Spend! Spend! Spend!

Okay, is it me, or is there a total blitzkreig on our senses?
It would almost seem that there is so many consumer products (and always tons more on the way) that it's like we're suppossed to spend all of our money and buy as much stuff as possible.
It becomes like an addiction.
It's like someone wants us to keep spending and when we've exhausted our resources, to take out lines of credit and loans and spend all of that too.
And then take out more credit/loans to cover the first amassed debt...
And so on...
What do you people think?

When I was 18 I was given a credit card. 18!

Do you realize how quick I could blow $1000 when I was 18. The youth is the prey here, accumulate debt and let the interest build. I am 21 years old and probably owe close to $30,000.

This is without a mortgage or car lease.

Between Student Loans, Credit Cards that I should never of had, Line of Credit.. etc. I am eyeball deep in debt. Now I did not waste most of the money I had to be honest, I have basically lived on my own since I was 17 and always made my own way. So a certain amount of debt was to be expected, but its how easy this money is accessible to those it should not be.

There are alot of people in my position, that really do not need to be.

Spend Spend Spend is exactly what the man wants us to do.

[edit on 20-6-2006 by chissler]

yeah, yeah...
That's what I'm saying!

It almost seems like it's part of some great plan.
I guess when we rack up enough debt, we will be expected to pay with something even more dear like a body part, or our souls
(I know that sounds a little extreme, but seriously, think about it...)

Yeah, I totally know what you mean about studen loans!!
Those things are giving me premature grey hairs!!

haha the real way they rape you is thru health care, I owe 200,000.00 USD in medical bills just becuz i have some digestive disorders doctors can't diagnose so the endoscopes an cat scans along witht he weird tests an BS continue, while i pick up the tab.

it feels less like im being treated an more like im being harvested for Cash.......

i have a insurance company now, but for that 200,000.00 i didnt, an thats how they helped me by sending me more bills lol.....

still i goto docs an the endoscope are continuing, an so are the lame "i think its this, try eating like this an doing this" next week same prob.

an so the cycle continues

That is remarkable. Being from Canada its not something I ever have to consider. (Which I am grateful for everyday) I am more than happy to give up some tax dollars to have a healthcare system.

If you don't mind me asking, what would a regular payment be on a $200,000 bill to a hospital.

About one finger each month I'll bet.
Then the toes.
Seriously though, we're being hearded into debt because it'll make aquisition of our personal possessions (and eventually our freedom) much easier because we'll "owe" it to the creditors.

Its more of the materialistic world we live in today. So much emphasis is put on the clothes we wear, or the cars we drive. Success is being measured on items that are completely meaningless. Rather than saving up for the future, we are wasting away on garbage.

I am just as guilty as anyone else, but its the system we have been put into.

Yeah, it would appear that our value is measured on how much usless junk we can accumulate.
Unfortunately, people (like my dad) judge success only in dollars and cents; not by how happy we are (which I believe is the true way to evaluate one's success, but success is also subjective according to the individual...)

Originally posted by wu kung
Okay, is it me, or is there a total blitzkreig on our senses?
It would almost seem that there is so many consumer products (and always tons more on the way) that it's like we're suppossed to spend all of our money and buy as much stuff as possible.
It becomes like an addiction.
It's like someone wants us to keep spending and when we've exhausted our resources, to take out lines of credit and loans and spend all of that too.
And then take out more credit/loans to cover the first amassed debt...
And so on...
What do you people think?

I noticed the religion behind greed a few years back. More and more people are being awakened to this fact because the powers behind this religion are becoming more blatant. Their constant prodding--both conscious and sub-conscious-- for us to buy, spend, and borrow is like a "blitzkreig". I keep using the word religion because that is what amassing untold amounts of wealth has become. Even the U.S. debt is in the hands of privately owned banks. Just the interest alone on the national debt is something like 236 BILLION per year. These are the same banks that issue a majority of credit cards worldwide.

Yeah, the current religion of the world is the worship of the "almighty dollar".
I totally hear you on that...

At the end is all about you choosing to live that way. Yep, you have the right to choose, so it is your fault.
The sad thing, as mentioned before, success is measured (by gnorant people) by how much clothes/cars/houses you have, even if you are going to pay for them the rest of your life, so thats why most people choose this. Of course there are some cases where you just cant avoid it like the guy who has some strange sickness.

Its easy to say we have a choice, but when you think about it do we really? Its either conform or be defeated.

You don't need to go out and spend your hard earned money on the fanciest of things, you can buy exactly what you need. But in our world of materials, perception goes along way. If you can percieve to be something your not, well thats just as good as being it.

Its more of what you appear to be rather than what you actually are. The better person does not always get the job.

From a young age we are taught to conform, we are taught to spend. Christmas as a child are some of the greatest memories for some people, just a materialistic holiday. So from such a young age, so much emphasis is laid on these items.

To Zeratul:
I think it's a little more complicated than that.
Like school.
Not everybody has someone to pay for school for them, so they wind up racking up huge school debts.
And if you go to school, chances are that you are not working that many hours (of course, there are exceptions) so it's likely that you need to live off of a credit card.
Then there is loans for your car (unless, you own one free and clear), because you pretty much need a car to get from school to work and so on...
It's really a never ending cycle.
But in all seriousness, if it weren't for my girlfriend (and my wonderful animals), I would have just walked away from my life and gone to live on a mountain somewhere practicing meditation and martial arts.
But, yes, I DID make the choice to stay, so I am absolutely responsible for that.
But I DO need to make a living, and provide for my animals (most of which I rescued) and help my girlfriend out too (because I love her).
So choice and fate walk hand-in-hand, debt just happens to be the by-product.
Of course, I'm just one person, there are other people that are not as fortunate as me.

[edit on 6/20/2006 by wu kung]

I agree with wu kung on this one. Were put in a position were we really have no decision. Through a death in the family I inherited an above average car that gets me around without having to make a car payment. (Insurance, etc. but no Payment) So in that aspect I lucked out, but for the rest I fit the norm.

Annual student loan to get me into school, need to work full time in order to survive. So right off the bat I am spending my days in school, nights at work. Barely any time to study since I need to work just to beable to get to school, and all the hours I am working are only going to go towards the loan that is paying for school. Its a constant rotation of me getting screwed in the backside.

Originally posted by nightbreid

Originally posted by wu kung
Okay, is it me, or is there a total blitzkreig on our senses?
It would almost seem that there is so many consumer products (and always tons more on the way) that it's like we're suppossed to spend all of our money and buy as much stuff as possible.
It becomes like an addiction.
It's like someone wants us to keep spending and when we've exhausted our resources, to take out lines of credit and loans and spend all of that too.
And then take out more credit/loans to cover the first amassed debt...
And so on...
What do you people think?

I noticed the religion behind greed a few years back. More and more people are being awakened to this fact because the powers behind this religion are becoming more blatant. Their constant prodding--both conscious and sub-conscious-- for us to buy, spend, and borrow is like a "blitzkreig". I keep using the word religion because that is what amassing untold amounts of wealth has become. Even the U.S. debt is in the hands of privately owned banks. Just the interest alone on the national debt is something like 236 BILLION per year. These are the same banks that issue a majority of credit cards worldwide.

this is why i came to this site, and iv'e been so depressed that no one adresses this. only in the last couple years have i come to realize myself how much of a scam the intrest/tax scene really is.

I will say right away, what really woke me up was "Money Masters" If someone has some info that can discredit this film i would realy apreciate it, otherwise my mind will remain bent on this for the rest of my time.

Why would my government borrow it's own money from a bank that seems to consistantly be titled with misleading logo's that would make me believe my elected government has the rights to control such a respocibility?

why do people give a 1/4 of their income to taxes, when our government could be printing all the money they needed as long as it did not exceed our growth?

why when i bring this up to people, everyone agrees, no one really cares? oh ya we are busy spending, spending, spending, and it makes us feel good. say i just bought a new minivan, i feel so good about myself when i drive it.

one more thing. If a bank prints all of the money, and gives it out expecting interest in return, were do they expect the interest to come from? someone has to come up short for everyone else to be able to pay back the loan. so cruel, i can just imagine the mentality of a major banker, taxpayers must be so petty. man i would love to get a banker in the octagon for just 5 minutes

Are you ready? ..... Are you Ready?

LETS GET IT ON!

I would pay to see that.

Well said tom goose. I have never seen that film, I will have to look into it. From what you have said it has really caught my attention.

Yeah, word up on that my friend!
It's all a scam for us.
Pretty lights distract us while we empty our pockets on useless junk and then beg the powers that be to take away our rights and freedoms.
(I'm not sure if I got my point accross, but I think you get the picture)

I think you did a great job on getting your point across, this is a thread that was long overdue.

I have voted wu kung and tom goose for WATS for your posts.

to both of you.

ed: we need someone to disagree with us so this thread can become alittle more heated.

[edit on 20-6-2006 by chissler]

I really don't think the average joe can disagree with this
But, much thanx for voting for me!
It's an honour just to be nominated

But seriously, I need to hear from you other people on this topic.
If enough people make their voices loud enough, then our needs can not be ignored!

There is another point that I want to touch up on,
and that is how expensive cell phone service has become.
The phones themselves are, for the most part, relatively cheap.
But the providers...
They charge through the nose.
In this day and age, it is basically impossible to not have a cell phone (at least, that is what we are lead to believe), then we have to pay the basic fee for which ever plan we get.
Then, all of a sudden there's lines and lines of all these different fees.
For example, my plan is $49.99/month, but with all of the extra fees, it's like $68.
Is that entirely necessary?
What do you people think?