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Post by Maolsheachlann on Nov 13, 2019 16:42:17 GMT
It's so disturbing to see "Black Friday" sales in Ireland. We have Black Friday without Thanksgiving. This only seems to have started a few years ago.
Generally I've rolled my eyes at denunciations of "consumerism". It's often struck me as something easy to denounce, the kind of thing a liberal Jesuit resorts to in order to seem counter-cultural.
However, consumerism really IS awful. Our whole culture is built upon buying and selling, hedonism, acquisition. I'm going to try to make a more determined effort to stay awake to this, and not simply go along with the tide.
Don't buy anything at a Black Friday sale!
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Post by cato on Nov 13, 2019 18:10:20 GMT
I am offended at the term "Black Friday".It is both racist and insults the Islamic holy day. Disgraceful!
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Post by cato on Nov 13, 2019 18:31:21 GMT
On a more serious note one of the more positive aspects of the environmentalist movement , at least the saner versions, is the emphasis on a simpler life and buying less throw away products. Our manic obsession with the latest expensive shiny device will no doubt cause future generations to condemn us as self absorbed and blinded by hypocrisy to the damage we cause to the earth and its resources.
Those trendy Jesuits Maolsheachlann mentions occasionally get things right!
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Nov 14, 2019 10:13:09 GMT
On a more serious note one of the more positive aspects of the environmentalist movement , at least the saner versions, is the emphasis on a simpler life and buying less throw away products. Our manic obsession with the latest expensive shiny device will no doubt cause future generations to condemn us as self absorbed and blinded by hypocrisy to the damage we cause to the earth and its resources. Those trendy Jesuits Maolsheachlann mentions occasionally get things right! I completely agree with all this!
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Post by Stephen on Nov 14, 2019 11:00:10 GMT
On a more serious note one of the more positive aspects of the environmentalist movement , at least the saner versions, is the emphasis on a simpler life and buying less throw away products. Our manic obsession with the latest expensive shiny device will no doubt cause future generations to condemn us as self absorbed and blinded by hypocrisy to the damage we cause to the earth and its resources. Those trendy Jesuits Maolsheachlann mentions occasionally get things right! I completely agree with all this! They Indeed get it right ( Anti materialism/consumerism) but for the wrong reasons.
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Post by cato on Nov 14, 2019 12:52:05 GMT
I completely agree with all this! They Indeed get it right ( Anti materialism/consumerism) but for the wrong reasons. I wonder does it matter how someone gets to the right conclusion as long as they get there in the end? The trendy Jesuit might say the same about crusty conservatives denouncing materialism! I do think liberal consumerism is a much more dangerous powerful enemy to the faith and conservatism in general than those ideologies that are explicitly anti Christian. Consumerism has destroyed more faith than clerical scandals or New atheist writers. Not that scandal and propaganda should be ignored as sources either. Part of the reason I mentioned the Jesuits at all was that many orthodox Catholics now agree with them on virtually nothing at least in the religious sphere. I am sure there are decent pagans or agnostics who also desire a simpler less materialist existence. I naturally exempt the minority of Jesuits who still adhere to Catholicism.
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