My parents and grandparents all advised "Buyer Beware" along with "Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves". 

The bottom line nowasys seems to be simple greed.  Manufacturers will produce anything they can, in any way they can.  Then they spend more money advertising the silly things they made.  Consumers refuse to think before buying and the destructive circle goes around again.

Yes Mike, we are and they are. The only protection is education. And even then we are still vulnerable, but at least to a lesser degree. They will stop at nothing, and it can't be just for money, it must be power as well, maybe making up for inadequacies. What a crap way to do that!

They put abrasives in the lip balm to make you need more lip balm. They condense the food so you have to eat more of it, and get fatter thereby requiring yet more food to feel full, and more prescription drugs on top of that. They will kill the environment just to sell more gas, destroying eco compaies that could take away their sales. There's a documentary: "What happened to the electric car?" That's what. They killed it. They'll kill us, they kill themselves. Prescription drugs that make you need more drugs, disposable stuff so you don't re-use. Can't have that can they! Exon is a bigger company that all the worlds' car manufacturing companies combined, the governments bow down to it.

People are sheep! Real estate being bought and sold in the human brain. And it can be so subtile.... I'm not imune, no one is, except maybe Chris McCandless. And he's dead.

As Elanorgold said we need to combat it with education. This one really stood out for me because I think people have little to no education when it comes to credit. As a student its fairly easy to get a student credit card, but no one stops to tell you how they work! Not only that but student loans as well. I've learned more about debt from TV shows (Princess, 'Till debt do us part) than I ever did from the bank or OSAP about loans and loan repayment on my credit card and student loan.

It drives me nuts!  I especially don't like how it makes people feel inadequate. (eg. Pro Active for acne, Lipozene, non-invasive fix your sagging face stuff...etc.

I spoke to my sister on the weekend after seeing a commercial for some product you use with the new washers, those HE ones?  This product keeps it from emittiing a foul smell in your house!  Thank you, I think I'll keep my "old" washer that I can put any cheap laundry detergent into and it does a swell job without stinking up my house!  So the new machines are better for the environment because of efficiency?...but then you gotta get this new kind of detergent AND the stuff to keep it from smelling? doesn't that put MORE plastics into the environment....  !!

How many times do you watch a commercial and shake your head cause you can't understand the connection between the "mini movie" and the actual product?

How many people really switch from their brand of T.P. to the one that doesn't leave little pieces behind?  How many people really have that problem that they have to make a commercial about it?  Don't they cut down ancient forests to make 3 ply? 

I could go on forever but my lunch hours up!  Marketing is definately harming us.

Marketing is getting better and more persuasive.  Marketing companies don't fill a demand - they create demand.  Sometimes for things you didn't know you needed, before the marketing campaign took hold.

But how is this any different from proselytizing?  Christianity has a long history of marketing itself to people who didn't know they needed it, until Christian missionaries told them and sold them on it by appealing to their fears.  Christians complaining about marketing is like politicians complaining about prostitution.

There will always be a market for stupidity and for people who don't take the time to educate themselves about what their needs are and what it is they are buying.  I love my front loader washing machine.  It cleans well and uses less water and there is no center stick so I can put big blankets etc in it.  I leave the door open when it is not in use so that the water that is inclined to collect in the rubber seal will evapourate and not create a musty smell.  There is then no need for that extra product described by squirrellover.  

When something you do is damaging to your body, to me, common sense says you should stop doing it.  Not everything is an addiction.  Collagen injections in the balls of your feet to counter act the damage caused by overly high heels is silly.  Sydney Crosby continuing to play hockey after suffering the brain injuries that he has is also silly.  Is the risk to benefit ratio really worth it?

Regarding debt:  whose fault is it when people max out their credit cards and pay interest only and minimum payments?  Are they really living within their means?  Whose responsibility is it to esure that people can meet their financial obligations?  I don't think it is the fault of the company that gives me the credit card.  

If a marketing company markets a product that people do not need or are not willing to pay for, the people will not buy it.  The product disappears.  Without marketing advertising and promotion, we will not be aware of products that have the potential to better our lives.  

I recommend a book: "Brandwashed". This will fill everybody in pretty well.

Too right Chansen, the two do seem to use some of the same brain pathways. And absolutely about how they create the demand. It's not about what we need, it's about them wanting us to need it in the first place. Our basic needs are so basic, we don't need money at all, as proven by this guy, (that is, unless you have kids, where his theory falls apart) http://sites.google.com/site/livingwithoutmoney/

He's a 40 something man who lives in a cave in Utah and forages for food and whatever he needs. Granted he's a bit extreme, but he does prove the point about basic needs. I found his blog very interesting and it boosted my day. Mike you might find it interesting.

Then there's debt. Ugh!! I have so far avoided that. Though it does get frustrating not having a credit card at times. And I avoid those dastardly tv commercials by only watching dvds. It used to drive me 'round the bend when I was in my early 20's.

My views led to my current avatar. It's me building a shed on my cheep raw acreage in northern BC in 1999. Ahh those were hopeful times. Dressed in hand me downs and throw aways, foraged for part of our food, made lots of wild jam, bathed in the creek, lit the caravan by candlelight and went to bed not long after dark. I was planning to build a timber frame cottage, just under the size requirement for planning permission to be needed. Maybe somebody remembers the wild man pit toilet picture I posted a couple years ago. It looked like an English Jack in the Green!

But back to the family thing, it can be done, but it's not legal. Book: "Wilderness Mother" by Deanna Kawatski.

Religionwise, we should probly start a thread about that in religion. I can think of instances where this is absolutely true, and others where it's more fuzzy.

His response regarding medical care doesn't appear to fill basic needs.  If he doesn't get charity, he thinks that's what natural selection is for.  Why is getting food considered to be a basic need and lack of medical care is just 'natural selection'?

Chemgal, Ah you found a hole in his theory. I hadn't read that page. I did read his dental work page though, where he admits there's a flaw in his plan there. That and mosquitos. I'm not totally backing him or anything. I think he's exteme, but he did make me feel better about my lifepath for a while. Glad you're reading along : ) 

Oh, where he sais about personal hygeine, that the hair and scalp eventually reach a flora equilibrium and clean themselves, I can contest to the contrary! I also had a chuckle over his idea of doing laundry. But, he's happy overall, himself. He seems to feel that loosing a tooth is worth his lifestyle, and he sure justifies accidental death with ease. I think that's foolish. Oh, and I never dumpster dove. I always thought that was disgusting and degrading.

In regards to Chris McCandless, the Into The Wild story, I listened to the audiobook recently, and have mixed feelings about him too. I admire his gumption and conviction, but I think he was a major dreamer, with some emotional issues, and died for it. Glad I wasn't as much of a dreamer as that. I still had at least a couple of toes in reality. He reminds me though of those monks who go off to uninhabited islands and live in a little monk hut all alone. He's likened to them in the book too.

I really admire the obtaining of a good educaton, like you Chemgal and Bethany (and MikeP) have done. If I hadn't been such a darn dreamer, maybe I would have gotten one too.

Posting this cause I think it's interesting, from the Utah man's medical page:

Thank heavens for Canadian Health Care! It's so inhumane down there.

Inanna, I totaly love the first two clips!! Oo oo! Jason Silva! Love the dog shit comment and the "Make it so!"! Thanks for those! I feel better about being a dreamer now. Dreamerhood and education, now that's the ticket! Now on to part three...