Evil Weetabix

Great article by Charlie Brooker in today's Guardian about the repugnant practice of advertising to kids, and how consumerism is finding new ways to enter our lives.

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Consumerism for babies

It's been a while since my last post because of a particularly busy period of work and the arrival of a new member of the Docwra household. The process of having a child has opened a door to a whole new world that many non-parents may be unaware of - and consumerism seems to have a strong hold over this new parenting world!

Take the Bounty pack for example - these are packs of free goodies given to new parents at the hospital just after their baby has been born. The Bounty pack reps are allowed to wander through the maternity wards distributing their packs - and they do this in a way that not only seems to have the blessing of the NHS, but that also seems to be an integral part of its maternity service.

This is a serious piece of misrepresentation, as in reality the Bounty pack is simply a commercial tool. It says it provides 'expectant and new mums with...important information, expert advice, support and try before you buy samples', but in reality it is simply a bag of samples and advertisements for baby products. Take out the promotional items and you are left with nothing of any informational value. And these promotional items are being presented to a captive audience, who are new to their role as parents and slightly vulnerable, masquerading as information from the country's trusted health service.

I was so suprised at how a piece of commercialism was allowed to get into such a sensitive part of our health service in this way that I asked a midwife about it. They (slightly sheepishly) agreed that these packs are basically just a load of adverts and product samples.

I'm not having a go at our health service - it is one of our great institutions and the care we received was absolutely brilliant. I just feel this is a great example of how the influence of consumerism can seep into every aspect of our lives - from the minute we are born - and that we need to do something to halt its spread.

Not the end of consumerism

This article in the Business section of the New York Times is interesting, as it illustrates the difficulty that the mainstream media still have in coming to terms with the idea that living simply and buying less can make one happy.

There are glimmers of clarity in the article - for example, the opening paragraphs discuss a couple's journey of downsizing their income, consumption and debts, in order to get the life and jobs they want. It ends with the wise observation from one partner "I really believe that the acquisition of material goods doesn’t bring about happiness".

This is good stuff. At this point, there is a great opportunity to show how many people are realising that the rat race (including the search for ever greater income), is not for them, and that building a life around your priorities and the things that really matter to us rather than the pursuit of money can bring us greater happiness and fulfilment.

The article doesn't do this however. Far from being a timely challenge to consumerism and the rat race, it jumps from a call to 'buy fewer material goods' to a suggestion to 'buy more services and experiences'. This is not about downsizing at all - it is just shifting your spending.

Perhaps it is asking too much of the business section of a mainstream publication to question the pursuit of wealth and consumption, but it is a shame to see an article start so promisingly and then miss the point so spectacularly. It will also lead many readers to miss the point, at a time when we could all benefit from living off less.