

Why I hate the term consumer - whitegloveapps
http://whitegloveapps.com/2010/03/21/why-i-hate-the-term-consumer/

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gruseom
The rise of "consumer" as the default word to describe humans in our society
is the loudest indicator of everything that's wrong with it. It perfectly
denotes the role that the masses are supposed to (and largely do) play:
cattle.

A citizen is an actively engaged individual among equals; that's why we don't
refer to "citizens" any more. The very term sounds quaint. A consumer, by
contrast, pigs out on entertainment, industrial food product, and drugs (not
those _bad_ drugs, mind you - the _good_ drugs, the ones we tell you to take).

That this is our concept of what a human being is called to do in this world
is depraved. Future generations will look back on us as insane. (I say this as
an optimist.)

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whitegloveapps
I definitely agree that the word "citizen" is preferable when a general term
for people is required. "Citizen" makes people sound like equals; consumer
makes it sound like a few of us _make_ something, and the rest just take it.

