From Desire to Necessity

Ancient Faith Ministries ^ | September 24, 2020 | Fr. Stephen Freeman

[Carpe Cerevisi]

I recently re-watched one of the most eye-opening programs on the 20th century, The Century of the Self (BBC 2002). It looks at the development of advertising, particularly the theories and work of Edward Bernays. You’ve seen his work, but you didn’t know it. He was one of the pioneers of modern advertising as well as modern government propaganda. Particularly in the 1920’s, he played a key role in moving America from a need-based economy to desire-based consumerism. One result was a flourishing and growing wealth across the land (except for the collapse in the Great Depression). America moved past the Depression through the efforts of the war economy of the 40’s. However, our desires were unleashed again in the post-war world and have never looked back. It was a simple formula: create desire and then fulfill it. The result is “happy people.”

Of course, happy people have a difficult time when their desires are thwarted. It’s a hard habit to break. I recall my childhood visits to my mother’s family home. Her parents were farmers. They had 12 children, my mother being the 5th in line. All of them grew up doing work on the farm, my mother was among those who picked cotton in the field. Her stories remind me of scenes from Places in the Heart. In the Great Depression, flour sacks were intentionally printed with pleasant floral designs, making them excellent material for home-made dresses. Listening to my mother describing flour-sack dresses sounded exotic (as did a Christmas that consisted of a single orange). My grandparents’ home was a haven of necessities. I really cannot recall anything superfluous.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

From Father Stephen Freeman's blog "Glory to God for All Things".