*Rampant consumerism had not raised it's ugly head.*

Hang on Pelican. Going shopping is not compulsory!

It's your
generation which has raised a bunch of brats, given them life on
a plate and they now expect it on a plate, with everything that
opens and shuts, right now.

As parents, you and Squeers only have yourselves to blame

Yabby,

The reasons for rampant consumerism are complex in our society. It takes resolve and presence of mind to stop and construct values that differ from the mainstream. In all societies most of the population just drifts in the general direction following the majority.
We have, after all, developed a consumerist paradigm in almost all facets of our daily lives - and that is compounded by a factory-style education system that readies children for their participation in consumer culture.

Try stepping out of the mainstream while residing amidst it - you'll find you not only have to deal with the quizzical inquiry of your fellows, but also the interrogation of your own psychological patterning.

I was a bit before you Pelican, the 50s.

Yeah, I have some great memories, but some aren't that great either.

I remember playing football with the high school football team, at a place called Millthorpe. We were good, & pretty tough, but we lost that one.

It wasn't the 60 square meter pool, in the centre of the field, or the snow. No it was the thick ice on the pool, & the fact that with 3/4 of us playing bare foot, we could not get a grip on the ice.

I remember dad managing to spring for some running shoes, when I made the state titles my last year at school. I'd never had any, & he got them just before the big meet. Pity those new shoes gave me such blisters, I had to run barefoot anyway. Never did tell him.

Then someone gave me a horse. Dad made a bridle out of second hand bailing twine. I platted up reins out of 9 strands of the stuff, but they used to break.

You don't think anyone gave a kid a horse that was any good do you? The damn thing used to bolt, & pull so hard those reins broke. Mum would have had a fit if she'd known. Gee I would have loved some leather ones.

Yeah, I remember the simple times. I'll take a bit more consumerism, rampant or otherwise thanks. Believe it or not, life can get a bit too damn simple.

Have you worked in the Public Sector Hasbeen? Becasue all you are really doing is spouting a caricatured view of the the Public Servant. The opposite of this would be the private sector worker who did nothing but look after himself at the expense of others. Neither of these is correct.

You are obviously very bitter.

No Phil I married one, almost as bad.

Then I had to deal with the buggers, but I had to get things done, not stop them getting done.

Plenty too much experience with them thanks mate.

Hasbeen,

It sounds as though you needed a good "bit" to dampen the ardour of that headstrong nag, and that's an age-old tool. I think the arabs developed some pretty fancy gear early on to manage their preferred choice of feisty transportation, their "chasers of the wind". Lack of means can be a hard task-master, and necessity may not always be matched by inventiveness.

So how can anyone survive nowadays without a mobile, TV, Foxtel and Internet, even a reliable car? We are a gregarious and articulate species, and high tech provides an irresistable means to connect, to be part of the bigger picture, part of a global family. We may ignore our next door neighbour, but we can't stand being our of the loop.

Means must certainly be found to balance needs with sustainability, want with capacity, ambition with wisdom and vision.