Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence

Please. Please. Please. Do not think I wholeheartedly agree with this idea. But for our benefit let me present it: Planned Obsolescence. This concept or idea is that companies plan for their products to fail eventually, so that the consumer will buy *new upgraded* version of the product days, months, or years later.

This concept can be applied to television sets, cars, fashion, light bulbs, and many other products. Planned obsolescence argues that companies purposefully limit the lifespan of their products so consumers will buy more later.

Do you think this is true? Well then think about this. For a company that wants to make money, what about this idea makes it seem unattractive. Sure you don't want to have a consumer revolt against a lemon... BUT what if you found a way to cleverly make this idea work. It is genius! Keep us the consumer coming back for more!

I know. I know. It is a a little conspiracy theory. But let's face it... we buy too much. Don't you ever just get frustrated with yourself and think "Am I just going to work, buy, work, buy, work, and buy for the rest of my life".

Surely money and stuff does mean happiness.Now here's my opinion in this concept. I think there are several elements that drive planned obsolescence and it puts all of us on the hook.

First! Media. Newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, internet, and so on... all of them advertise. And they have gotten not just good, they are FANTASTIC at convincing us that what we have and who we are is obsolete, uncool, or unsafe. Thus, we are all suckered into buying and upgrading. We get rid of stuff that does not need to be upgraded.

Second! We are suckers. First we support products that we don't actually need. Nay, we demand these products. In fact even if we don't have the money we demand them. Thus, we have created the incentive for inferior products. From inferior toolboxes to McMansions we want big, cool, shiny as cheap as you can give it to me... RIGHT NOW. We don't want to save and invest, we want it now.

Third! Now blame manufacturers. They sell us stuff, they advertise, and they are always looking for ways to skim cream off the top. Not because they are evil, it is because companies are designed to make money. There is nothing wrong with that. However, can money making get out of control? Absolutely, no incredulously, yes! Just look at what happened to our economy. Greed. Greed. Greed.

So, join with me. Escape consumerism! I'll leave you with this awesome excerpt from a talk given by Joseph B. Wirthlin. It is about debt, but even if we're not in debt the message rings true, don't let consumerism control you:

"In spite of the teachings of the Church from its earliest days until today, members sometimes fall victim to many unwise and foolish financial practices. Some continue to spend, thinking that somehow the money will become available. Somehow they will survive. Far too often, the money hoped for does not appear. Remember this: debt is a form of bondage. It is a financial termite. When we make purchases on credit, they give us only an illusion of prosperity. We think we own things, but the reality is, our things own us."

Notre Dame Abortion

Do you remember when Cheney came to BYU? Well reverse the side that reacted. One of the big deals headlining the president's visit was the issue of abortion. Before I begin my little opinion on the matter, I just want to convey as to how INEFFECTIVELY the religious right conveys their message/viewpoint.

Dear cross-carrying-acid-spewing religious right,

Look I'm religious, but don't you realize how badly you alienate people without AND within your faith by doing this. Do you want to reverse Roe v. Wade or continue to sit on your prideful high horse casting aside any possibility of meaningful dialogue.

You can't fool me. What you do is self-gratifying? You do it to make yourself feel better. I'm the sinner because I'm not "Christian" and your going to heaven. I get it. Does it make you feel better to vilify people?

Now back to the issue of abortion. Is the issue of abortion black and white? Well from a Latter-day Saint perspective it is not. In cases of rape, incest, or in the interest of the life of the mother: abortion is an option. Notice I said option, as some Latter-day Saints will vehemently push their personal opinion that NO FORM of abortion is acceptable.

As for me. I go by what I listed earlier. Abortion can be considered in special situations of moral and physical dilemma. So do I advocate abortion for unplanned pregnancy: no. Absolutely not.

But, do I advocate turning over Roe v. Wade? No. This boggles lots of my friends in the LDS church.

Point One: I don't advocate overturning Roe v. Wade because I'm sincerely interested in the health of women. I think there should be a safe option for women who wish to have an abortion. It doesn't make what they do right. But think of the severe emotional and mental duress many women are under when they have an abortion. Think of that desperate girl who sees her life crumbling before her. Yes of course, I advocate counseling and support for these prospective mothers, but ultimately some will choose to have an abortion. I would prefer a safe option, as some will choose a very unsafe option because of desperation.

Point Two: I believe in separation of church and state. Many arguments surrounding abortion revolve around this idea of when the spirit inhabits the fetus. What if the prophet definitely said "When the baby takes its first breath, the spirit enters its body." Would your opinion of abortion change? If not, good stick to your guns. If it does, does this make your stance against abortion a religious issue? I want a just and moral society, but I believe this should be done without creating a theocracy. So I hesitate overturning Roe v. Wade if it is JUST a religious/spiritual issue.

Anyways, I'll stop there. Once again, I think it is terribly wrong for women to have abortions merely because of family-planning or as a way of rectifying an accident. Terribly and horribly wrong. There are so many who wait, and wait to adopt. But I think the best action to take is not to overturn Roe v. Wade but to continue to do our best to influence and sway society (show them why abortion is a harmful choice) and provide a support network for single mothers (especially one that encourages adoption for single teenage mothers).

How frank should we be about Church History?

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I honestly believe I'm part of the best thing on the planet. One of my passions is being completely frank about church history and addressing pressing issues, or at least discussing them. Never at any time during my questioning of church doctrines or church history have I ever felt the church wasn't God's true church. I was reading today on lds.org as a break from my regular MCAT study and read this statement from Boyd K. Packer. This statement is from the FULL transcript from an interview given for the PBS documentary "The Mormons". And I quote:

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Helen Whitney: Is there a conflict between a faith-promoting work of scholarship and factual scholarship? Is there a conflict at all?

Boyd K. Packer: There can be. Some things that are true aren’t very useful. And
there are those in the past who have looked at the leaders of the Church,
for instance, and found out that they’re human and want to tell everything.
There are steps and missteps that don’t help anything. Some think that to be
totally honest they have to tell everything. They don’t. If they’ve got the
mindset for that, then they’re always grumbling — they have an appetite for
it. They’re free to do that, but it isn’t really productive, it doesn’t
really make anybody happy.

Someone you knew, say when you were in college, made a terrible mistake. You knew about it, and it was forgiven and lived beyond. There’s little purpose in going back and digging that out and speaking of it when their children might be present — a lot of things that are true historically aren’t very useful and don’t generate happiness.

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Fantastic! These are my exact feelings when I'm asked tough questions about my faith, and I think Elder Packer puts it wonderfully here. Here's the link to the article.

Mountain Meadows Massacre

LDS.org - Ensign Article - The Mountain Meadows Massacre

The church will be publishing an article in the September Ensign about the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I think this is an absolutely incredible move by the church to not just pass by uncomfortable moments in church history. I also think such an article will also be inspirational because it helps us as church members recognize that while the members and leaders of the church are not perfect, the doctrine is.

The church has actually posted the article on the website already and you can follow the link above to get to it.

FRONTLINE American Experience: Mormons | PBS

FRONTLINE American Experience: Mormons | PBS

Absolutely fantastic! That is my review of this PBS special on the Mormons. Fantastic! It summed up perfectly how I feel about my religion. Which basically is summed up by this:

There are tough issues that the church has to deal with like homosexuality, blacks and the priesthood, lack of archaeological data which supports Book of Mormon events and people, plus a few others. BUT in my mind it does not stop it from being true.

I think that's what the program presented, almost. It at least portrayed the church as an institution that does incredible good in the lives of most members, along with many who are not members, BUT is only just that, an awesome "invention".

However, I don't think the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is just an good "invention" I truly believe it is a restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel. I could write PAGES more about my feelings on this subject (not necessarily my testimony, BUT about how I reconcile the quirks and gospel together in faith).