Life and Capitalism

Yesterday the new iPhone 5 made its debut for the world to see. The reaction from many people on the internet was that of disappointment, mainly because there wasn't much of a change from its predecessor iPhone 4s. I believe that Apple do this on purpose because they know that any product they release, whether good or bad people will always buy. This is due to the brand "Apple" being very powerful in contemporary society. For example there are people out there who had bought iPhone 4 when it came out then went and later bought the iPhone 4s and will now be preparing to buy iPhone 5. In my eyes this is stupidity but then again I can't tell people how to spend their money. Like I always say "Apple" is capitalism at it's finest.

We live in a capitalist society which makes us think we always need to have the latest products, own designer labels and to have more than we already do. We are all victims to this. If I take myself as an example I spend a lot of my money on clothes, shoes and make up. The thing is I keep buying more of it when I already have a lot that I still haven't even used/worn. I never seem to be content with what I have, I always want more (I know you do too so don't judge me lol). The question is why is this? 

Here's the dictionary definition of capitalism: An economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

In simple English this is basically companies and corporations who produce goods to sell to the mass population in order to make as much money as possible.

In order to achieve this objective people need to BUY products. To achieve this even further people need to buy products they do not need. For this to be happen people need to think that they need particular products that in reality, they don't actually need. This happens through brainwashing by the main culprit, the media. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements everywhere. Companies spend huge amounts of money on advertising alone. Even seeing the lavish lifestyles of celebrities, most of the time the average person wishes they were also living that kind of lifestyle. We always want more and this is what corporations want because if we became content with what we have corporations would lose large amounts of money and capitalism wouldn't be able to thrive.

We live in a society whereby money seems to be equated with success, status and power. This is a negative ideology. The amount of money you have should not define who you are, whether you are wealthy or not does not mean you are superior or inferior to anyone else. We tend to believe that having substantial money is the only thing that can make us truly happy.  In reality the more money you acquire the more greedy you become. A couple of months ago on the news a middle aged man who was a former Wall Street investment banker and Lawyer committed suicide. He was a very wealthy man who wanted more money so he set his mansion on fire so he could claim insurance money. Unfortunately, when he was found guilty of starting the fire he killed himself in the courtroom. At First I was thinking to myself why would he do such a thing when he was already rich? Another victim of capitalism 

Here is a quote I came across by Nick Vujicic

“Life isn't about having, it's about being. You could surround yourself with all that money can buy, and you'd still be as miserable as a human can be. I know people with perfect bodies who don't have half the happiness I've found. On my journeys I've seen more joy in the slums of Mumbai and the orphanages of Africa than in wealthy gated communities and on sprawling estates worth millions. Why is that? You'll find contentment when your talents and passion are completely engaged, in full force. Recognise instant self-gratification for what it is. Resist the temptation to grab for material objects like the perfect house, the coolest clothes or the hottest car. The if I just had X, I would be happy syndrome is a mass delusion. When you look for happiness in mere objects, they are never enough. Look around. Look within.”

This quote had really touched me. It is very true that in poorer countries people who have very little and lack basic needs tend to be much happier than those of us in wealthier countries where we essentially have all we need. This shows that true happiness is not based on materials and money. I'm not saying that you shouldn't earn money (after all we all have bills to pay) or to never buy yourself material things. My main point is that you shouldn't be so consumed by it that it becomes your sole purpose in life. "

Written by Dinah 

Famous For Being Famous Culture: Kim K

Kim Kardashian is one of the most famous celebrities worldwide. She is worth millions of dollars, and she has millions of fans all over the world. She along with her family have their own reality TV show called “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, which is one of the most watched reality TV shows in America. However, some questions need to be addressed; such as, how did Kim Kardashian become famous in the first place? Also, does Kim Kardashian possess any qualities that require our admiration? Furthermore is Kim Kardashian a good role model for women? Throughout the rest of this piece I will answer all of these questions and elaborate on my answers.

As an individual Kim Kardashian does not possess any unique skills or qualities that anyone can aspire to have. Kim Kardashian is an infamous name around the world and yet she cannot sing, dance, act, or even take part in any important discussions such as politics etc. As Barbara Walters pointed out to her and her sisters in an interview “you have no talent”. Although this sounded cruel Walters pointed out the truth. Kim is one of a few celebrities who are famous for not doing anything. Such examples are Katie Price and Paris Hilton. So even though Kim Kardashian is not talented many women idolise her for her looks, but even this is a fallacy. When we see Kim Kardashian on the TV she like all celebrities wears a substantial amount of make up, so if you go to the trouble of looking on the internet and finding pictures of her without make up you will be amazed at what wonders make up can do for women. So Kim Kardashian is clearly not as good looking as what people believe, and as you read this, there probably are young girls who are ashamed of their looks in comparison to Kim Kardashian and other celebrities pushed out in the media.

Since Kim Kardashian is famous despite not possessing any talent or qualities, the question that remains is how did Kim Kardashian become famous? Kim Kardashian first rose to prominence from a sex tape with her former boyfriend and R & B singer Ray J. This sex tape went viral all over the internet, and from that, Kim Kardashian became famous. However, Kim Kardashian did gain some publicity earlier on because she had a friendship with Paris Hilton. Additionally, her family were in the spotlight from the OJ Simpson trial, as her father was one of OJ Simpson’s lawyers. So her family name Kardashian is what became known and not necessarily Kim. However the vast majority of people including myself know Kim Kardashian from her sex tape with Ray J.

Overall, Kim Kardashian is a bad role model for young women, as she does not advocate any positive moral teachings to women. Additionally, she does not help the poor and malnourished children in the world. She rather spent ten million dollars on a wedding when the marriage lasted just seventy two days! Even though some of the money was sponsored it still doesn’t acquit her for the amount of money her and her family put into the wedding. This is not only sad but disgraceful. Imagine all of the starving children that could have been spared had she put her humanity before her ego. Kim Kardashian is one of the worst characters in the celebrity cult: she degrades women; she promotes an extreme form of capitalism; and rather than helping to push for change in the world she serves to maintain the global status quo of getting rich and spending as much money as possible on products that you do not need. This is the actual purpose of the celebrity cult. So the only time my opinion of Kim Kardashian will change is when she stops promoting misogyny, capitalism and greed and starts to help the poor children of the world with her money. Furthermore, instead of tweeting nonsensical stuff on her twitter, she should help to tweet positive and enlightening tweets to the millions of her followers. Kim Kardashian should realise that her along with other celebrities have the power to bring about change in this world. With just one tweet she can organise mass demonstrations against the establishment. Imagine if Kim Kardashian and others started to tweet about the corruption of the banks and the government? A worldwide revolution will happen instantly. So all hope is not lost for Kim Kardashian and other celebrities, they have to wake up or remain dead (I mean mentally dead). 

Written by Aaron Laari