“Just pay me your money and hop right aboard!”
So they clambered inside. Then the big machine roared.
And it klonked. And it bonked. And it jerked. And it berked.
And it bopped them about. But the thing really worked!
When the Plain-Belly Sneetches popped out, they had stars!
They actually did. They had stars upon thars!”
Dr Seuss (1961)
On the way to work today, on a crowded train station, surrounded by commuters hustling for position, Dr Seuss’ prophetic words struck me.
An impossible absurdity… rampant consumer complicity… of which I realised I was part of.
The iPhone 4, the iPad 2 (which I have just guiltily purchased)… upgrade now… but the iPhone 5 is coming out soon. Damn it…!
Apple’s growth strategy is based on the commercial principles clearly denunciated by Dr Seuss in a story book I loved reading as a child!
Growing up in a household with limited access to new books, I read the good doctor with a somewhat self serving satisfaction. I understood what Seuss was talking about when the shrewd businessman arrived from out of town to convince the Sneetches that a star on the belly was “cool”, only to subsequently sell the image of no stars as the latest “upgrade”. After cycling through a frenetic period of consumer madness (purchasing stars, then paying to have the stars removed, over and over again), the Sneetches were left exhausted, broke and confused as to whether it was “fully sick” to have a star or not. Thankfully the Sneetches realised the folly of their ways, and as the businessman left town with all their money, they got on with enjoying life together… stars or no stars.
As a child I understood and passionately agreed with the themes from the Sneetches:
- Fashion can be fun
- But fashion linked with consumerism can be easily used to manipulate the masses
- Unchecked consumption takes us away from what it is to be human
- To be human is to lovingly engage with others
These themes have seemingly been at the core of my belief system all my life. Yet slowly, imperceptibly, a sort of unchecked consumerism has invaded my life. I have the latest iMac desktop, a MacBook laptop, an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2 which I enjoy using for work and pleasure. Yet I find myself uncomfortably spending more and more time looking at a screen, including searching for web links on the next upgrade to my machines. Although there are amazing benefits associated with my technology, sometimes I wonder if the associated increase in complexity is worth it. Reluctantly, I find myself being proud of my Apple products. They form part of my projected image… progressive professional, cool and connected academic, sleek businessman.
Are these slick and sexy devices the new “stars upon thars”? And if so, is this a problem? Or should I get over my navel gazing and just get on with life comfortable that Dr Seuss’ warnings about consumerism don’t apply to me?
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