I recently went to IKEA to get one specific thing and walked out with...one specific thing.
It was a cutlery tray for the top drawer in my kitchen which is being renovated. I walked in through the maze they take people though to ensure they have every opportunity to see what's on offer (and so IKEA can market to them), and ended up at the part where all the kitchen items are where I picked up my item and walked out. Ok, I didn't really walk out, I went to the cafeteria and had Swedish meatballs for lunch. I could have gone somewhere else for the cutlery tray but was driving by IKEA and figured it was a perfect excuse to get Swedish meatballs at the same time. Mission accomplished.
While there, I spent time observing people like always; I find it fascinating, frightening, and advantageous to understand people and human nature better and people watching is a good way to see them at their best and worst. What did I see? well, nothing unexpected, just a bunch of people working as hard as possible to convince themselves they needed what they were buying; par for the course. I get it, it feels nice to buy things even if people don't need them, as it releases endorphins or some such thing, but...what's the cost? I drove away thinking about what I'd seen and thought of a Netflix documentary I recently watched called Buy Now which talks about the tricks corporations and marketers use to make people buy and to keep people buying and delves into some confronting truths about the excess of consumerism and the implications and, of course, humanity plays along like the sheep they are. Because I think it's important, I wanted to share the YouTube link to the official trailer for the Netflix documentary Buy Now and suggest that if you have access to Netflix you take a look because it might just get you thinking differently. I also want to share a link to this recent post by @acesontop which I thought was both relevant and poignant: see it here. It's not exactly along the same lines as my point as per this post, but it runs parallel and I think it's worth a look and some thought. It's really easy to drift through life oblivious to what's going on around us like most Seeing the wars and conflicts (reasons for them), the governmental and corporate greed and misbehaviour, the destruction of our environment and planet with no real mitigating measures, the damage woke agendas are doing, social media, AI and other such things, the breakdown of the family unit, manners and basic (positive) human values...seeing all those things isn't nice so people shut their eyes and by that I mean blind themselves with social media, excessive consumerism and other such feel-good things. People hail cunts like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, companies like Apple, the pharmaceuticals and so on as pioneers and visionaries because that's the agenda they're fed rather than delving a little deeper and seeing what's right there in front of their eyes. I wonder when people will wake up, if at all. I wonder how many will watch the documentary and feel ashamed, horrified and partly responsible. None maybe. I wonder if people will wake up before we're all waking up to a wasteland. Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp Want a free Hive account? Click Here [Original and AI free]
people sheeple do and it's easy to say things like, "we're on the right track", because it's easier for the individual that way; certainly easier than the truth.
Image(s) in this post are my own
The issue of thought, feeling and behavior control is complex. On the one hand, it is quite depressing to see how public opinion is managed. On the other hand, so many resources are invested in mind control research and application that it gives me hope. If we were such sheep they wouldn't spend so much energy on controlling us.
I don't know if you know the BIT unit, born in the Reuno Uinido, under the administration of Cameron. Their ideology is what they call libertarian paternalism, whose objective is to induce certain behaviors on a large scale, but trying to make people believe that they are acting on their own initiative, hence the term “libertarian”. It is a fact that without the BIT units, and the like, present in all the so-called “advanced” states the confinements during COVID would not have occurred. But a whole campaign of social control was very effectively implemented, using both individual guilt and “responsibility”, as well as generalized terror through the media.
I know that what I have written is long, sorry, and a bit far from IKEA, but here I leave it.
Exactly!
It's really interesting to hear people justify their purchases and believe whole-heartedly in those justifications without once stopping to think that those thoughts and behaviours were implanted.
Anyway, thanks for your intelligent and interesting input, I've come to expect that from you, and thanks for taking the time to chime in with a comment.
Thanks to you Galen, I have never told you that you have a very interesting blog?
Best regards and have a great week.
Thanks mate, I like to make people think a little differently and enjoy the perspectives people have mostly, I guess that's why I try to keep it quite diverse. Of course, I probably post some rubbish as well...probably depends on who you ask.
I hope you have a good day, all going well here and looking forward to the rest of the week, and the weekend.
This week will be short, on Friday I am leaving for a few days. This year is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another, and I want to share it in a place where I am appreciated and loved.
See you soon.
I watched the first 15 minutes of the documentary (to be continued the next day) and it is clear to me where the story is going... Human civilization in this division is marked as consumer. It is clear and very visible. And there will still be, in the coming period, holiday madness.
But you need to have a strong character so you don't succumb to strong sales campaigns...
Everyone says it's nice to buy a new thing. And I say, it's much nicer to enjoy the one you already have, if it's an item of clothing, I won't be bothered by what I've already worn many times, if it's a technique, I don't have to read the instructions for use. If it's a mobile phone, I'm pretty sure the Iphone 13 does the same job as the Iphone 14 or 15 or 16 (and yes, the old IOS doesn't have AI... cool 🙂). The situation of buying new, modern ripped jeans, when I have old ones that are not ripped, is just a crazy story to me. Fashion... An industry for extracting money from the pockets of zombified customers. Evil...
As for the technique, I only buy it when it fails. An example is my Panasonic TV, which no longer supports Netflix, so now I watch Netflix on my laptop. I'm certainly not going to change my TV just because it's "outdated" for Netflix.
And as for IKEA and their restaurant, as in the last year the prices in the restaurant have increased by 70-80%, if I find myself in IKEA for some targeted shopping (not to wander for hours in the corridors, but to go in, take, go out), mostly I eat vegetarian lasagna. It's not expensive, it's not hard on my stomach and it's very tasty.
I was certain you'd respond in the way you have as we think alike in many aspects; there's just so much wastage in humanity's drive for more and more.
As for the price at the IKEA restaurant, I have to agree, it's increased exponentially. They opening in 2006 in my city and I went out of curiosity and had my first IKEA Swedish meatballs (which were scrumptious) and remember thinking how cost effective the meal was. Now...two meals, one Coke and one cake...$42 AUD. That's a lot...but then, $42 in a pub here would barely buy one meal and one beer so it's still cheaper.
Lets ask the Swedish Chef what he thinks...
Meer deer doop woot woot wooot....
Haha!
I still hate how they renovated a shop near us. Before I pretty much knew where everything was. Now I have to waste time looking around.
Yeah, it's all strategic to make sure you pass by as much of the stock as possible and read as much of their marketing as possible.
Shocking but realistic trailer and Adrian's article is fabulous. We are not on the right path, we are going down a very dark path... too dark and the trailer and the article prove it. Those of us who realise... how difficult it is to see what we see.
Who is Adrian?
That's the name of the guy who wrote the article...
acesontop
Oh, ok I'm not on a first name basis with him like you are. No worries.
No problem! Good night to you, have a good night's sleep.
I was just commenting on your brother's post about his trip to Ikea the other day. I was wondering if it was as big of an excursion in Finland to visit Ikea like it is in the US. It sounds like it is about the same there in Australia as my experience here. We actually have to drive two hours to get to the nearest one and we maybe go once every other year if that.
It's not much of a big deal really; here, it's next to the airport and that's where I was so it seemed like a good opportunity to get the cutlery thing and some Swedish meatballs as well. I remember the meals being much cheaper than they were recently, but the meatballs were the same, that is to say, good.
That's good to hear about the meatballs. I am not sure I have ever tried them in the handful of times that I have been to the store. We have some frying pans from Ikea that we really love. They've worked well for us for many years.
Consumer zombies all around us.
Indeed.
Consumbies?
One thing and one thing. Kudos bro because that aint easy doing that. it is weird that consumation seems like the ultimate goal for so many people and companies as well. The amount of crap to buy....its getting out of hand.
Gonna watch the docu when i get home. Seems like a decent thing to check out a bit more. When i see the gen-z around me with their amount of creditcards.. no bueno
Yep, and killing the planet too. There seems to be no slowing down either, consumerism is so ingrained in people.
The documentary is presented in a strange (sarcastic) way but the message cuts through so I hope you see it.
We can't control anyone beyond ourselves. Some of us want to choose as best we can, and seek the most information possible first, in order to economize. Some people just want to be told what to buy in order to be cool.
Yep, it's a choice...and many choose wrongly.
!PIZZA
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@danzocal(8/10) tipped @galenkp
Yo, the IKEA meatball flex is real, but low-key, your people watching game sounds fire. That Netflix doc sounds deep—what hit you hardest about consumerism's grip on us?
Yeah, the Netflix documentary was good, worth a watch and then you'll be able to tell me your opinion; I think mine is pretty clear as laid out in this post.
Bet, I’ll check it out and circle back with my two cents, haha. Yeah, quite clear just seems like the doc’s got some heavy truths to unpack.