Consumer Crazy
Reflections from the resort in Morocco
Hi Friends,
It was my girlfriend’s birthday in November and we decided to visit Morocco. It was wonderful. The food was awesome, the weather was warm, and the people were very hospitable.
Holidays always get me thinking, and I think that’s why I like holidays. I wrote a bit while I was away, and thought I’d post this note that I wrote on that trip.
Lately, I've been thinking about western consumerism and kinda how absurd it is.
Consumer spending makes up 70% of the US economy and I think about 62% of the U.K’s GDP. That's not the norm. I think it's about 40% in China and similar in places like Switzerland, India, and Italy etc.
On the flight here, the hostess tried to sell us designer perfumes, duty free, and at a ‘reduced’ rate. I then get off the plane, and check the dozen notifications on my phone, only to see that Instagram has recommended some graphic tees with images from my favourite Netflix & Crunchyroll shows. I can also see that my email inbox is flooded with ‘Black Friday deals’ (deals which I'm told that I "can't miss out” on).
Now, I’m writing this from an all inclusive resort in a continent that I know far too little about, besides what TikTok told me, using a disproportionately priced smart phone (a device that’s real price is in the time & attention it takes from me daily, especially in times like this), and wearing clothes which I bought 2 days ago — mostly for the sake of having something new to wear and take photos in while I'm here (photos I'll likely hate, and clothes I'll probably be bored of soon).
Furthermore, clothes that easily cost enough to feed and clothe the shanty kids, that my taxi drove by on the way here, for a week or two.
The way in which we spend our time & money, and why, is all so very weird.
I’m oddly occupied at the moment. I'll have more time to write in Feb. I hope this short will do until then.
Hope that made you think
-O