Today, I am probably going to make some people angry. I want to talk about ideology and commercialism and the blurring of the two in modern society. It's, oddly enough, something that's been on my mind a lot lately.

Let's start with ideology. Merrian Webster has this to say about the word ideology: 1) Visionary theorizing. 2a) A systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture. 2b) A manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture. 2c) The integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program. The second set of definitions are the ones that most interest me. Now I would ask a question: who are the leading ideological bodies in our modern era? I would propose the following: Churches and Cults, the government, and the media.

I would note the relationships between these entities. Churches and cults rely, to a small extent, on the media for dissemination of their ideologies. The media is beholden to the government in various ways (most notably the FCC). The government has an uneasy truce with churches (that is, in times when the government is most likely to be primary driver of popular ideology, i.e. wartime, churches generally fall in line). After WWII we saw a shift away from the government and back to churches. Now I think we find ourselves in a new and unique situation. The emphasis seems to have been slowly shifting from churches to the media.

So. Who controls the media? I think the answer here is sort of obvious. Corporations. Commercial interests. That's kind of a frightening prospect especially when you consider that, while church and state at least claim to serve people, corporations exist for one and one reason only: to make money.

That said, I would now ask what ideology these commercial interests are selling? I'm guessing it's going to be something that serves to make them more money... lessee... how about stuff==happiness? That would seem to fit the bill nicely. Hrmm.. it's going to take more than that, though, because there is only so much stuff that people can own. Ah-ha! How about this: how about we sell the idea that some stuff is better than other stuff because it looks different? There we go. Voila! Trends. You see where I'm going with this, I guess.

Right now we are in a particularly interesting situation because there are still a lot of people that are taking their ideologies from religion. Religions, however, have realized that their flocks are slipping away and are responding appropriately. The whole WWJD campaign is a brilliant example of churches exercising market savvy. How far can that take them, though? I'm guessing that it's only a matter of time until corporate entities alone drive ideology.

OTOH, I have a lot of faith in humanity. I think people, especially people in my generation, are beginning to sense to emptiness and futility of the commercialist ideologies. Who knows where this will lead? It's an interesting thing to be a part of in any case.

Just a little sidebar: The World Capitalist System has, I think, been responsible for a great many injustices... and still is. However, I would venture to say that on a crimes-against-humanity scale it won't hold a candle to the emerging World Commercialist System. (I know, I know, in same ways that's different ways of saying the same thing but, at least in my mind, the difference is subtle and important).

</crackpot>