February 21, 2013

Mxmlists Fight Back

We are entering an era
defined by natural limits
For a variety of good reasons, simple and minimalist living is becoming more mainstream. Because of this, simple living and minimalist blogs are becoming more popular. I am optimistic that this trend will continue, and that the message of such blogs will help us transform our economy, our selves, and the way we live our lives.

But some people don't want this inevitable transformation to occur.

Because of the impending shift to gentler (read "less profitable for big business") ways of living, mainstream political 'leaders' and their buddies, the private sector 'wealth generators', are getting nervous. I know this as a fact since my own federal government has recently decided that I am a threat to our country's national security.

Not only that, but environmentalists like me have also been added to the growing list of terrorist threats.  Wow - they really are scared. What's next - fighting back with maximalist, conspicuous consumption blogs brought to you by the United Corporations and the governments that work for them?

Sometimes I wonder why I have never seen any complex living blogs, but I think we all know. In North America, blogging about the work hard/consume hard lifestyle would be like a fish blogging about water.

But for future reference, I thought up some possible names for pro-consumer/work/fast life bloggers to consider.

  • Mxmlist -  the joys of maxing out on possessions and having lots of everything
  • Buying Everything - more work, more stuff, less freedom 
  • Consumer Habits - how to acquire and feed the consumer habit for life
  • Miss Maximalist - living a semi-beautiful life with more stuff
  • Lavish Dad - enjoy all the toys and never mind the kid's education or your early retirement
  • Being Luxurious - have fabulous stuff regardless of the consequences
  • Fast Times - helping you shorten your life by increasing the pace to hyper speed

As the environmentally degrading consumer era comes to a close, those with vested interests in the status quo will flex their ample moneyed muscles.  Rather than look to natural limits to explain the end of profitable conspicuous consumption, they will be looking for party-pooping activists to blame for its demise. 

That is why the Canadian government now lists in their Counter-terrorism Strategy, under "Domestic Issue-Based Extremism", terrible terrorist tactics like engaging in environmentalism and anti-capitalism activities.  

We are entering the age of limits. There will be no Mxmlist Blog in the future, nor will there be the conspicuous consumption like there is now.

There will also not be massive profits for the exploiters, and no amount of green backlash is going to change that.

6 comments:

  1. Tabatha2/21/2013

    The link you provided talks about the terrible tactic of low-level violence, which can be based on grievances about such things as animal rights, white supremacy, environmentalism and anti-capitalism.

    The violence is the problem, not anti-capitalism or environmentalism. These are just some common issues that drive people to low-level violence in domestic extremism.

    While I take your point about the big guys being unhappy about our non-consumerism, it's too far a stretch to say the Canadian government calls environmentalism a terrorist activity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Harper conservatives have chosen their side, and that is the side of the oil industry and other extractive activities. Official documents have surfaced that show that the Harperites consider industry an "ally", and First Nations and environmentalists "adversaries".

      The fact that environmentalist and other groups, that used to be legal in a democracy last time I checked, are now the targets of infiltration by the RCMP, shows you the way Steve's crew rolls.

      Although many ministers have labelled anyone that disagrees with their resource sell out boom everything from "threats to national security" to "radicals" to "adversaries", I am not sure any have called the green leaning "terrorists".

      However, the fact that environmentalism is discussed in a document outlining Canada's "Counter-terrorism Strategy" speaks for itself.

      Defenders of Mother Earth are now officially the enemy. Welcome to Brave New Canada.

      Delete
  2. If you are not following the herd of 'blind sheep' - you can bet if the Gov't knows about you - they certainly have their eyes cast upon you.... (and it's not because they are 'impressed' with what they see).

    ~ Love the names for the blogs... thanks for the laughs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan, you are welcome. I like laughing - it is better than the alternative.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2/23/2013

    Great post - the thing is that there are a ton of complex living blogs... essentially every women's fashion blog is! The spending these women do on clothes - and their closets - is totally outrageous.

    Every once in a while, they get a whiff of Project 333 or some related thing, but otherwise it's all about their purchases.

    I also loved the blog spoofs! They would be great for April Fools' Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are of course completely correct - there are many complex living blogs. We could call complex any of the "better living" websites such as those offered by Oprah and that fancy lady that went to jail.

      But they aren't known as promoting "complex living" as much as promoting the plain old North American way of life. Consumption is the water in which we are all soaking.

      To bad all those over-consumption sites weren't April Fools Day jokes!

      Delete

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