
Modern Maturity: Create More, Consume Less - paulbaumgart
http://artofmanliness.com/2010/04/06/modern-maturity-create-more-consume-less/
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philk
I'm not sure why they had to take the rather sound message of "make useful
stuff and you'll be happier" and dress it up with all of that "Be A Real Man"
wankery.

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ianso
Agreed. This for example, why should it apply to men any more than to women? :

"[Consumerism] might work with your toothpaste, but the most important things
in life can’t be replaced on a whim. They require the discipline necessary to
build something strong and valuable and special, the ability to stick with
something through thick and thin. The shopping around mentality is devastating
to true manhood."

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dpritchett
You clearly appreciate the central theme of the post but have less use for the
manliness trappings that surround it.

It's illustrative for the author to share the personal experiences and thought
process that led him to this conclusion. It's equally interesting to see other
people reaching the same conclusion after approaching the problem from a
completely different perspective.

It looks like there's another level of analysis left to be done here. If
"making" is a marker of true manliness but not specific to men, then what is
it that we're really saying? Making is adulthood? Making is being in touch
with oneself? Making is not buying into corporate consumerism?

I'm still digging for the simple truth at the heart of both this post and the
ensuing discussion.

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xiaoma
_"Where men used to play baseball and football, they now control avatars who
play for them. Where men used to play an instrument, they now press buttons on
a plastic toy."_

How is pressing buttons on a plastic toy inherently worse than pressing
buttons on a wood and ivory toy? Given time, some of today's toys will gain
prestige, too.

