The Holy Connection An Alternative Exploration of Existence
“Ma’am,” asked the dark-skinned Indian at the counter, “would you like to try the newly launched piece of bullshit that we have on display? You can have it at the meager amount of 6 dollars, with a service tax of 75 dollars and eighteen cents, ONLY.” The old lady, who apparently seem to have forgotten her hearing aids at home leaned forward in a state of confusion, a facial expression that is a combination of disgust and inquiry, “How is it different from the last piece of bullshit that I brought yesterday, in bulk!” The Indian rants on like a robot, his words seemingly coded into the mainframe of his mind by the boss he works for, another programmed and experienced robot himself, “This bullshit is of a much better quality and is a product of the “ConsumeMuch” company.” With a new vigor in her wheelchair, the old lady speeds on towards the aisles as I try to understand how I reached here in crazy town, as I entered through the doors of the supermarket.
Have you ever felt that feeling where it just seems you are not a part of the ordinary “normal” world that we live in, a place which has lies and greed engraved into the values of its enterprise. Yes, I am talking about this world of ours, the third rock from the Sun which we have converted into a large supermarket of goods, services and of course, blatant consumerism! Yes, I am talking about a world which is infected by a plague so powerful that the sufferers of the disease do not even know that they are infected at all! This is a world that is monitored at each and every corner and urging you towards the next best thing for you to consume.
Yes, the people who run the world love you, they literally love you to death! Slowly and stealthily, they push you to the aisles, the medical stores, the churches, the temples, the offices, the restaurants, the malls, only to feed you with loads and loads of sugarcoated, gluten-free, premium-quality bullshit, like George Carlin liked to refer to. And we, the happy consumers who are addicted to consumption, constantly gorge on the things around us like those little caterpillars which eat a large number of leaves. In this case though, we the people are caterpillars which are munching on sedatives, junk-food, adulterated information, self-indulgent beliefs, cosmetic products, beauty creams, hairsprays, soap operas, item numbers and all the other shit that is handed to us on a golden platter known as advertising and branding. Oh, imagine the butterfly that would emerge out of our own pupation; an obese, semi-awake, sedated individual, crippled due to the weight of the accumulated blubber, the TV remote and a packet of potato chips strewn over the drool covered, lice infested, hairy belly as it covers half of the shit that is flowing out of the TV (to capitalize on this limited offer, try peeking in your neighbor’s window and stand a chance to win a glimpse of one of the earlier stages of pupation or as we like to call it, branded degeneration).
The world is practically inflicted with a disease that makes us look at the people around us in ways that cannot be considered human. We look at each other like products! “Yo, check that fatso out (brand image), let’s stay beat up that walrus (brand name)!” “She is just SOOO ugly (brand image), maybe we should give her the silent treatment (consumer behavior)” Yes, it is a literal marketplace out there, where kids can get the latest stereotypes, with all the free accessories just for a very “small” price, the oppression of a fellow human being! Ah, what a life this is, folks, where you can buy your way through your troubles by selling your soul to an idol. They come in so many shapes and sizes that people tend to get confused as to which idol they should buy into. “The guy on the cross looks handsome, but then, the fat elephant-headed God looks so much more swag bro!” Nowadays, people have the place of these idols in many parts of the consumerist society, “Zayn Malik has that crazy hairdo man (product description), I wanna get a hair cut like him so that I can screw that chick we met the other day (service description).
Are you offended folks? Do you feel a sense of resentment and frustration from what you just read? If you did, then that is exactly what I wanted (brand tagline) and I hope you take some time to reassess the situation of the world you find yourself in. If, on the other hand, you are not affected by the article, you better go to the mall and buy a new pair of clothes or a trimmer or something, because you my friend, are still part of the game. Yes, the same game that involves turning everyone into mindless zombies whose thirst can only be satiated by buying the next best brand, the next best stereotype, the next best image, the next best state of “I am better than everybody.” Good luck, and welcome to the zoo folks, the one known as “Society”.
Further Tripping…
