The Gospel of Consumption and the better future we left behind: But despite the apparent tidal wave of new consumer goods and what appeared to be a healthy appetite for their consumption among the well-to-do, industrialists were worried. They feared that the frugal habits maintained by most American families would be difficult to break. Perhaps even more threatening was the fact that the industrial capacity for turning out goods seemed to be increasing at a pace greater than people’s sense that they needed them. It was this latter concern that led Charles Kettering, director of General Motors Research, to write a 1929 magazine article called “Keep the Consumer Dissatisfied.” He wasn’t suggesting that manufacturers produce shoddy products. Along with many of his corporate cohorts, he was defining a strategic shift for American industry—from fulfilling basic human needs to creating new ones. [Orion]
Throw caution to wind, France told: A French doctor is urging his countrymen to give free rein to flatulence, sweating and other bodily taboos to reduce the risk of cancer. [Telegraph]
Lipstick Jungle: Ohmygod, the economy is, like, so bad right now. It’s really, like, wretched. I was in Bloomie’s the other day, and I saw this super-cute Nanette Lepore top, and I was totally going to buy it…and then I remembered: the scare of the downturn. It took all my willpower—but I put the shirt back on the rack. It was kinda, like, tragic. [CJR]
Japanese seniors go online to find love: You’re never too old to fall in love. That’s what Yoji Kawamura figured after retiring at the age of 62 and deciding that part-time work and his new hobbies of photography and computers weren’t enough to fill his days. Like a small but growing number of older Japanese singles, Kawamura has turned to an online matchmaking service in search of someone to share his “second life.” [msnbc]
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