In this age of hyper-capitalism, image saturation, and unreality, people are living as if there is one single, linear standard of human worth. The human measuring stick is made up of a small number of criteria, which are determined and psychologically enforced by media forces. These media forces are tools used by corporations to get us to spend money. They use the media to show us eveything that we're lacking. Those things which we can buy (clothes, car, toys, etc.), we do. Those which we cannot (sex appeal, popularity, spiritual fulfilment, etc.) they tell us we can obtain by buying the things we can buy.

Has anyone noticed that all the people in these media forces look and sound the same? That all the things we're told to buy are related to influencing what other people think of us? That all this money-seeking relies on constant change for the mere sake of nothing other than change? It's a cliche, but the truth is that everything in our society, and even our culture, is determined by the quest for money.

Studying world culture and history shows that there is a lot more to this existence than scrambling over each other trying to "win" some vague game. Before all our technology was invented, people were preoccupied with things like romance, love, sensuality, honour, family, friends, fun, nature, philosophy, and spirituality. Now these things are just empty selling tools.

If we buy a home in such-and-such community, our family life will thrive. The right beer brings more fun. The right dress make us more sensual. The right music brings more friends. The right tour company brings more nature. The right perfume brings more romance. Anything that can't be sold is mocked, like honour, self-respect, and true spirituality.

None of these things can be had by buying other things. Here's one example: Women wearing tight, revealing dresses sitting with bad posture, face slack, smoking are not sensual. Most of the women I've seen wearing long broomstick skirts and sandals look more sensual because in their hearts and minds, they are. Movement and body language is sensual. Shopping at the right store is not.

The level of technology in our world right now is incredible. The distance between our world and the worlds of Asimov and Roddenberry is shrinking rapidly. But most of this technology is used to stay ahead in the capitalist race. Money-seeking runs television, radio, the internet, newpapers, magaizines, and all of our major systems of information-sharing. Consequently, information is selected and sometimes even modified according to capitalist interest. Advertisers must not be alienated, readers not offended. This makes widespread information highly suspect.

All this may sound like radical, paranoid, communist ranting, but the creepy things is: It all makes sense. The bottom line is that the bottom line of the profit sheet should not be the bottom line of life, the universe, and everything. People have got to start thinking for themselves. If one insists on being attractive to everyone else, it is better to spend time alone building up one's brain, soul, and life than to work all day, buy arbitrary things, then parade them around amongst all the other people doing the same thing. Buying things is not a morally upright duty. It is not "cool". It is not a comfort. It's just giving other people your money. When you run out of that, all the people you've attracted will vanish and you'll be left with the one person you like the least: yourself.