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Something very new is being born in me. I am tired of hype. Tired of excess, of lying, hypocrisy, and greed. I see this powerful statement by Keri Smith as very positive. You will be hearing much more from me in the next month. In the meantime, read this and check out this and consider where and how you are pandering to corporate greed.
Are you a former guerrilla artist who used to paint question marks on signs and now works for a bloated corporation who is making a profit by suckering in the public? What changed? Are you willing to alter a little something now to make room for grace?
Do you profess your desire to make the planet "come alive" with your healing offerings but shun the blood, sweat and tears of doing real intimate work with the people in your life? (I've done that before.)
Are you brand conscience? I bought into the hype about branding and will be changing that in my offerings. I am seeing now that it's just a form a manipulation. I don't want to be on either side of that equation, thanks.
I am tired of seeing ads for shoes in Oprah's magazine that cost $1,500. Are they made by brown people making $2 a day? Is half the shit used to sell her magazine made in factories by people who aren't allowed to smile? She does a lot of good in the world but I am not convinced it's helpful to all. Let's think about it. Further, let's do something about it.
Let's not "smoke for the cure" or "buy an iPod for Aids". Let's not buy a $500 handbag because Oprah has one so that she can go build a school somewhere. Let's love each other. Let's take back our lives, look into each other's eyes and heal the world, not one dollar at a time but one soul at a time.
Are you a former guerrilla artist who used to paint question marks on signs and now works for a bloated corporation who is making a profit by suckering in the public? What changed? Are you willing to alter a little something now to make room for grace?
Do you profess your desire to make the planet "come alive" with your healing offerings but shun the blood, sweat and tears of doing real intimate work with the people in your life? (I've done that before.)
Are you brand conscience? I bought into the hype about branding and will be changing that in my offerings. I am seeing now that it's just a form a manipulation. I don't want to be on either side of that equation, thanks.
I am tired of seeing ads for shoes in Oprah's magazine that cost $1,500. Are they made by brown people making $2 a day? Is half the shit used to sell her magazine made in factories by people who aren't allowed to smile? She does a lot of good in the world but I am not convinced it's helpful to all. Let's think about it. Further, let's do something about it.
Let's not "smoke for the cure" or "buy an iPod for Aids". Let's not buy a $500 handbag because Oprah has one so that she can go build a school somewhere. Let's love each other. Let's take back our lives, look into each other's eyes and heal the world, not one dollar at a time but one soul at a time.
posted by Kymberlee at 10:39 PM
3 Comments:
This globally act locally. One of the best things I've ever heard.
Whether or not those people who make those $1500 shoes can smile they can't afford those shoes.
Buying a product so that a very small portion of the products proceeds can go to help a cause is a poor way to go about it.
If you want a red ipod. Buy it because it's red and you like red. Not because it's going to put a few cents towards a good cause. Or better yet. Spend the ipod money on the cause.
"...The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother."
-Gil Scott Heron
Since the surge of the automobile in the 1920's and the rise of mass advertising during the same period, this has always been an issue. "Revolutions" are always "televised." I don't think socially-forward branding is to be frowned upon; I credit corporations for whatever good they do -- no matter the motivation behind it. A generous act is a generous act is a generous act. In the same breath, a selfish act is a selfish act is a selfish act. Corporations, like people, have plenty of both in their repertoire.
I'm an optimist. I believe that men and women, both wealthy and poor, generally want to be kind, want to help others, want to raise their children in a world that is caring and full with promise. I also believe, however, that many feel impotent as to how to make a difference - constrained by limited education, limited time, and limited emotional stockpiles. Sometimes a small monetary contribution is the best a person can do -- both financially and emotionally. Sometimes that contribution is done by "proxy."
So for me, logos are okay. (This coming from a girl who has never even held an ipod in her hand. lol. Hard to buy into "brand" when you are poor. ;)
My rambles aside, this I couldn't agree more with:
"Let's love each other. Let's take back our lives, look into each other's eyes and heal the world"
Peace to you.
k
John: I agree. There is nothing innately wrong with buying an iPod. What I dislike is the way companies jump on the bandwagon of "do gooding" to promote their products.
If Apple or any other company wants to do go real good in the world, they could quietly go about donating a large percentage of their money to the cause and move on. As it is, they can write it off as a business expense and sucker people into believing that "red" is cool. It's inane.
Katya: I am the ETERNAL optimist! I believe in the goodness of humanity. I also believe that we often look the other way out of fear instead of heading into the pain and allowing our hearts to open.
As the article I linked to suggests, branding makes us think we need to have whiter teeth, smaller pores, a tighter ass, etc. etc. Corporations sell us on the illusion, not the reality.
We don't need anything corporations are selling us about lifestyle. We don't need to fit into a mold to be beautiful or photogenic.
We don't need to have money to do a charitable act. We need to open our eyes and hearts. We need to KNOW each other not shy away from the knowing because it's sometimes messy and painful.
Mother Theresa said, "I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?". I admit I don't always want to know my neighbors because I am a private person. Why? Because I fear being truly seen. Why? Because I don't love myself enough. Why don't I love myself enough? Because I have been fed a bunch of media bullshit about how I "should" be and I believed. I don't want to believe it anymore.
I want to stop focusing on the roots in my hair and consider the roots of humanity. I don't want my fear of "bad breath" (the giving or the receiving) to keep me from standing close to someone and feeling their energy.
I want to love and connect and I believe that much of why we don't has to do with the way we allow ourselves to be manipulated. We live in some kind of fantasy world because what we're sold doesn't meet with the reality of what and who we are.
I don't want that reality any longer and I am optimistic that we can change our reality.
Peace and love you you, dear Katya. Thank you for your comments and for sharing your beautiful self in the world.
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