bought from we could just as easily extrapolate that these where botique sunglasses bought from a small volumne cottage-style sunglass maker.

Way to project, dude.My knight in shiny armour! :fluffle:
I bought them from the only independent store in the mall, and they weren't super expensive. I think a lot before I buy. It was a big decision that I put a lot of thought into, and I made sure that I bought good ones so that I won't have to buy new ones next year. That, and they are sooooo pretty.

I think that coveting pretty things is fun.
Don't get me wrong, I'm against consumerism, but I can still appreciate high quality or inherent coolness. If I'm going to buy something, I'm going to find the best.
I bought my first pair of sunglasses today. This is the first pair I've ever seen that suited me so. I look really, really hot. It's almost midnight, I'm inside sitting at my computer, and still wearing them. I really do love them.
What do you really want right now?
For me, it's This Is Reggaeton. Soooo cool.
My big 'demo reel' documentary, the little mule that gets me far less satisfying gigs, was about this conundrum that I have come to terms with. The gist is-

I drive a '67 VW Bus. For what the car is (and certainly the shape it is in) it is a car with an inflated value. It is worth a lot more if I sell it than a car with comperable abilities, or even better abilities. Given that, even without a 'For Sale' sign on her I still get people asking me to sell it to them for more than a contemperary van. (NEVER! Ahem...) Even worse, recently I have offered a more modern VW Van for less to be met with disapointed "No thanks."

The Bus has value. (and now I'm coming close to quoting myself) That value comes from the vans association(sp) with an anti-statis movement, giving the owner of the Bus statis within that anti-status movement. In essense, owning a VW Bus is inherently hypocritical, and thats why I love my Bus.

You can't live in an all or nothing world. It is unworkable. You can have an ideal but you have to realize at some point down the line that ideal is comprimized and you just have to mitigate that as much as you can. As Jon Stewart is fond of saying, "We have lawns to mow." The other end of this coin is unworkable as well-I loath seeing the 'You can't do it all so you shouldn't do anything' excuse. Bullshit. Do what you can, make it as easy as you can for those who can do more.

But to sit and criticize that someone doesn't operate on an all or nothing switch is to demonstrate an unrealistic view of the world.

Every day, I have a big red and white reminder of that. That's my favorite material possesion, because it keeps me humble-imperfect car for an imperfect dude in an imperfect world. It even allows me to chuckle at praising my own humility at the end of a really long self-congratulatory back patting post. See? It's a great van.


But I could really go for an old European sports car...

I drive a '67 VW Bus.Shaggin' Wagon!!!
I'd kill for one of those.

My knight in shiny armour! :fluffle:
I bought them from the only independent store in the mall, and they weren't super expensive. I think a lot before I buy. It was a big decision that I put a lot of thought into, and I made sure that I bought good ones so that I won't have to buy new ones next year. That, and they are sooooo pretty.
I unfortunately can't have nice things. So I can't have sunglasses. It's either cheapies or spending a bunch a dough on something I'll break in a week.

I wish I could get some choice sunglasses, I think there might be a pair out there that would make my big Charlie Brown head look cool...

Sorry, I continued my first reponse in my second-if that confused...

Shaggin' Wagon!!!
I'd kill for one of those.
When I bought it the dude promised that I'd get sex just for owning it.










He lied. (though I have a feeling that the current condition has more to do with that...)

Physical pleasure totally beats material posessions. Masturbation, coffee, delicious food, etc. > cool clothes, cool cars, etc.

I can't agree with ya more.

all I really want is enough money to live comfertably and enjoy my hobbies while not taking up too much of my time

When I bought it the dude promised that I'd get sex just for owning it.
He lied. (though I have a feeling that the current condition has more to do with that...)I'd bang you just so that I could say that I had had sex in the back of a shaggin' wagon. :fluffle:
Soooooo cool.
Do you have bead curtains in the back, by any chance?

I'd bang you just so that I could say that I had had sex in the back of a shaggin' wagon. :fluffle:
Soooooo cool.
Do you have bead curtains in the back, by any chance?
Give me a minute then check your TGs--and be kind. (no, I'm not going to ask you where you live and head over...)

I unfortunately can't have nice things. So I can't have sunglasses. It's either cheapies or spending a bunch a dough on something I'll break in a week.

I wish I could get some choice sunglasses, I think there might be a pair out there that would make my big Charlie Brown head look cool...

Sorry, I continued my first reponse in my second-if that confused...Dude, mine were pretty cheap, by most people's standards. Considering that my favourite item of clothing is a $4 t-shirt that says "Castro is my Homeboy", $20 (Canadian) is a lot. I would never buy something obscenely expensive.

Give me a minute then check your TGs--and be kind. (no, I'm not going to ask you where you live and head over...)Head over to Canada? Not exactly a day-trip away from most places in the states. :p
But who says that I'd object...

Head over to Canada? Not exactly a day-trip away from most places in the states. :p
But who says that I'd object...
Canada you say? How do you feel about sham marriages for citizenship...?

But yeah, from California to Canada in a '67 VW Bus who has recently decided that 4th gear is no longer part of the team-that would be a looooooongg trip.

Canada you say? How do you feel about sham marriages for citizenship...?

But yeah, from California to Canada in a '67 VW Bus who has recently decided that 4th gear is no longer part of the team-that would be a looooooongg trip.If you made it all the way here, I'd fix your car, but maybe you shouldn't rish getting stranded in the midwest... :(

If you made it all the way here, I'd fix your car, but maybe you shouldn't rish getting stranded in the midwest... :(
Yeah, I've seen the end of Easy Rider-I'm keepin' my hippie ass in-state...

I dunno, I guess this cameo I saw in italy. It was gorgeous and only 12 euro, but i was flat broke at the time.

*Rolls about in his money's*

I dunno, I guess this cameo I saw in italy. It was gorgeous and only 12 euro, but i was flat broke at the time.I feel your pain. There is a black PUCCA CLUB purse in spain (also 12 euro), the twin of my red one, that I have dreamt about in the past.

*Rolls about in his money's**takes money while Harlesburg is rolled in the other direction*
*runs*

Also, how is someone being 'exploited' by having a job?
By getting beaten up and working 16 hours without a break.

By getting beaten up and working 16 hours without a break.
There you go again, choosing one line and responding to it rather than actually growing the cajones to debate correctly.

At any rate, I'll bite. It's kind of hard to take this statement at anything less than face value, since it's pretty short, not to mention it's something of a ridiculous generalization. So, if I can take this at face value the answer then is pretty obvious...>ahem<

The vast majority of people who have jobs [i]are not beaten daily and forced to work 16 hour days. Besides, if there's beatings involed, I have some fairly obvious philosophical problems with it anyway: you're right in a sense because I'm sure it happens, but it's unadulterated idiocy to suggest that it happens everywhere, and at every turn. Socialists are generally more worried about preventing problems than actually solving them, and this may prove to be an excellent example, provided I don't get snubbed by you taking another one of my arguments entirely out of context.

When I debate, I respond to the entirety of my opponents arguments. I do this because I have answers for them and I know why they're bullshit. The fact that you are seemingly incapable of doing this speaks volumes as to the strength of your paper-thin ideology.

a tweedy kiton sport coat

I covet an M1 battle tank. The girls will flock to me and my 120mm (around! :eek: ) penis-like figure.

Don't get me wrong, I'm against consumerism, ...
I bought my first pair of sunglasses today. This is the first pair I've ever seen that suited me so. I look really, really hot.

So, what is wrong with this? :( Either you are against consumerism or you are not. Unless there is something wrong with your eyes, why do you need sunglasses? Oh, I know they are cool but you are against consumerism. :(

So, what is wrong with this? :( Either you are against consumerism or you are not. Unless there is something wrong with your eyes, why do you need sunglasses? Oh, I know they are cool but you are against consumerism. :(


I think that "consumerism" refers to habitual, wasteful over-consumption of low-quality and low-value products.

Buying one's first pair of sunglasses, which one feels are especially well-suited to his or her tastes and features hardly qualifies, i would say.

I think that "consumerism" refers to habitual, wasteful over-consumption of low-quality and low-value products.

Buying one's first pair of sunglasses, which one feels are especially well-suited to his or her tastes and features hardly qualifies, i would say.

So, if I buy a New York strip steak instead of ground chuck I'm not a consumerist? But, if I buy a lot of ground chuck I am a consumerist?

Loooooooooooooooooooooooooser!

Flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamer!

So, if I buy a New York strip steak instead of ground chuck I'm not a consumerist? But, if I buy a lot of ground chuck I am a consumerist?


I'd say it would apply more to, say, buying mcdonalds hamburgers instead of either.

But to be more specific, id say it has to encompass the great bulk of your buying decisions.

What about masterbating whilst drinking coffee, eating, wearing cool clothes, in a cool car?
I do not like my pleasures mixed, if i eating food i give it the full attention it deserves, the same goes for sex , especially after a period of abstaining, every thing is better, more intense after going without. A sunset, a laughing child, a cold glass of beer on a hot day, the words,'' I Love You,'' a conversation with a good friend, these are all simple ,unalloyed pleasures that we all can enjoy, and best of all they are Free.Except for the beer :)

So, what is wrong with this? :( Either you are against consumerism or you are not. Unless there is something wrong with your eyes, why do you need sunglasses? Oh, I know they are cool but you are against consumerism. :( Maybe you could read through the thread before criticizing me next time. I do not need an excuse to own a single pair of sunglasses (my first pair). I also buy sunscreen. :eek:
I'm already blind as a bat, and my optomitrist told me that I was damaging my eyes by not wearing sunglasses. So I bought sunglasses. I could have gotten ugly ones. Would that have made it less likely that workers were exploited? No. I bought sunglasses, and I bought hot ones.I think that "consumerism" refers to habitual, wasteful over-consumption of low-quality and low-value products.

Buying one's first pair of sunglasses, which one feels are especially well-suited to his or her tastes and features hardly qualifies, i would say.I totally agree. If I bought "trendy" sunglasses that I knew that I would only be able to wear for one summer for half the price of the ones I did buy, that would be consumerism. You can own whatever you want and still not be giving in to the monster of consumerism. When you start to think of your possesions as disposable, that is consumerism. ie. "Let's buy this DVD player. It's so cheap, we can afford to buy another one if it breaks."

I Like bloodthirsty Ninjas.

They're pretty hard to control, however.