everybody going on about the American dream being a false illusion and it being the reflections of a nihilistic way of thinking, fuck... you guys need to wake up from that dream. I mean change your lifestyles if you hate it that bad, referring to the material and consumerist lifestyle being the only aspiration for the average Western-thinker.
There is more to life- it is what you (and I mean 'you' as in being an individual and extraordinary) make of it and ultimately your contribution to society, whether society refers to your friends or the cliche 'greater good', its your choice... and that's my point its what you make of it, in context of the rest of the world, taking other views in to mind. I am not trying to be liberal or trying to promote any other form of ideology. Just look around you, go outside the box- wake up! check out whats going on in developing countries such as the shit that's going on in Africa- now that's bad.
Stop complaining about your perfect lives and do something about it, you brats! that's pathetic

— Anonymous

Yeah, okay...I can understand how Apocalypto-Nihilism could be a new 'buzz-word'...
...but how about them hipsters? Are they still dressing funny, and growing out their mustaches?

— Anonymous

Yeah, okay...I can understand how Apocalypto-Nihilism could be a new 'buzz-word'...
...but how about them hipsters? Are they still dressing funny, and growing out their mustaches?

— Anonymous

Culprit #0, Adbusters queen of the po-mo rags. Takin’ that soulless advertising and amazingly finding a way to make it even more nihilistic and self-referential than it already was. — Anonymous

Lierre Kieth: “Likewise, if you’re hungry, why? Why don’t you have access to land to grow food, or enough money to buy food? Who owns the land? Who decides who owns the land? And what will they do if you decide to take some land back? Answering those questions will lay bare a network of interlocking institutions that have the power to starve you. …”So, how do we change the world? Persuasion is for liberals, so I’ll leave that to them. Political action is ultimately about force. There’s a continuum of tactics between nonviolence and violence, but they all start with the understanding that institutions only change when pressure is applied. In the immortal words of Frederick Douglas, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will…power depends on obedience, and we don’t have to obey. The moment the oppressed withdraw our consent, the powerful are left with nothing…There’s a tremendous misconception, particularly in the USA, that nonviolent action is about somehow trying to educate or convert those in power. It’s not. That’s pacifism, not nonviolent action. I mean, does anybody really think that the owners of the bus company in Montgomery, Alabama had a sudden epiphany? We’ve been so terrible to Black people, oh my god, segregation must end! Of course not. The boycott brought them to their knees.” …”The left in this country has come completely unhitched from any notion of actually being effective. Activism has turned into one big group therapy session. It doesn’t matter what we accomplish—what matters is how we feel about it. The goal of the action isn’t to change the material balance of power, it’s to feel “empowered”. For fuck’s sake, who gives a shit how I feel. Our planet is dying. And radicals are just as guilty of what I call “emotional activism.” It may feel good to smash that Starbucks window, but does it actually do any good? I’m speaking here as someone who’s smashed my share of windows. This rerouting of the goal from political change to inner change is the reaction of both a spoiled, self-absorbed people, and the utterly desperate, desperate to do something, anything.” …”There are lots of people who are going to reject militant action for many different reasons, ranging from familial responsibilities to spiritual beliefs. But even if we’re personally not on the front lines, there are many other ways to use our talents and skills to support the people who are willing and able to do what’s necessary. Somebody needs to do the political outreach and proselytizing. Somebody always needs to do the dishes. And there’s a huge task of building a life-affirming culture that’s in opposition to the dominator mode. This involves everything from setting up alternate economic systems and sustainable food production networks to creating matrilinial family structures. All of that has to be done if we have any chance of planetary survival. And we’re out of time. I guess what I’m urging here is for all of us who share a basic analysis of the problem to accept the necessity of militant action. We don’t all have to do it. But it’s a crucial component of whatever chance we have to stop the horror and destruction.” …”So let’s talk about where the planet is headed right now. Peak oil is here. If the earth can sustain one billion humans, that means that the other five billion are only alive because of fossil fuel and fossil water, and they are going to die. I don’t know how to comprehend the level of social disruption that we’re looking at over the next fifty years. Now add to that global warming and climate change…Things suck now, and they’re going to get dramatically worse if we do nothing. That “worse” includes a catastrophic melt down of civic society…As industrial culture falls apart, we aren’t going to survive as individuals. We’re going to survive as local communities, both economically and civically. Community policing and defense are going to be the way we protect ourselves from anti-social elements. Women and pro-feminist men could take charge of that task. We could make sure that rape counts as an atrocity and treat predators accordingly, both predators internal to the community and threats from the outside. But it’s up to us to do it. If we continue to accept male domination, we’ll keep getting male domination. The facts are not easy to face. They’re painful and gruesome. Vast numbers of men are predators, and the looming industrial collapse and civic chaos are going to provide them with more opportunities to act like it. Perpetrators don’t change. No form of therapy or rehabilitation makes a dent in their sociopath entitlement. So to put it bluntly: shoot them.” — Anonymous

Culprit #1: The economist? Since when did economists make money? And how did they lead us astray? The Job of the economist is to explain the workings of the economy. They do not determine product value, the people do, they simply help us to understand how we come to our collective conclusions on value. It seems to me there is no “Global System” to be destroyed in the first place and instead you allude to an idea of post apocolyptic “Western World”. Which in that case one could strongly argue there is a positive correlation between commericalism and standard or living. Funny that people from places around the world that are stripped of media and advertising flock to our countries for refuge from much darker worlds. ReasonRebel — ReasonRebel

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“How could they not see that every product in the global marketplace was valued incorrectly…” Who, pray tell, does Adbusters think should be in charge of valuing products and commodities? “… then we design a global marketplace in which the price of every product tells the ecological truth … and, finally, we kill the corporate “I” and get capitalism bubbling from the bottom up again.” There Kalle goes again…so which is it Mr. Lassn? Are you for “capitalism bubbling from the bottom” or a designed global marketplace. To plagiarize right form the wonderful and still relevant ‘In Defense Of Anarchy’, the moral authority of the state is not reconcilable with the autonomy of the individual. “Meta-systems tinkering” is NOT what is needed. — Anonymous

Jacque Fresco: Banging his head against a brick wall since 1916! Look him up, watch his lectures on google/youtube check out his books this man and his ideas are well worth taking the time to investigate. in a bit! — Anonymous

Where is personal responsibility on this list? People are a part of the system too. — Anonymous

Collective recognition takes communication. There isn’t real communication happening on the internet. The “Aha!” moments will come in waves as we react to the problems. The Meta-Level systems are already tinkering and it should be able to be pulled off. Not in this century though. The First is Monocropping. I’m not so sure Media will be reformed anytime soon. I’m not so sure the ideas behind a “corporation” will be changed either. It will take the people interested in their own culture, to grow their own food, and create their own stories to tell. It’s not in an indie song, this magazine, or some “Green” revolution type conversation. It’s very very simple. It’s food, it’s land, and it’s respect for one another who know better. But, even more respect to help those who don’t. paul.a.flores@gmail.com — Anonymous

I can not control the past… I can not see the future… But I can decide my next action… The world has not changed significally in the last 3000 years. We think we know more but in reality the steps we have taken are miniscule. I can change me but who am I to speak 4 others… Krs www.globalocalism.com — Anonymous

can we throw overpopulation in there too? the idea all of us are blindly acting out the will of our genes which are supposedly programmed to self replicate infinitely with no regard to whether or not the planet can support us all - the idea that you’re no one if you live a life without reproducing, the idea that i’m really separate from you, as opposed to monism - the idea that there’s a beginning and an end to life as opposed to infinity - everyone’s competing with each other and racing to a finish line that doesn’t exist. — Anonymous

flowery or not - every product in the global marketplace is valued incorrectly, with no accounting for waste, environmenal stress - - and we did endow the corporation with the legal rights of a human being - which is frankly insane .. since it allows maxi-corporations to act like victims - however many they murder or mutilate - union carbide in bopal, shell in nigeria, exxon in alaska are all case studies in a world out of whack. we are being colonised. the future is frightening. playALL45 — Anonymous

This article, and the posts that follow it are missing an important series of points. First, what can YOU, control in your own life. You can alter your own behavior, thoughts and feelings. Encourage altruism in everything that you do. That is the first step. Second, life as an example. Don’t like corporations? Don’t buy from them. Educate others, through your own actions. Third, stop complaining about other people. you cannot, and should not desire to control other people. Control yourself, live as a positive example to those around you. — Anonymous

I work as a graphic designer, and am often unhappy about my industry as a whole. My unhappiness stems mainly from the position I am often put in by my boss, clients, and peers: Lie. The argument could be made as stated earlier in the comments that Adbusters itself is using the same tactics as the systems it is rallying against. But I disagree with that sentiment. I believe the big difference is the intent behind the message. Nike doesn't come out and say "Buy our shoes made in sweat shops across the globe so we can make even more money off of your ignorance". They say "Just Do It", an anti-thought bearing slogan, that the mass culture ingests quite happily. It is for all purposes, one of the greatest lies of all time. It is unrealistic to think that Kalle; et all, could design, produce and distribute their product without any marketing or self advertising. There is a big difference between product advertising and product awareness. The ads AB posts for itself, to me fall on the side of product awareness and advertising transparency. I think AB does a good job of walking the thin line. Their Blackspot shoe campaign for example, shows us the factory and the people behind the scenes, and explains the price breakdown. To me it is something to be proud of, that a company could produce a superior product, with minimal impact and exploitation. Imagine if Nike showed pics of their factories in China or Indonesia, is that something they would be proud of, or something they would want to hide from us? I don't believe the idea is to destroy all brands, not make any profit, or be unable to pay one's bills. The message and the motive of Adbusters to me has always been: think first before reacting, and be truthful about your intentions. Which I still feel is important to me, hence my subscription renewals. Capitalism IS the system we are locked into. Sometimes you have to use parts of it to get the message out there. Use the system against itself if you will. The platform of print, t.v., and web is a viable form of getting your message to the public. All of this costs money, so unless you want Adbusters to hand out free flyers on the corner, or holler to the public walking by, then money is a necessary evil to convey the message of fighting uninformed consumerism. One could say it is hypocritical, but again I think it comes back to intent. Can we make things with a greater respect for globalism, sustainability, and human rights? Yes we can, although it is less profitable in terms of cash, the reward is something some of us might never truly feel: Pride. — Julian H.

Basically what I think it comes down to is this: A system is created because it serves a purpose. That purpose is usually dictated by the purpose the previous system served, the conditions of which no longer exist. For example, only through arduous struggle did capitalism replace monarchy, which replaced feudalism (sort of). Feudalism arose out of the anarchy of the Roman Empire's collapse, of the need to be protected and to have some semblance of stability. After awhile, though, conditions changed and it became clear this system was repressive and didn't work, thus creating things like the Magna Carta. And it wasn't until around the point of the American Revolution that people realized that kings and emperors were old-fashioned and ridiculous. (well, I'm sure quite a few people knew this all along, but it wasn't till this time that widespread revolutions began occurring in the West.) So, thus came the advent of Western capitalism, the need to separate church and state, and the desire to have an economy that wasn't meddled with (in principle) by politicians. We all know that didn't work out too well, and we are getting to the point where the system must change again. Even the most liberal government will become oppressive over time if it is allowed to calcify. Allowed, though, is the key word. — Anonymous

This web-page hurts my brain only because of the article placement (especially culbrit #2) directly next to the adbuster ads: "Adbusters; Have you subscribed yet?" and then "Adbusters t-shirt: WEAR IT" and a picture of an "Adbuster shoe"... I think that's more mentally harmful than the capitalists who at least respect their clients' intelligence and admit their are trying to sell things for a profit. Are you under a parent company that forces you to put up these ads? If so, is there any way you could make them less in your face (i.e. "WEAR IT") and put at least a little thoughtfulness into it, like something to the effect of "We wish we didn't have to resort to the unholy alliance of commercialism and communication that we so readily criticize; but we haven't figured out how to pay the bills yet without selling these things. If you'd like to keep reading Adbusters, here's how you can help us stay afloat." Did you think we wouldn't notice or do you really think we readers are so ignorantly asleep? (sometimes I wonder if the head of this mag is really a crotchety republican who is laughing at progressive thinkers all the way to the bank) — Anonymous

"Imagine our global system disintegrates." I have daydreamed a world like this since I was 12 or 13 years old. I know the older generations have been waiting for a crash since the 70's (or earlier), but I feel humans are moving closer to this global economic catastrophe more than ever. The lie of the US dollar is still alive, abeit bleeding and badly wounded. The gold is going dry; the empire is close to over. "Are we capable of such meta-level systems tinkering? Can we pull this thing off?" No. I place no faith in humankind. I've met some really great humans too, but on a whole, humans are stupid. Americans are completely brain-dead from the neck up. Maybe it will be different when our Chinese masters come over and claim us and our land. — Anonymous