American Bedwetter

Discussion

It’s that time of the year again when society breaks from routine and goes on a frenetic (sometimes rabid) buying spree. As if the behavior isn’t odd enough, we’re told this is essential to keep the economy alive. If we don’t break our banks every holiday season, the whole system might go down like a house of cards.

So we do this crazy routine of buying for each other, trying to pick things out that others will like. Of course, we often don’t know what our friends and family would like because we’re too busy working to spend any time with them. And that idea assumes they want something at all—personally, I don’t need or want any more crap; not acquiring any junk I don’t need is preferable to getting some well-intended but useless trinkets.

The strangest thing we do is gift cards: when we don’t know what to get someone (either because we don’t see them enough to know what they want, or because they don’t need or want anything), we give them cash-equivalents that are only valid at one store. That we’ve chosen where they’re supposed to spend this money sort-of hides that it’s just money. And, of course, if the card is lost or expired, the merchant is up on the deal because they’ve got your money and give you nothing in return.

And all through this, many spend months' salaries on stuff not wanted or needed.

We claim the “spirit of the season” is the togetherness and caring, the opportunity to rebind with the loved ones we’re too busy to spent time with the rest of the year. Perhaps it’s time we rethink this increasingly insane holiday.

Related thoughts

Advertising has changed since its inception. In the early days, it was primarily informational: “Hey, we make this washing powder, and it’s good so if you need to do some washing up, then buy our washing powder.” It was straightforward and the bias was obvious.

In the 1920s, Sigmund Freud’s nephew Edward Bernays began applying psychoanalytic theories to advertising. Instead of appealing to reason and logic, Bernays techniques exploited the human psyche. “We make this washing powder, so if you value your family’s cleanliness, you’ll buy it.” The manipulation is very subtle but effective: if you don’t buy the soap, you don’t care about your family.

The form of the manipulation varies: products claim to make life fun or easier, that your success depends on owning them, that ownership will attract friends or mates. Regardless of the claim, they’re always out for one thing: your money.

TrueCost®

Item price:	39.95
Earnings/Hour:
Price as labor:
Hours worked per week:
Percent of weekly earnings: