Stuff! We all love stuff! (Or do we?) This week, we’re talking all about materialism.
We travel back in time to find out the first things we remember really wanting…and what made us want them? Sticking to youth, we spend some time talking about how driving materialism is in kids — and whether or not it’s a problem. Then we leap back to more modern times and discuss the most frivolous thing we’ve ever purchased and, if money were no object, the most frivolous thing we’d buy today.
There are people who say materialism is destroying the world — find out if we think that’s true.
There’s a line in the Fugazi song, “Merchandise,” that goes: “You are not what you own!” We discuss whether or not we think that’s true before moving on to asking if the things we own can own us. Is it hypocritical for a person living in a mansion to revere historical figures who were not about materialism (e.g. Gandhi)? And find out how we feel about holidays where giving material things is the norm.
Next week’s show is all about religion: find out this week if we think the leaders of mega churches is a contradiction to a pious life? Also, find out where we stand on those who are part of the anti-materialism movement.
We close this week’s show out with this question: “Could you live without material things?”
We’d love to hear your view on this (especially the most frivolous thing you’ve purchased (or would purchase if money were no object)).
[A quick note: We know a few listeners are distracted during recordings with the snoring Boston terrier, Ziva, in the background. Shawn and his wife rescued Ziva (and another dog) and she’s now settled enough that she doesn’t need to be right alongside us for future episodes. Thanks for understanding. The two new MiGs dogs are badass. For more information about the MiGSPod wolf pack, check out our About page.]
And, since we mention Fugazi’s “Merchandise” in the episode, here it is set to Black Friday mayhem!
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I don’t really buy gifts of even cards for anyone anymore. A complete 180 from how I used to be since I was old enough to buy things. Looking back, it was weird, living in a crappy apartment with no furniture, living on Ramen, yet constantly gifting others with what few dollars I had.
Probably the most frivolous thing I’ve ever bough is in the picture of me with the over of HCWWPD on my iPad. It’s on my head.
I’m much less forgiving of the megachurches and of cults in general, simply because cults are so good at promoting cognitive dissonance, and spreading divisiveness, abuse, and hate. But that’s a whole other topic…
I think Ziva’s snoring is adorable. It’s like a kitty purring… 🙂
Like a fat, snub-nosed, constantly farting kitten…
What gets me with gifts…I don’t mind small exchanges, but there was a time in my family that we took breaks from unwrapping gifts because there was just so much. And that “so much” added up: in space taken and in money that could have been spent on other things. I can tell people, “Don’t get me anything–please!” and they still do. Then, even when assured I don’t need to feel that way…I feel obligated to buy things. More Christmases than not, my wife and I don’t buy each other gifts because we only have so much money, and it goes to buying things for others out of a weird sense of obligation. No matter how much I beg and say, “This ruins the holiday; it’s not about gifts or gods/goddesses I don’t believe in or anything like that…it’s about reflecting on the year, looking ahead, and sharing times with people I care about.” I’ve really come to not like holidays where gifts are part of it all.
It’s not so much that I’m forgiving of megachurches and religion…it’s just that I don’t believe it’s because of those things, wholly, that people do bad things. One step down is that human need for some to control others and some to follow. Combined with weird hate and wants, I think even without religion that we’d still see horrible things going on in the world. Maybe it’s easier to convince people to do horrible things with “God wants you to invade!” but strip that away and I think we’d still see most terrible things we’ve seen in our time and history, simply because many humans want things — even if it’s just feeling like they are a part of something. People hiding behind nationalism and religion are very good at destroying things — you will get no argument from me.
Ziva…we now have a photo (two, actually) of her on the About page. She is the best!