Ever since the end of World War II our standard of living has more or less been on the rise here in North America and the rest of the first world. We are currently living a style of life that emperors a century ago could only dream of. We are offered a plethora of choices in the marketplace, and we alone get to choose which ones we will endorse. We have houses the size of mini mansions, gas guzzling vehicles along with cheap oil to run them, a banking system that practically throws money at us whenever we need it, but like the two year old child who has never been told “No”, we are spoiled, ungrateful, and entitled.
We, the majority, were lulled to sleep by what I can only refer to as “the comfort bubble”, the “lifestyle myth”, and the “bedtime story”. We blindly followed where our elected politicians would lead us. We turned a blind eye to the poverty and suffering of others in the name of increasing our own personal status. Our basic necessities taken care of, we set our sights on more luxuries in the form of electronics, recreational vehicles, and vacations abroad. In short, more of everything, because nothing was ever enough.
Which is why I find it interesting, if not downright shocking, to read news articles and watch mass movements arise in recent times reviling the very things that we the people spent decades supporting with our actions and our pocketbooks. Let me illustrate with a few examples.
Dozens, if not hundred, of soft drinks were put on the market, and we chose to make Coca Cola the king of them all.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of fast food chains invented, and we chose to endorse MacDonald’s version over all others.
Grocery stores were filled to the brim with produce, and we chose the ones that were sprayed with pesticide, herbicide, and eventually those that were genetically modified.
Our meat supply was injected with growth hormones and antibiotics, and the only thing we had to say was “If it wasn’t safe, the government wouldn’t let it happen.”
We exalted in the lowest prices and cheapest crap in town and created the biggest family retail empire in history.
We demanded more money and the banks lent it to us. We got hooked on cheap junk and created the largest trade imbalance in the history of mankind. We fell for the biggest lies and marketing campaigns in the form of NAFTA, GATT, HOPE and CHANGE.
While I appreciate we believe the world did not turn out exactly as we thought it would, we collectively supported this outcome with all of our actions. So, the next time we feel like picking up a placard and pretending this is somebody else’s mess, let’s pour ourselves a Cuba Libra and celebrate our collective creation.
