The world scene seems almost overripe for this false product, so I'm putting it up on the virtual shelf for window shoppers to enjoy.
Here we have an antique hammered silver box picked up on the African coast over thirty-five years ago, combined with trinkets cranked out by the American advertising community. The silver Arab "prayer box" has a sliding lid on top and would traditionally contain prayers or words from the Koran. Now it contains a couple of vintage McDonald's coupons.
When I originally assembled this piece decades ago I didn't have the nerve to wear it because it seemed so politically/religiously incorrect. At this point, who's kidding whom? We are bombing the Middle East into democracy and we all know what that means: We get the oil and they get the Coca Cola, debit cards, cigarettes, and Big Macs. Welcome to the world of end-stage capitalism where we all go down the drain together. I plan to wear this lovely necklace on the voyage.
Definition of end-stage capitalism: Capitalism, like cancer, depends on unlimited growth for its survival. Unlimited growth of cancer eventually kills the host. How many pairs of shoes can one consumer buy? How much debt can you rack up on your credit cards? How much oil, water and land are required to support continued, unlimited expansion? For capitalism to work, you need a growing number of products and a growing number of consumers in perpetuity. Sounds ridiculous on the face of it doesn't it? And yet, like cancer, we are trying to spread our capitalism to other points in the world.
When I originally assembled this piece decades ago I didn't have the nerve to wear it because it seemed so politically/religiously incorrect. At this point, who's kidding whom? We are bombing the Middle East into democracy and we all know what that means: We get the oil and they get the Coca Cola, debit cards, cigarettes, and Big Macs. Welcome to the world of end-stage capitalism where we all go down the drain together. I plan to wear this lovely necklace on the voyage.
Definition of end-stage capitalism: Capitalism, like cancer, depends on unlimited growth for its survival. Unlimited growth of cancer eventually kills the host. How many pairs of shoes can one consumer buy? How much debt can you rack up on your credit cards? How much oil, water and land are required to support continued, unlimited expansion? For capitalism to work, you need a growing number of products and a growing number of consumers in perpetuity. Sounds ridiculous on the face of it doesn't it? And yet, like cancer, we are trying to spread our capitalism to other points in the world.
and you'll be quite stylish in your faux festive finery!
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