The real reason that so many politicians are obsessed with children is because they want people to keep consuming more goods, which is the only aspect of the “baby boom” that they remember. Conveniently, they forgot about reasonable work hours, healthy nutrition, and affordable daycares–or long-term communities that knitted together during trying times. Instead, their focus was solely on how a bunch of people got rich when there were a lot more people regularly consuming things. Now the rest of the world gets to watch when politicians, and all the rest with control and resources, focus on consumption instead of connection.
Commercials used to be one of the best parts of television until they became so aggressive that people could no longer pretend to be interested in products. I remember buying replacement makeup for the tenant that broke as I was cleaning the bathroom. For the next two months, I got flooded with advertisements every time I turned on a streaming service. Back in the day, people were selling part of an affordable lifestyle in which adults were simply looking to make specific tasks easier and/or efficient so that they could return to engaging. These days, commercials seem intent on forcing dissatisfaction, loneliness, and depression on anyone who dares to turn on the television. Most would find it difficult to recall a recent commercial that made them want to consume.
Houses stopped being homes because of all the stuff in them, not because of the “collapse” of the nuclear family. There were Sunday dishes and clothing, comfortable furniture and formal sitting room furniture, all the books that were getting written, televisions, new kitchen gadgets coming out every month–which is why women “consumed” more–toys, jewelry, and sporting goods. Soon, instead of actually talking to people, money could be spent to buy things to placate people, and consumption was such a lifestyle that shopping montages began to fill all the movies. Even as the cracks began to build in all the communities, people kept believing that the solution to all of their problems was more stuff, which was parroted by the television everyone watched.
While the empire continues to collapse, more people are struggling to sell all the belongings that they bought to make up for the pain in their lives that they ignored for too long. Rather than dream about all the things they could buy if they had the money, a lot of older people wish that they had developed healthy relationships with the people who used to try with them. Younger people prefer to travel, create, and do nothing, and the technology for those tasks is relatively simple–although most lack the financial resources to fulfill even those basic ideals. Connection is difficult, but consumption is easy, which is one of the reasons that the situation has become so dire. Maybe the world would be an easier place to be if people had not erected so many barriers to people living relatively stable lives, and then we would be able to connect.
Chasing A Dying Empire 