Pockets, the root of consumerism?

topic posted Tue, February 13, 2007 - 6:46 PM by  Dusty Rogers
I'm convinced that the invention of the pocket was the ultimate downward spiral into our insane obsession with possession, and ultimately consumerism.

Long ago when we walked around in the buff, or at best, our loin cloths, we were not concerned with taking things home with us. In caveman days we would see a beautiful stone laying in our path and think to ourself "wow that is beautiful, I will walk this same path on my way home to marvel at the beauty nature provides me with."

And then someone invented the pocket.

Probably a crude sown patch on your loin cloth, or maybe even a satchel attached to a string of deer sinew, that you could wear around your neck.(the purse)

From that day forward we began to covet stuff. We would begin to take things out of it's natural environment and believe that since we had this pocket to transport it in, we deserved to take it home and claim ownership of it. And to show it off to friends as though it belonged to us.

Next came the pants. These pants had one or two pockets at first, and now have a standard of FOUR pockets. (maybe 4 and a half if you include your change pocket) 2 on each side and 2 in back. We could now fit MORE stuff. And though it was not socially acceptable for women to wear pants in that day, they did have the purse. This was the beginning of the evolution of the consumer. Back pockets gave way to wallets, and purses gave the women a place to carry their make-up around so they could make sure they looked pretty ALL THE TIME. This is where we lost the natural female.

And now today women wear pants AND have a purse which explains their desire to shop much more than the man. They carry their makeup, their cell phones, their car keys, their checkbooks, and sometimes they carry purses within their purses.

AND THEN CAME ..... the CARGO PANTS! I mean, the name alone suggests that you are an airplane full of STUFF! 6 POCKETS!!! A maximum amount of places to put stuff. Take into that equation a jacket and a backpack and you have a very large amount of space in your immediate-personal-vacinity, that you think you own.

I caught myself the other day with my pockets full of STUFF!! It really freaked me out! I had to lighten the load. I threw everything away. Fuck it!! My cell phone, my pager, my lighter, my cigarettes, my money, my change, my phone numbers, car keys, an old cassette, a piece of bubblegum, 3 old flyers, 2 matchsticks, an ink pen, a couple of balls of lint, and a pumpkin seed. There might have been more, I can't remember.

I could barely move around with all that STUFF let alone sit down But it's okay. None of the stuff was mine. You never really own anything ever. For real though, think about it. You never really own ANYTHING EVER. (except for your body, although I'm suspicious that's on loan as well.)
  • Re: Pockets, the root of consumerism?

    Thu, February 15, 2007 - 9:11 PM
    Holy Shit man, quite an episode. Good stuff though. Relations like that are like prime man. It is a deep concept, but unfortunately I think differently about things (most likely because of my upbringing.) I think that sense of ownership was important than as well as now. It is primal, territory wars are only wolves marking territory. We are a species.

    Seperate from that benign.

    Join the Total.


    Corey
  • Re: Pockets, the root of consumerism?

    Thu, February 22, 2007 - 8:34 AM
    Some might say the pockets in our cargo pants are symbolic of the pockets in our brains where clutter gets lost.

    To paraphrase J.C.:

    "What good doeth it a person to empty out their cargo pants pockets when their mind remains a cluttered purse?"

    and another one:

    "It is easier for a Humvee to drive through a Baghdad ambush than for a person with cargo pants to enter the gates of heaven"

    But I'm not a dualist, I believe in unity of the material and spiritual, so I say "Pockets for the People!"
  • Re: Pockets, the root of consumerism?

    Sat, April 7, 2007 - 12:20 AM
    Thanks for the huge belly laugh Mr. Rogers, you had me rolling round the floor laughing. Then I examined the contents of my purse, pen, compass (in case I get lost), a dice (for life changing decision making), tweezers, a straw, a tigereye gemstone (to calm me when I'm lost and indecisive), spare key (for when I lock myself out of my car), a comb (which is never used), a pack of jols, tissues, tobacco, rollies, filters, & lighter, a small pink heart, a St.Christopher medal I found years ago in my first used car, (not religious, but must be superstitious 'cause I was told he was the patron saint of travellers. Must work since i've only had three car accidents in the past ten years...lol). Then there's the purse within a purse. Yep, you are correct, the illusion of OWNING stuff is bs. If no one owned anything there'd be no wars, and no thieves. But pigs might fly, Human's are more bower than Bowerbirds.

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