False atheism
or the new-sacred ideologies - Page 5 / 7
Capitalism
Beginning of "False atheism"
| Sacred | Religion | Capitalism |
| Divinities | God, Allah, Yahweh | Money, profit, property, market of goods, quoted values |
| Myths | Bible, Gospel, Koran | Regulation of supply and demand by the market, self-made man, free enterprise, liberalism |
| Symbol, totem | Cross, Green Crescent, Star of David | Dollar, logos of the big capitalist companies |
| Oracles | Stock exchange analysts, economic indicators | |
| The elect among the elect | Saints | Chairmen of the Dow Jones companies, bankers |
| The reign of God | The Apocalypse and the reign of Jesus during thousand years | Globalization, free exchange, to be the leader in one's sphere of activity |
| Ritual | Mass, Way of the Cross, processions | Presentation of the company results to financial analysts. Plans of reorganization. |
| Martyrs | Persecuted saints | Redundant workers that are sacrificed for the profit, ruined small shareholders. |
| Scapegoats | Heretics, infidels, atheists | Competitors, taxes, trade unions, state (except when all is badly) |
| Initiatory ceremonies | Baptism, catechism, scouting | Harvard and other Business Schools |
The consumer society, eldest daughter of capitalism
For the consumer society, a product is more than the simple object proposed, because of the symbolic system that advertising has created. The proposed product is nothing more than a semblance that becomes secondary compared to its imaginary representation. What is sold is this imaginary, i.e. a sacred concept like beauty, youth, liberated body, seduction, libido... that the constant bombardment of adverts succeeded in inculcating to us, with a multitude of signs and situations.
Who would buy a no-name perfume, i.e. the same perfume than those of a famous trade, but sold at cost price, without publicity, in an ordinary bottle and without the trademark ?
The consumer society is also the art to always creating new needs. A advertising campaign is successful when those who are the business target end up giving way to temptation.
Other feast days, throughout the year, replace now the great moments of the religious life. They maintain the heat of the consumers : Valentine's Day, Grandmother's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day..., Halloween, New Year's Day.
The childhood taken as hostage
The religions have well understood all the advantage that they could turn, by an early indoctrination, of the malleable and easily influenced characteristic of the children. The consumer society doesn't make differently when young people are defined as a "business target". In a world where the child is like a king, this one becomes a strong lever to direct the consumer choices of his parents.
Shame on the parents who don't let themselves influence, because they deprive their children of the last gadget that all their school friends already possess for a long time !
That they feel guilty !