I have never been much of a consumer. Part of the reason is because I am lazy and being a consumer takes time and effort and money…stuff I don’t like to part with very easily. But there is another reason. I was lying around thinking about why I am a non-consumer and why so many people struggle with a consumerism addiction and it hit me: its because that’s what I was rebelling against.

Some teenagers get tatoos and pierce body parts or date sleazebuckets. Me as a teenager refused to jump on the consumer bandwagon. Why? Its because that’s what my mother did as a hobby.

Growing up, I wasn’t exposed to the marketing tactics that ensnared everyone. I was too busy reading my Enid Blyton and my Hardy Boys and my classics (Dickens, Dumas, Twain, Bronte) as well as all the naughty books I could get my hands on in the library (sex was an endlessly fascinating topic for me - a young girl in Catholic school). I had no interest in all the girly things that girls are interested in. To some degree I feel that I cannot relate to "normal" people today because I have no idea what normal people do or think. But where there were no clever marketers there was my mother. She was very good at pointing out my numerous defects and suggesting ways to hide those horrid defects.  She always bought my clothes because anything I purchased and wore (tee-shirts, jeans and sandals) was never very acceptable to her. Clothes apparently can influence people and branding is important in demonstrating taste to these outsiders. So she was always buying me stuff and telling me that it was from this brand or that brand. She also introduced me to the concept of wearing makeup. Since I was ugly (which she was fond of mentioning repeatedly) and had oily skin that was very dark (or tan), I had to dress up my face by painting it with colors. And caking my face with that crap somehow transformed me into a ravishing beauty. Except for the fact that dark skinned people with loads of makeup create a look that is more suitable on a mime artist. The fact that I am incredibly un-photogenic (with a permanent scowl) didn’t help at all.

So at every given opportunity I would refuse to wear makeup or wear the clothes that was purchased for me. I got a special thrill when I went out and exposed my hideous self to the unsuspecting world. My mother was horrified ("What will people think seeing you like that?"). I got great pleasure at not combing my hair (instead dreads!).

It was thus a huge relief when I finally began living on my own. Marrying someone with the same values as myself was even better. Now I had another weirdo to relate to.  

So what’s the point of this post? Well I have advice to dole out. If you want your kids to be non-consumers, you should take the consumer route. Fill your house with all sorts of useless crap where the only purpose of this stuff is to make your kids clean/polish/wash it every weekend (it creates discipline!). Repeatedly point out the defects in your kids (make some up…it’ll be fun). Have your entire self-worth based on crap you buy and your imaginary thoughts of other people’s perceptions of you. You’ll drive your kids straight into the land of tree-huggery.