Conspicuous Consumption

I start by recognizing that conspicuous				the last few hundred thousand years did they
consumption, buying to show off not to				invent tools and discover the use of
meet needs, is the result of the "dominator				fire and become hunters themselves. By then
paradigm" on which EuroAmerican				the basic human need for "belonging"
cultures are built. It is almost unknown in other				and "community" were built into their genes. The
cultures that were based on				niche into which they evolved
'reciprocity' and not 'money' or 'exchange.'THE				was one in which most cooperative individuals
DOMINATOR PARADIGMThe "Dominator				survived. This basic human nature
Paradigm" was inherent in the Jewish creation				has been overridden in the EuroAmerican cultures
myth. It holds that				by the unnatural values of
the Earth was made for the use of man (and I				competition, violence, greed, and material
do mean "man"). The man centered				ownership, exemplified by immoral
philosophy was emphasized by the Greeks in the				consumption. The key value of these culture is
tenet that "man is the measure of				what you have not what you are or
all things." The early Christian church amplified the				what you contribute to society.Of course, other
belief that man is the purpose of				cultures were not immune for the evils of
the Earth, and the Earth is the center of the				self-interest even before
universe. Following Aquinas, the Church				the advent of the EuroAmerican dominator
taught the "chain of being." Man is at the top of				paradigm. But violence, robbery and
the chain with only a few celestial				warfare in other cultures was primarily confined
being above. Below man in decending order are				to struggles between cultures it
woman, children, other races,				was not a norm of the internal cultural
animals, plants and the Earth itself. The purpose				relationships as it is now. Few cultures, as
of each rung in the chain is to				Margaret Mead, Malinowski, Boas and others have
serve, and be dominated by, the ones above.This				shown, taught their children
dominator paradigm was made the law of Europe				competition, self-interest, and greed.THE GAIAN
by the Inquisition and the				PARADIGMIn the last few decades Chaos,
burning at the stake of over one million so called				Complexity, and Gaian theories and other scientific
heretics, mostly women, who
worshiped the Earth. It was spread world wide				research have brought humanity most radical
by the sword (technology), the flag				new and different understanding of
(nationalism), and the cross (Christianity). The				the cosmos and of human nature. These
right to dominate all other people,				theories, in different ways, show that the
cultures, and land was inherent in the divine right				cosmos is one and evolves as a unity. It is
of Christian kings, and the power				composed of whole systems embedded
of the church. The Age of Discovery and				in whole systems, and composed of whose
Colonization not only made Europe				systems, or holons all the way up and all
dominant throughout the world, but also carried				the way down -- atoms to molecules to cells, to
the doctrine of the dominator				life-forms, to humans. to social
paradigm to all other countries.The final control of				systems. All thins from quarks to are interlocked
EuroAmerican dominator paradigm was voiced in				and interdependent. The whole
Adam Smith's				holonistic system evolves as a unit. Nor part can
economic theory. The anointing of "self-Interest"				change without all others being
as a logical, if not necessary,				involved.Gaia (the Earth and all of life) is a prime
extention of the religious concept moved the				example. All the physical attributes that
dominator paradigm beyond the				make life possible, the amount of oxygen in the
church and into the hands of government, the				air -- the temperature of the
capitalistic elite, and secular society.				planet, the salt in the ocean, the radiation
With this birth of "homo econimicus" material				reaching the earth, and others -- are
accumulation in self-interest became				kept within life supporting bounds by biological
a new morality that put competition and personal				processes. Life makes life
greed above all other human				possible. Gaia is like a living system itself.
moral attributes. The measure of EuroAmerican				Applied to humanity and its societies Gaia
man is what he has, not what he is.Consumption				suggests that no individual can exist
is thereby not immoral within the norms of the				without the support of all others. Self-interest,
EuroAmerican				competition, and material
Cultures.HUMAN NATURE & CULTURAL				consumption are self-defeating.------------------
NORMSAnthropological, social, psychological,				Bill Ellis, of Rangely, ME retired early from his
biological and other sciences are showing				working life
that there is nothing natural about the				as a science policy consultant in agencies such as
EuroAmerican socioeconomic system. Most				the National
other cultures were based on the understanding				Science Foundation, Unesco and The World Bank.
that humans and all of Gaia (the				For the last
Earth and all its life forms) are interdependent.				30 years he has work voluntarily to promote the
Most cultures recognized that only				broad range of
cooperation for the good of the whole could				social innovations that empower people at the
provide good for the individual. They				grass roots and
existed on "reciprocity economics." That is, by				promote community self-reliance. One of these is
the religious. if not common sense,				as General
belief that each individual should produced for and				Coordinator, of 'A Coalition for Self-Learning. With
serve the good of society. The				which he
more one gave to others the more others gave				facilitated the drafting an online book, "Creating
to the giver. Owning anything that				Learning
someone else needed more was taboo. Many				Communities," and, the White Paper, "Life-Long
cultures had now word for				Self-Learning,"
"ownership." Self-poverty rather than self-interest				that promotes the recognition of the vast array
was the rule.This concept of cooperation is built				of learning
into our genes. When humanids first came				modalities in addition to public schooling -- e.g.
down from the trees they were small, weak and				learning
without tools or fire. For some 5				co-ops, public schools, private schools,
million years they were the prey of hyenas,				unschooling, charter
saber tooth tigers, and other large				schools. His mantra is "everyone should have the
carnivors including some primates. There defense				right, the
was cooperation. They lived in				freedom, the resources and the opportunity to
large communities. They used their larger brains				learn what
to manage to exist. Only with in				they want, when they want and how they want.

Sg Fencing

Conspicuous Consumption