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I was trying to figure out someone's complicated insurance—a strange brew of higher math and, probably, some sort of voodoo. I'm not adept at either discipline, even if they are part of my job, and especially not when someone is sitting across the table from me. I was getting frustrated at my inability to make sense of the numbers in front of me when from the radio came the sound of some idiot singing “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, coming down Santa Claus lane...” and I was like, FUCK this. Somehow I managed to wrap things up with the guy's insurance and escape to the lab, probably turning down the radio en route, but it's an enraging thing—what purpose, commercial or otherwise, is served by force-feeding god-awful children's music to anyone and everyone, customer or employee, who finds him- or herself in a place of business? It's during the Christmas season, with the ubiquity of voices telling you that a commercial holiday is the best thing ever, so love it, celebrate it, and part with your money OR ELSE that I feel as if I've somehow woken up in North Korea. Not that NK has a commercial or consumerist culture. But I don't care to hear some silly old shit croaking on about a “holly jolly Christmas” any more than I'd care to attend, “voluntarily” of course, a mass rally/celebration of Kim Il Sung's birthday.
I'm wondering now if it's typical for a civilization in decline to enter something like a second childhood. Could be—Spengler speaks of the domination of money at a certain late stage which cultures are bound to undergo. In any case, we are ruled, or we have allowed ourselves to be ruled, by commerce. And the whole point of U.S. commerce and most of its politics and “culture” is to infantilize the populace, because a consumer economy, or at least THIS consumer economy, could not continue without that infantilization. We want our toys, we want them now, and don't even TRY to tell people for whom lies are truth, hate is patriotism, and racist/rightist thuggery is good clean fun that their cities—OUR cities—will soon be under water. And without that infantilization, a third-grade bully in the body of a seventy year old man would not have been chosen in 2016 as the chief executive, nuclear codes and all.
Merry Christmas.

AlanCliffe 6 Dec 17
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10 comments

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0

I mostly avoid shops, but wear earbuds with my own music, in shopping centres. Hate chintzy &/or deity/'virgin birth BS' earworm 'music'.

Years ago, I complained to my psychologists' practice staff that playing xmess carols, over the waiting room speakers, was a very poor & inconsiderate choice. People seeking psych support a week before xmess are likely reliving horrors, or mourning loved ones & former joyful silly seasons.
(Exclusions from my hateful rejection of xmess music:
The Pogues' ... in New York;
Tim Minchin's White Wine in the Sun,
Paul Kelly's Gravy.😁)

please exclude The Waitresses Christmas Wrapping as well. 🙂

0

Yep seems to be a gradual
turning away from reality.
🪔thanks

3

3 years ago i & my family decided to make charitable contributions to each other's preferred causes rather than get/give more "stuff".
It has been Excellent, we even get to open the Thank You cards (mine are decorated!) the charity sends out.
Both my brother and his wife passed this year, but under my tree is the card from Heifer International telling about the 6 llamas i got in their names (for the price of 3! Charities run 'sales' at Xmas!)....very satisfying & they would enjoy it.
Take the energy you are wasting on ranting & do something for someone else, in the True spirit of Xmas.

Hello there,my name is Eric and I'm so sorry to intrude but I just joined this group and wanted to comment when I saw your profile,I really do hear of magic moments but when I saw your profile!!!it was the real magic moment for me,I hope you text after seeing my comment,have a nice and wonderful day ahead!

1

Nice rant, I feel for you.

2

Well, I am not buy any christmas presents, not even one.

Not even your 25\12 nip of gin? 😉

@FrayedBear Not even.

@Jolanta lol , I'd better phone you on the 25th and cheer you up then?

2

you are right . this christmas bullshit is grating on the nerves. Santa Clause is a creation of the Coca Cola company.
We are definitely a civilisation in decline for the reasons you state. I remember economists warning of a total capital impending economic breakdown for the last 40 years.
We may be in the beginning of a worldwide depression that makes the great depression of the 30's look like a minor non event.

Or we may not be. The future is obscure to us, mere mortals.

@Flyingsaucesir hmmmmm. Are you sure? We all know that we are going.to die. It's the why, where & when that are the difficult bits to get right.

According to doctors 60+ years ago I should have been dead 30 or more years ago. Currently they cannot tell me when just that I'll end up like a beached jelly fish.

@Sailer probably not but I bet he sometimes feels like it

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4

I can agree with you a lot on this. In fact, I feel just about like you do with it. I say this coz I live alone and remember the way things used to be. Those songs are part of it but all of this is gone. I think they keep it going because that poor old merchant wants more and more money and parents will buy what the kids want. Not this parent. I wised up a long time ago. Alone now and no kids at home, I do have to admit it would change slightly if I had kids around. At work my boss says Christmas is her thing. I can't hardly wait to get out of there because of all the Christmas music song after song after song.

Aha, at last the reason for your curmudgeonly behavior! 😁😉

@FrayedBear What is the excuse for your strange political rants?

2

Well said. 😎👍

5

We are a consumer economy and the masses are happy to just buy more stuff.

What is that consumerism a substitute for? Real #MagicPudding as we only get the shaman's artificial crap these days?

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