PAGE IN PROGRESS What you see here is a page of my hypertext book POWER of meanings // MEANINGS of power. Initially empty, this page will slowly be filled with thoughts, notes, and quotes. One day, I will use them to write a coherent entry, similar to these completed pages. Thank you for your interest and patience!
Consumerism: power over people of wanting to own things; start with cortazar’s story about getting a watch for present; Snusmumrik, Sniff and rubies
Wealth: in any culture, wealth is good (with caveats like “rich people also cry” - telekovela - and money cannot buy happiness); according to Harari, this mentality may be connected to the move to agriculture = more property. Nomads and hunter gatherers do not own must stuff. Difference between Sniff and Snusmumrik (the latter says he does not have to own stuff because he “owns” everything he sees, but Sniff really wants to own (e.g. shiny red stones, which leads him to trouble)
children opening presents in my first time in CA); “the riches one is not the one who has more but one who needs less”
Cycle of violence: property, scarcity of resources, value meanings, wars
Why Coca Cola is not selling drinks in reusable bottles? https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/earth-words-blog/2023/11/1/why-coke-stopped-using-glass-bottles Consumer prefer cheapness and convenience, companies whose decisions are revenue-based follow the consumers. Legislation to force companies to not use reusable bottle failed. Pros and cons of regulation. Legitimate fears of overregulation but also legitimate concerns that no regulations means that revenue principles guide company decisions.
peer pressure, cultural meanings; if you don’t throw things away hoping to reuse them, you are a hoarder. It is considered ok to throw things that are functional if they don’t look good anymore.
quote from La Barca (Cortazar) that having something means also being worried about losing it: "Todo lo que se posee es la muerte porque anuncia la desposesión, organiza el vacío a venir."