the Market is unavoidable

I’ve heard from many different places, even from good friends whose opinion i hold very highly, that there is nothing you can do against the Market™. Since we all hold that label, “designers”, the talk usually goes on with saying designers are inescapably bound to make things that stimulate the buying drive, and not only we can’t fight the market, we also are bound to reinforce it.

My problem is: I believe in something that does not fit with that picture. I don’t really have proof, but whenever I ask for proof of the contrary — that the Market™ is inevitable — all I get is: “it is so obvious that it doesn’t need proof, it is all around you to see”. So I felt like sharing this belief I have.

Here it is: I do believe that something that is not a part of me is unable to make me want something that I didn’t want before.

Not only I do believe that, I have a pretty good explanation (albeit not tested) about all the phenomena that people use as example of the infinite reach of the market.

impossible perfectibility still moralism

One of these days i was arguing with my friend Marcio Shimabukuro about technology and money. Shimabukuro’s perspective was somewhat like this: we have to use currently surpassed technology because they want more money. Current selling products in Brazil are equivalent to products from 5 years ago in Japan (but this difference used to be 12 years), and the same goes for most other “First World” countries, and the reason for this lateness is that companies can make more money selling products that use an already old technology but still has a better profit margin than the newest thing. As an example, if you can make an walkman for 10$ and sell it at 189$ and you can make an iPod for 120$ and sell it at 220$, you will prefer to sell the walkman even if the iPod is better.

What i wanted to say to this was: this is a moral argument, even if in hiding.

completely managed by capital

According to Paulo Arantes (in case you were wondering, no, i do not know who he is, i just saw him on TV once and he spit that pearl of wisdom out), so, anyway, he says we live in a “sociedade totalmente administrada pelo capital”, which i translate as a society completely managed by capital.

That will not come as a surprise to my loyal readers, but i don’t buy this one.

false consumption

Critics of consumerism point that what is sought in consumption is often a fiction, a magical happiness, an ultimate fruition that is actually impossible. They say consumption promises while being unable to fulfil.