Kalle Lasn in
his article The Cult You’re In (Common
Culture, 49-53) presents a startling assertion that the members of society are
members of a cult that has been around for many generations. It is not a
religious fanaticism, or even being a zealot of some sect. It is the cult of
everyday life, the cult of everyone “dreaming the same dream.” Lasn argues that
when we were very young, we joined whether willingly or unknowingly, a cult
that would define our lives. Lasn says it started when we were young, begging our
moms to bye us the cool little gadget at the store and progresses until all we
can think about when we get older is “wealth, power, fame, plenty of sex and
exciting recreational opportunities.” We see this in the poorest area of town
to the richest from the uneducated to the educated. It is the eight year old
that feels powerful after receiving an allowance being able to buy whatever he
wants. The majority of society runs down a path, the path of a cult in one
direction, the direction of materialism.
Lasn starts the article by illustrating man’s desire for wealth writing as if he was the man experiencing and being apart of this cult, a man that couldn’t even pay his bills, a man that lives in a self created society, dreaming of BMWs, trips to New York with his girlfriend, and luxury. He then progresses and talks about those that don’t contribute to society, referring to them as the “slacker camp.” These, to Lasn, contribute to the cult stating, “The cult members aren’t really even citizens because they are merely consumers.” All of these categories help contribute to the general drive and similar dream of everyone, the dream to possess. This, to Lasn, is the cult we are in.
Lasn starts the article by illustrating man’s desire for wealth writing as if he was the man experiencing and being apart of this cult, a man that couldn’t even pay his bills, a man that lives in a self created society, dreaming of BMWs, trips to New York with his girlfriend, and luxury. He then progresses and talks about those that don’t contribute to society, referring to them as the “slacker camp.” These, to Lasn, contribute to the cult stating, “The cult members aren’t really even citizens because they are merely consumers.” All of these categories help contribute to the general drive and similar dream of everyone, the dream to possess. This, to Lasn, is the cult we are in.
