the question is no longer do they need this, it's will they buy this.

Consumerism has certainly, I would assume for now many years in American society, been a major driver of industry.

Well, shouldn't demand and need drive production and supply.

No.  Pure consumerism and pure capitalism do.

Or, at least, more than ever.

There used to be a need.  A gap in industry and market, which would be fulfilled.

Now, industry is a major driver in consumer need.

This is so visible in the drink industry.

It's almost Lorax-ish and selling air.

Talk to 50 Cent about selling water.

Talk to Connor McGregor, or any athlete, star, or YouTuber about selling water with alcohol in it.

Talk to any action star, athlete, or otherwise about energy drinks.

There is a need to drink.  And a compounded need, sometimes to relax.

Water and Alcohol can be a demand curve that is indicative of the population and the basic need.  

Or it can be indicative of the market and the ability to market, distribute, and sell any version of water we can concoct, from coffee, to pop to energy drinks to alcohol to water.

This is consumerism, capitalism and the complete basic waste, and bastardizing, or commercializing, of a need.

Self Help

This phrase seems already almost over used.

And I'm sure oversold and under delivered as well.

But, whatever it is.  It is needed.  We need someone to help self.

And I've 100% always believed in religion for that piece, which other fill in their own gaps.  

But it's apparent that we all need help.

I think when you're fully engaged in church, community can, and is programmed to be, the cathartic gap our souls need.

Self help can be in many forms, expanding past religion, for us a beings to find comfort or peace or purpose.  Again, I look to God, and many have varying views.  But on many levels, our world is so complex, complex and confusing structures and processes are sometimes needed to decipher.  Or we're left to not know.

I've always self helped by self medicating of sorts, nothing serious.

Therapy, psychiatric services, and medication that go along with it are available at an income gap.  Possibly at the tails, possibly for those willing to invest their percentage based on need.

Either way, it can be difficult based on financial constraints, let alone internal constraints.

I'm hoping to start with a light dose of counseling. 

Because, if those of use who raised some of our more formative years on shows like Sopranos and Billions, where the main characters are supported by a very dedicated mental health program.

Modern companies attempt to incorporate those but are still not at pace and eye level with the need.  

Maybe I've convinced to use the company's I work for,  because admittedly they do present options.  Nothing as accessible as Billions but I am not that grossing.

Either way, mental health services for all.

Tall

I'd like not to attribute some of my (partial circumstaintial (and minor)]) success due to the mere fact that I'm tall.

I guess people look to those tallest like we may lay to a building or a lighthouse.(?)

Or it's as having more ability due to increased length.(??)

That doesn't sound right, so I'm sure that's not it.

But it can be said, and I have heard, and can be researched, if must, height can factor into this crazy thing we call profession, which was warped from 'life's purpose' to 'life's purpose to make money'.

I can emphatically say that while I'd like to subscribe to any esthetically or physical features led to my current employment, which lacks many, if any, physical requirements, but, I've, like us all, felt a sense of lack.  It doesn't matter where that is.  

What matters is navigating around that.

Filling gaps.  With needed years of experience, wisdom of mentors, self learning there are many ways.

10 years ago I was reading note cards in my MBA class for our weekly discussion and would have to write every word I spoke, to today, I stumble across direction to my 20 person team I co-manage.  No note cards.

fight for the body

It comes down to a loss of freedom of all other areas; the last we feel left is freedom of our bodies.

Who can deny loss of economic freedoms, social freedoms, societal freedoms, simply freedom of choice.

Most of our lives is chosen for us, whether we chose to admit or not.

So those very few freedoms that we, as a sentient species,  can hold onto, especially as the lesser economic class or the disenfranchised or the misrepresented, will hold those freedoms of the body stronger. 

So either side of any debate is hard to pair with as where individuals can fight for their freedoms, we are all looking for more freedom from the current systems and current infrastructure.

there was a time consumerism didn't rule our economy

At what point did society transition to how do we make money over how do we solve problems?

Are any businesses left that consider making a product to fill a need or gap or has the economy slipped so far that there is no longer a thought of if we need something or something is a good product with a good use?  We are left with products and services only aimed at making money.

I'm an avid YouTube consumer, where YouTubers, if they branch out start with clothes, and that makes sense.  Fashion is very maliable and need isn't necessarily as much a factor, as we do all need to cover ourselves.  

The next step is water or alcohol which is a very big celebrity, YouTuber, sport star driven market as we consumers have allowed.

But how can we be sold water and alcohol in so many different ways.  To only fuel the other sides lifestyle?  Or to actually quench a need, with a constant revolving door of brands of the day?

I guess I have to drink to survive, and some drinking is for enjoyment, but our markets have allowed for so much choice that it is a blinding force that forces the question of do we need this, is this of any quality, what is left for value and quality.

Water and alcohol are one thing but this is how all products and services are turning into a pool of unnecessary, unreliable, lower quality that continue to denegrate the consumer through increased cost, decreased quality, and an over saturated market driven more by consumer need and choice but by companies that only concern is profit.  

Profit at any cost, especially consumer preference.  

They would rather control that.

production over consumption

We're looked at and positioned to be consumers, and as Americans, consume more than needed in many senses.

Production is then the only combatant to consumption.  So if we're able to offset our consumption by our production, and even force our production over consumption then we have beat a system aimed at driving our consumer insatiaties.

If the focus is on production, and a continued production, no matter what is reaped, then consumption will at least be battled.  When production starts to gain actual benefit and increased demand, then real consumption can be ignored.

Many times our focus is limiting consumption, whether it's cutting down on carbs, bills, or something more innocuous that we can inevitably consume over focusing our efforts on production.

Focusing on production can be fruitless for a long period where there still has to be an effort on reducing consumption where able.

Life feels very loss mitigating and losses and consumption must be managed.

But if production, and eventually, fruitful production, is the focus, consumption can be maintained.

And I guess I've looked at consumption in this negative way but more so the larger focus on reducing consumption and taking away that need for production.

I although assume consumption, as it is necessary, there can be good consumption.  Consumption that increases production per se.  But still the focus would remain on production.

This may seem a bit theoretical, or even simplistic to the point of mundane and unnecessary, but many do not care or care to understand their role as a consumer and the benefit to being a producer over a consumer.

A consumer is led by everything around us, while a producer can direct production, and consumption.

The Worker Revolution

At many levels, we are seeing the negative effects of "our" collective, corporate actions on society.

The Great resignation I believe it's deemed is due to a workforce having more options.

Many of those options were government driven, a government that has laid the framework to allow workers to be treated secondary to profits and "shareholders", a concept of financial making that takes the meaning of a company from producing a product or service with compensated workers to producing a profit, any any expense and cost, without an association to the worker.

This is the US.  Better than some in the treatment of the workforce, certainly.  But not world leading where other workforces are granted more at the bottom half of the workforce. 

And while I allude to the workforce as a class, this is also taking place on larger scales.  One of the more visible worker transitions is in the highest levels of professional golf, where outside, and not conforming, money is providing "better", more lucrative opportunities for the workers, ie golfers. Even those at this elite level, industry representing individuals are being chased away by years of corporate culture focused on profits but lacking the creativity to put efforts back into those that make the product and service.

Obviously this happens at the lower ranks than elite professional sports, but until recent years, the company seemed to have the upper hand.   Maybe, at the hand of the times and circumstances, not necessarily union or institutionally driven, workers will see their day, and their keep, and society will reep the benefits of a people that are compensated in a fair, and agreeable, for both the worker and the company, manner.

Until then, the people will always sway the industry or the landscape, but the individual is responsible for what they can control and do and produce, and where they do it.  To an extent.