consumerism

Omri mamu said "There was a time when one went to Lahore and knew he was there before he could see the nametag of the city on the Railway Station. I don’t think that may be true anymore. For that matter, I don’t think that may be true for other metros of Pakistan also and is trickling down to our other ‘exotic’ locations. The individualities of the places, attitudes, cultures, etc. are the victims of ‘Commercialism’ running amuck."...

The individualities of a place consist of what:

... 1: first the physical characteristics -
- race and ethnicity of the people and the language they use to communicate;
- then the local resources available to make shelter, clothing, food.

... 2: next the cultural characteristics -
- what they do to “socialize”relax, recreate, and celebrate (music, sport, festivities, etc);
- how they govern their communites (family and government structure, etc);
- what they do to earn a living using the local resources (industries, commerce, services, etc);
- how they transmit their shared knowledge and language to each other and to their children (literature, arts and sciences)

... from among the above, what exactly is the victim of “commercialism” and how?
how is he defining “commercialism”?

... dictionary.com gives me three:
... 1-The practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business.
... 2-An attitude that emphasizes tangible profit or success.
... 3-transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services).
this last one is from princeton university.

... -The last definition does not exclude it from being different in different regions. A form commercialism can exist within any individual community that operates through buying and selling. It is neither positive or negative for a community, it is neutral. But if it is accompanied by an attitude that emphasizes profits or success, I can see how someone would consider it positive or negative. But what if the individual community already had the idea of profit as a part of its culture? An argument can be made that the community’s commercialism, is a part of its individuality.

... -Sure, I can see how when the commodities being sold go from being regional ones to ones supplied from outside the region, it can cause a decrease in the distinctiveness of the community given to it by the region’s resources and its own people.

... -There are natural upheavals like catastrophes—earthquakes, volcanic eruptions come to mind—that are non-controllable phenomena. Commercialism can also be categorized in just such a way, can’t it?

... -I can understand how a drastic change in the natural environment can change the regional resources available to buy and sell, build with, make clothing with, and make food with. or how a disaster can wipe out a significant portion of an ethnicity in a region. This obviously has effects on the physical characteristics that give a region its individuality and distinctness. And yes much of it is beyond control. and will most likely cause a “paradigm shift".

... -But, to claim that “commercialism” is similarly uncontrollable might be a stretch. I need more information to understand what he means. How is “commercialism” uncontrollable? As long there is a demand for a product there will be commerce for that product. So I can see how it can never really be eliminated, but I can see many ways that it can be controlled. Didn’t soviets do it? Don’t Cuba and North Korea do it now?

... -They all cause a paradigm shift in the way people think, live, socialize. The shift manifests itself ruthlessly like it has a mind of its own and doesn’t care whether anybody likes it or not. It has an edge to it like someone saying, “so sue me!”
Sure, I agree, often a change in thinking fed by uncontrollable events is so pervasive that one person or even small groups of people can do nothing much to counter its effects. There was a similar paradigm shift in the thoughts of most average americans after the events of 9/11, it was a paradigm shift involving they way they viewed security as opposed to liberty......

Omri mamu claims that "Initially, it was the five-star hotel chains that led the way."

... -What about Coke and Pepsi? What about Toyota and Suzuki? I think there were many goods and services that came from outside Pakistan, long before the hotel chains. Now, there is a tendency to ignore the particular goods and services that Karachites sell to other regions within Pakistan, or Lahorians sell to Balochistinians, or Kashmirites sell to Peshawaristaninians. And aside from it being local or alien, does it make a difference if the product is branded by a maker who has incorporated him/her/itself as a protection from liability? Should preference be given to the unincorporated local product maker?

... -Now, about brands. It was a natural evolution of commerce to figure out that a logo and a brand can help sell something. Is this inherently an evil thing? When technological advancements enabled the creation of photography, radio, television, and internet, should sellers be denied the use of these to sell legitimate goods and services? What if the maker of the branded product is local and unincorporated? What if the selling of these goods and services brings much needed economic growth to a stagnant region?

... -What if the local product made from regional resources is not able to brand itself and thus sells less? Does this mean that controls must be placed on goods from outside the region? What if the local product is of bad quality? Does the elimination of competition, by better products from outside, give the local brand the incentive to improve? What measures should be put in place to ensure an improved local product, a local product that does not get drowned out by the brand from outside that has more name recognition and more money for research and development of its product? Should I simply stop asking these types of questions, bail out from the system, and simply advocate a non-commercial counter-cultural lifestyle that reinforces a possession free non-competitive regionalism?

... -However, it was only the privileged and the elite who felt the ‘uniqueness of total offer.’ That was followed by the phenomena of satellite television and fast food chains. When this happened, as they say, all heck broke loose. Now when one goes out of Karachi to any other metro city in Pakistan or vice versa, one is apt to not get the distinct impression that one is in a different city.

Omri mamu also claims that "Progressively, the chances are that it will get worse."

... -I think it helps if we don’t think of it as getting better or worse. I think we must see it as a natural evolution of human life, commerce being a part of it. The choice is clear: become like a Dubai, a place with little local distinctiveness other then the desert environment on its outskirts, or retain some of the distinctiveness that comes from not only your natural environment but also from earlier traditional practices. Local leaders, elite, artists, teachers, must instill a pride of their regional environment and cultural traditions. Local corporations must produce quality products that take advantage of regional characteristics but don’t harm the region. Local governments must encourage and support local industry so locals have a means of employment. The people must build and hold accountable a strong independent justice system to hold corporations liable for lying about a product, and the damage a product causes. Ha! Easier said then done Asad!

... -OK OK, I’m afraid chances are that it will “get worse”. People continue to get suckered into buying products from outside that cause physical harm and a loss of distinctiveness of culture. People do not develop a pride of their region, and instead destroy it through pollution, mismanagement, and exploitation. But all is not lost, this can be countered, by those willing and able to become the type of parents that continue positive traditions and pass them down to their children. Liberal individuals can complain about loss of identity and distinctiveness all they want, but it is meaningless unless they are willing to accept tradition and the role it plays in perpetuating a culture. I think Commerce and Tradition can probably co exist and balance each other. Being too rigid in tradition suffocates a peoples ability to survive in a constantly evolving world, and Being too commercial makes one nothing but a shallow tool. Being both makes us distinctive and our distinctiveness may help give us a competitive edge in certain global markets.