If everyone stopped shopping...

...I think there's be such a tremendous leap forward with innovative, useful, life-improving products in order to get people shopping again.

Discuss.

would be out there picking at harvest.

rather than buying quickly depreciating junk they didn't need in the first place.

Or at least that's what I'm garnering from your posts.

If I'm wrong, I apologize.

If I'm right, I agree.

Until massive inflation started occurring as all that money in the backs started chasing a much smaller investment base.

It is really hard to find quality products these days.



That might be rather difficult considering how much money people have to put in their tank now.

Even if they do, the money is depreciating even faster.

there are plenty of items that improve the lives of people already. your post seemingly says that items that improve the lives of others, are useful, or innovative aren't already being produced by leaps and bounds. People have shopped an incredible amount and we have seen plenty of innovation and product utility.

And there is no single definition of a product's utility or innovativeness. Some see the iPod as incredibly usefull, innovative, and life improving. Others think it's a stupid product. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong on that issue.

edit to correct spelling error

It has an interesting chapter on using class anxiety to get people to buy things they don't need, which is easier to do in countries with huge income inequality. Apparently, in Sweden, where there's more income equality, it's hard to get people to buy things they do not need. People buy cell phones if they make sense, and not because they're afraid people will think they're poor if they don't have one.

promoting a message that "you're a poor son of a bitch for not having a cell phone" doesn't take away from the utility, innovation, etc. of a cellular phone. It's using a stupid message to get people to buy something. Stupid marketing doesn't equal product uselessness.

And I'm wondering how the inevitable economic collapse following a total stoppage of shopping will allow more people to be more innovative in their products. People need capital to create a product. If somebody isn't buying something, then they will be unable to possess the means with which to create something innovative and useful. Unless people started creating amazing things out of essentially nothing. Which is basically christian creationist bullshit put to an economic model.

utilizing every word ever written on human psychology and cognitive science. It's, pure and simple, very sophisticated propaganda.

Sign me up!

Speaking of which, I probably got my son the very definition of un-innovative, useless, non life-improving gift. :P

http://www.tngames.com/

Such as watching TV or playing video games.

But I always save a fair amount of money, maybe not as much money as I waste, but a fair amount, especially considering my low income.

in your community. Put your money in your local bank, not a chain. Do NOT spend money in big chains that take money out of your community and end up investing in the repug party or things you don't believe in. THAT would actually make a difference. Catherine Austin Fitts goes further and says to create stocks out of your local community. Very interesting stuff at www.solari.com for those interested in real change.

You realize just how many people work in retail sales. Think about the "Black Friday" phenomenon. If retail business doesn't start to make a profit until the 4Q, logic tells you that we really only NEED 25% of the current retail stores for retail sales to make a monthly profit.

The point is this:

Just how many people would loose their jobs, and thus their cars, homes and other big ticket items? That would have a trickle down effect as home, car and other sales drop. How many people no longer cook, and only eat out? How many restaurants would close? What would you propose to do with all these jobless?

The final point is that the American Consumer may buy a lot of crap SOME PEOPLE don't think they need, but the consumer sure as hell wants.

So people have to go on buying shit they really don't need to prop up a system that continues to abandon those people that are supposed to buy this shit all the while reducing their wages and benefits in exchange for credit that keeps them buying the shit that they don't need and then enslaves them to that same shit, which makes them fearful of losing their jobs, which makes it less likely that they will stand up for themselves out of fear of losing what little they have and keeps them cowering about the credit hounds who they are now defenseless against (with the the recent changes to bankruptcy law...)...

What a fucked up system.

And there's a big difference between 'want' and 'need.'

Thank you!

AND where you going to get food, clothing and essentials. NO way can you stop buying some things.