Consumer Addict

A guy from work invited me to the release party for a CD he performed in with his choir. It was to be held in Hell's Kitchen of NYC with free eats and drinks. I was happy for him and his success and wished to party with him and his friends. I took the subway to Delancy Street in NYC and emerged at dusk to see the sun shimmering off the East River just beyond The FDR Drive and it many homeward bound cars and their occupants. It was a beautiful sight and a beautiful night. I walked west towards Houston towards a church and entered into its sanctuary to a sensory overload. The music was blasting and there was a continuous stream of film of my friend and his group on many of the walls of the church. The Church had no pews which allowed for the crowd and the hot dog stands and the pop corn machines and the open bars from which people partook the tasty treats. The crowd was load and excited and the vibe was very New York. I looked around at the standing room only crowd and saw a man with a shawl fur and a advant guard skirt with combat boots on who looked very interesting. Most were upwardly mobile looking, if not upper middle class, and that, in my opinion, is not a bad thing.

The theme of the night was consumerism and the specific aspect of everyone's purchasing all items consumed responsibly. It was a night that spoke of everyone being aware of many of the things consumed by us everyday have a heavier price paid than that we put in the cash register. While we sip on lattes purchased from S.t.a.r.b.u.c.k. it was said during this event I attended that this multi-million dollar conglomerate uses underpaid and therefore exploited labor in third-world countries. I paused during the festivities that were presented to all as a choir in a church and done so in a comedy skit fashion I suppose to soften the blow of the essential lecture being put forth that we are all slaves to consumerism. Many of us want the latest fashions, cell phones, food, visit the latest restaurant, etc. and do not think of how the products being consumed were derived and produced and delivered for our consumption. It is a phenomenon that those conglomerates that produce such products certainly don't want the consumers to thinks about as many of us would give pause when and perhaps would not purchase said items.

The Rev.erend Bill.y and The Sto.p Sh.opping Choir is the official name of the choir my friend belongs to and have, upon my investigation into their website, a history televangelical satire to put forth the message of responsible consumerism. The are often at major political and consumer related events such as the recent Repub.lican Natio.nal Convention and The Wor.ld Tra.de Organization gatherings that happened recently in NYC. It is admirable that such a group exists and made me think about who I am as a consumer. It just struck me as sad as most of those present in the audience seemed not to need much prodding to believe the message being put forth, and that those who most needed to hear the message of that evening are the young people with the still forming view points about consumerism who clamor for those items pitched continuously by commercials and The M.T.V. culture we live in today.

The night was fantastic and I appreciated being invited as it makes me aware of my need to be ever vigilant in understanding what I consume litterally affects the world around me.