Repenting Good Behavior

Dan Warner grew up in Seattle where he also attended University of Washington law school. He moved to Squalicum Lake Road in 1975. He is a professor of business legal studies in the accounting department at WWU.

About twenty years ago I was driving into town and listening to news about the number of “new housing starts.” That more new housing starts is good, and fewer bad, was understood: more is better.

But as I looked at the new housing starts along Lake Whatcom, I had some other thoughts: there is more traffic coming, and more paving, pollution, and congestion; more trees cut down, more bulldozing, more consumption and dislocation and destruction of every non-human living thing. And more the quality of our lives decreases.

Thoreau wrote: “The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?” What demon possess most of us that we behave so well, so willing to call ourselves “consumers,” and what are we going to do about it?

Reality is socially constructed. Today it is constructed by corporate media conglomerates like Disney, AOL/Time-Warner, General Electric (MSNBC), Gannett, and so on. Their interest is not in promoting a balanced view of life, of reality. They make quarterly profits by selling advertising and promoting the belief that constant material acquisition makes most of a good life.

These corporate media conglomerates artfully condition people to spend money on marginal or harmful goods, sold most effectively by emotional associations made in seconds. They have generated mass spending all out of proportion to any real need or societal good, and convinced most of us that the world exists to fulfill humans’ materialistic fantasies, instead of existing to sustain life.

They succeed partly because humans have, apparently, an ancient predisposition to show off our power and importance through conspicuous consumption. And the more unnecessary and wasteful the consumption (enormous houses and SUVs), the more power is projected.

Tendencies to conspicuous consumption were formerly tempered by a traditional construction of reality promoted by family, church, and the small-town influence. But today the modern corporate media and their customers, while beating the First Amendment drum, frustrate attempts to present a different, fuller, construction of reality.

They resist the publics’ efforts to control any kind of media content (notwithstanding Federal Communications Act provisions that broadcasting be in the public interest), including children’s programming, television, video-game and movie violence, and advertising for liquor, tobacco, or prescription drugs. Meanwhile, they press their acceptance onto classrooms, sports arenas and events; they take over the exterior of our buses.

These media conglomerates—about seven of them now—own almost all the major radio and television networks, newspapers, magazines, book publishers (and theme parks!). They own the major bookstores and promote—or not—such books as they see fit.

They decide what’s news, frame the public agenda on all issues, insist that our U.S.-style consumerism is the world’s tonic, and use powerful law firms, influential lobbyists and heavy campaign contributions to block large-scale protests or reform. They deny exposure to politicians who do not have the money to buy it; they regularly harass and intimidate their critics.

The free speech threat today is not from government, but from huge multinational corporations. Notwithstanding their nearly complete control of the media, the world order they espouse is so fundamentally offensive to most people that it can—apparently—only be imposed by undemocratic bodies such as the IMF, WTO and by granting the U.S. president “fast track” free-trade negotiation authority, which would by-pass any real democratic debate about “free” trade.

What to do? Well, obviously—if we believe in democracy—we must elect progressive candidates. We need antitrust enforcement and media reform! But up against the power and influence of huge corporations, for whom in many ways the government is now run, how to elect such people? I’m sorry I have no remarkable answers. You know the answers.

First, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” People are influenced by their peers: those of us concerned about sustainability must model appropriate behavior in our domestic and business affairs. A-1 Builders (Rick Dubrow)—featured in the December Whatcom Watch (page 1)—does that very effectively, and so does the RE Store and the Community Food Co-Op. How is your office, home, yard, car? Start where you are, and at least don’t let things get worse!

Second, effective communication is essential. Write or email your government representatives at all levels: discuss these issues! You think it does no good: it does some good, really. And letters to the editor—at least others of our ilk can know that we’re not alone. Talk with family, colleagues, and associates. And of course participate in local progressive organizations and support good candidates for public office. Be prepared, during election time, to spend some money supporting them.

If we model good behavior and effectively communicate our interest and concern, we will be empowering others and heading in the right direction, instead of the wrong one. The demons that possess most of us to “behave so well” will lose their influence, and we will—as a society—develop a more expansive and finer vision of reality.