nanisani

Nanisani is a word used by the people of the Papuan village of Herowana in New Guinea to describe the unpleasant numbing and tingling effects of the poison of the pitohui bird, which has the same toxin in its body as do the famous Phyllobates terribilis - the poison dart frogs of Columbia.

I can only imagine what that feels like, but I think the toxic effects of popular culture on the minds of the general public might be comparable. I'm not really against pop culture, but I do believe in the importance of culture critique. How else can we come to fully appreciate the difference between the good stuff and the not-so-good stuff and the total-crap stuff?

I spend too much time thinking about pop culture. But that's partly because it's ubiquitous. With advertising everywhere - 'product placement' in so much of what is supposed to be 'entertainment'... when was the last time you thought of yourself as a citizen? When was the last time you thought of yourself as a 'consumer'?

The notion that citizens are 'consumers' is insidious. Sure, we buy stuff. But to define the population of this great civilization as consumers, as is the case in so much of the speech of politicians, is a form of brainwashing. Why not call us 'breathers'? I don't know about you, but I spend more time breathing than buying stuff.

We are poisoned by the messages of consumerism forced on us so relentlessly by the various institutions of higher earning (they earn - we burn). When George W. talks about the 'ownership society' one has to ask; what if what someone owns is me?

I was thinking about this when hanging out with a friend who recently became the owner of her own flat in San Francisco through a 'tenancy in common' arrangement. She is now part of the ownership society. Since I rent my place, I'm not.

Of course, my landlord is part of the ownership society. I'm not sure if he'd be too happy if he was forced to stop owning all his rental properties. It made me wonder what would really happen if everyone owned their own homes. What would all the landlords do? There's a lot of money in renting things to people. And there are often real reasons why some of us cannot own homes. It really seems unlikely that any form of public policy will enable the vast numbers of us living near or below the poverty line to own homes. And if we were somehow able to scratch together enough cash for a down payment - and if the bank could overlook our iffy credit ratings - what kind of homes would we own - and how would our lives really change? After all - we'd still be paying out every month. Not to landlords - but to banks. And if we couldn't make the payments, then what? With more and more people owning homes wouldn't there be a shrinking pool of available rental units? And doesn't lower supply lead to higher prices?

The 'ownership society' idea is just another scam. Just another catchy slogan intended to whitewash policies that are designed to make money for those who already have plenty. Another product to sell the unsuspecting public.

Just more nanisani.

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