Supersized Consumerism?

Not so long back Morgan Spurlock gained notoriety and acclaim with his award winning documentary Supersize me. His latest venture 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold' is a powerful satirical documentary of product placement in movies using humour to portray the insidious way that brands have crept into the film making process. Funded by corporate sponsorship in exchange for the opportunity to feature in the movie, Spurlock creates a self referential odyssey of "fame creation" through funding in much the same way that famous for being famous is the critique of the modern X Factor celebrity obsession. 

That ability to brand that moment you thought was entertainment is really an opportunity for brands to intervene and hoover up the "mind sharing moment". Flowers brought to you by Interflora not humans>? Ejaculation facilitated by Durex not love? Oh Hollywood. You prostitute.

Where does brand intervention draw the line? Are we clinging onto old models in our own self interest at the expense of the misery of others as I pointed out in my last post regarding luxury advertising in Beijing? 


Something feels like the cogs are changing. Though not immediately given this movie was produced by Sony Entertainment and highlights that branded material consumerism is having the last laugh and begs the question. Do brands take the piss out of you? Does Morgan think you're an idiot by betting on you paying for the experience to be told so? I think he does.

Bhagavad-Gītā

Popular with Gandhi, Einstein, Herman Hesse and Emerson try to read The Bhagavad Gita as it was written. It's not fiction and it's free online at Google Books.

The Cosmic Midwife

    

There are two reasons I use the childbirth visual above. The first is a peculiar experience I had which I'll call a transdimensional unity experience whereby everything fell into place and I was aware of the true nature of my individuated conciousness as a baby who is just delivered learns in a startling manner that the womb is no longer the only reality.

The second reason is that I suspect if our species is to experience a leap into higher conciousness we are unlikely to do it fully on our own given the forces of targeted and automated cynicism lined up against us, and that some sort of cosmic midwifery action would be helpful in facilitating the transition. An analysis of the solar system and cosmic events like precession suggests the universe does indeed conspire to facilitate that metamorphosis but I can't help feeling that some last minute external well wishers are also rooting for us.

Via Steve Beckow