Would I Buy IT Covered in Poo?

I woke up really early today since I went to bed really early last night. I figured I'd turn on the tele while I munched on my PB toast. After all there's no need to be too active (wash dishes, fold laundry, de-clutter) at 4am. I'm 7 months pregnant; need to take it easy. Well I tried to watch the news but I ended up watching commercial after commercial after commercial and at least five of our ten channels were exclusively selling something. They almost had me convinced that I need all new furniture for the entire house.

Have you ever thought about all the advertising you take in during a normal day? Whether on the radio, tv, billboards, internet, in shopping centers, fliers, I don't know do they advertise on smart phones somehow now (I don't have a cell)... it's crazy. We're all really accustomed to it. I know I am. Think of the beautiful signs in front of Starbucks with the holiday beverages on them. They're not just placed there for something neat to look at. The displays in the main aisles of stores, or at the registers... do you know how many people constantly buy unnecessary stuff just because of where it's been placed in the shopping center? Just the words "sale" or "clearance" cause this weird gotta have it reaction in most of us. I'm pretty sure most of us don't ever give a second thought to the fact that someone is pretty much ALWAYS trying to sell us something. I bet you think you decided to buy THAT. Someone in a high rise somewhere probably sold it to you very much like the car sales men and tv sales men that we so cleverly avoid... except that someone gets paid better and never had to talk to you.

Chicago!!!

I'd encourage everyone to spend sometime maybe a day at it and pay attention to what you're being sold. How many signs, how many ads, how much clever product placement did you come in contact with today? With this crazy holiday season in full swing I'm going to be much more on the the look out. Just because it's on sale doesn't mean that I need it and neither does that loved one of mine who I've yet to buy a gift for. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a sci-fi movie. When did the world become so inundated with "useful" nonsense; when did we become machines, programmed to react in certain ways to visual stimulation; when did this mirage of necessary become our truth?

I think I may just start imagining everything I might consider buying removed from the store, removed from the packaging, sitting in a pile of poop in a field somewhere. If I'd pay a farmer the ticket price for that item knowing full well that I'm going to have to dig it out of poo and clean it off before I could use it then maybe I'll buy it. Maybe.