scrobble.life
Reflections

Devil's Out Tonight

Taraz@tarazkp (86)8h

Stop trying to make Halloween a thing.

I get that Americans love it, but it is pretty silly to have it spread throughout the world just because it gets seen in movies. Because pretty much, that is what drives it so it can be commercialised globally.

Why does everything have to be commercialised?

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I think it a good indicator of how we are driven by monetary incentives, when so much tradition ends up being a consumer product. It can be argued that the attraction to the tradition provides a market, but I think that a lot of the traditions are actually kept alive because they have been commercialised. Take Christmas for example, which is alive and well despite nowhere near as many people going to church or caring about religion. The tradition survives because there is money to be made from it. Religion survives because there is money to be made too, I assume.

Similarly, the traditional industries that should be replaced like fossil fuel, are kept alive and well because there is money to be made. If there were no money to be made from it, it would disappear. Same for cigarettes and elicit drugs. If there is money to be made, someone will make it.

Demand drives supply.

No matter the harm.

In recent years, we have all been encouraged to commercialise ourselves, to sell ourselves as if that is a desirable outcome for our species. The problem with selling is it requires marketing and product positioning, to give the appearance of value, even if it is not actually present. The perspectives can be skewed in numerous ways to fool the buyer, whether they are paying for a product directly, or with clicks, shares and follows. The purchase is made on impression, not proof.

Don't sell yourself, prove yourself.

Imagine if you had a chance to view the reality of the person for the top paid influencers. How many would live up to their marketing? How many would be able to prove their value? I think that for many of them, even their looks aren't close to what they sell of themselves and if we were actually to get to know them, they are unlikely to be very attractive as people - no matter how good they look. To be at the level of self-absorption required, I don't think many people would want to actually have one as a partner. The idea of one, yes - but not the reality.

We demand the fantasy, which means fantasy gets paid.

It is a pity we don't demand the things that would make us healthier, happier, and the world more peaceful. If we did, most of the current commercial offering would change, as would all of the types of roles available. The average person would have a far more meaningful job by default, and the influencers would be those who can prove valuable.

Quite a different world.

But not the one we live in.

Taraz [ Gen1: Hive ]

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Comments · 7

  • @videoaddiction(72)· 15m

    I think the important thing is recognizing when fear is being used to control people rather than help them understand the world. Hope you had fun ;)

  • @seattlea(78)· 1h

    I get it, Valentines day and Halloween are some of the most commercialized holidays, Christmas is not far behind.

    You don't have to buy crap to celebrate these though, you can make these into your own style holidays and it is great to have an excuse to celebrate something with your loved ones, Halloween is the least suitable holidays for that but you can still have fun and children love it.

  • @riverflows(82)· 2h

    Everything is for sale.

    I fucking HATE plastic Halloween.

    But what I did love, unexpectedly, was all the kids in costume going up the street last night as we were doing the front garden. Haven't lived in suburban streets for twenty odd years (and even then we're on the coast, in a relatively quiet area) so I hadn't seen the vibe at all.

    There was a local facebook group where you put up your address if you had treats for the kiddies. Two on our street so we saw B1 and B2, a kid in a cardboard tank, one in a fat suit, various crazy costumes - it was hilarious. I felt bad I didnt have lollies out for a sec, then realised I hate giving kids lollies. But it was cute, and they were having fun, and walking the streets with parents (mostly) in tow. Not on video games. Making memories. Cup weekend here as well so town is busy (which I didn't realise as I got home after 9 am post surf before it got busy and then cycled to shop for wine).

    I kinda suprised myself by being not grumpy about it.

    But my inner self thought CUNTS when I saw some fake cobwebs on the bushes out the front of one place.

  • @rishehri(60)· 2h

    I think one of the most important points in your post is how people are turning themselves into products to promote and sell. On social media, people often focus more on creating an attractive image of themselves than showing who they really are. I think staying authentic in this environment is becoming harder every day.

  • @leighdalisay(70)· 2h

    This post made me reflect on how much influence advertising has on our choices. Sometimes we (including me 😩🤣) buy things because of trends rather than actual need.

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  • @amigoponc(70)· 6h

    The uncomfortable part of this equation is that commercialisation works so well because it demands so little of us. True tradition and genuine personal worth require discipline, community and accountability. A commercialised festival requires nothing more than a transaction, and a personal brand requires nothing more than aesthetics.

    We often blame corporations and influencers for selling us superficial products and illusions, but what’s on offer merely reflects our collective apathy. If imported spectacles like Halloween so easily erase local culture, it’s probably because there was already a cultural void waiting to be filled. It’s simply much more comfortable to consume a ready-made fantasy than to build something meaningful from scratch.