the advertised mentality of consumption

We all have it. We're bombarded by it everywhere all the time. It exists in all media radio, print, visual. It's the aspect of commercialism that gets the ok from advertisers all the time.

There's a very good article in the Business section of the LA Times from Sunday, March 30th, 2008 called "The Oil Habit". It's the cover story.

I liked the take on the article to personify oil and it's ever-present existence in almost everything around us. The #'s reported were close enough to what I understand to be true to applaud the Times for telling the truth about it, all accept US usage in the world. It stands at 25% of total world oil consumption, not 24%. That 1% is a huge amount.

As the article was getting interesting, the sentence came up. A very All-American standard by which we judge the morality of our actions. Quote.. "So why bother curbing my craving for crude? Because the price has soared, boosting the cost of what I do and consume."

That's the economist mentality, that's our world, that's our capitalism. That's the underlying advertised mentality. Consume, and do it based on cost. That's a philosophy that I take issue with since when it's applied to many facets of life it falls apart. Why stop doing drugs? because of cost or because it'll kill me?

We shouldn't be getting off oil because of price. And we're not going to get off oil in this world, period. Our life styles are enjoyable with the oil-equivalent of 22 billion energy slaves working 24/7 for us and the other industrializing countries look to that for themselves too. What about oil usage using creative cooperation rather than the "I got mine" mentality? What about conserving the most valuable substance to our society? There are plenty of ways to go about it that's not soley cost base.

And hydrocarbon usage to just drive around is unhealthy for our environment. It causes policy that Ok's wars for the stuff. And the alternate products made from it are far to valuable to the human race to suck the declining supply up on our roads.

Just about every product in your home/car/office is made of it. medicine, agriculture, rubber, plastic, resins of all kinds, petro-chemicals won't exist without it. I vote for those thing over car convenience.