Making the world go round...

... at the expense of killing it?

Y'know, there's so much wastage going on every day. Simple example is the 258 damn flyers we're handed every time we step out in any built-up area. Or, the free gift with purchase. Or, the goodie bag stuffed with little souvenirs and other promotional gimmicks when we go for press events or trade shows.

Do you really need another lanyard? I seriously don't know anyone who changes lanyards like they do their shoes and handbags, to suit their outfit for the day. Yet, I was thrilled to get this CSI lanyard coz I'm a total CSI (Las Vegas) fan and this one is just so cool, like crime scene tape.

[MURDERED BEAR AND KEYS NOT INCLUDED]

Is it something nice to have? Yes. Something I need? Noop. Will I use it? What, and get the grime of daily office life on it? Nooo.

So, coz it's not a necessity and coz it's almost a collectible to me, it's gonna remain unused in my drawer, to be rediscovered when I'm rummaging for something else. I'll prob keep it till spring cleaning 2007, or when some relative or friend who's a bigger CSI freak chances upon it and asks to have it, whichever comes earlier.

So, in manufacturing these lanyards (keeping in mind that not all who received them are CSI fans or lanyard users), how much raw material and fossil fuel was used? Does it mean it's all wasted? Does the production of nice-to-have stuff kill the earth faster?

Or is all this part of making the world go round? If 10,000 of these were produced in China for S$2,000. Translate that to RMB and minus cost, you've gave one factory owner the equivalent of what a rural farmer earns in a month. So, Mr Factory Owner goes out and gives a tip to a hostess at the karaoke lounge. Miss Hostess goes out the next day and buys a fake Prada wallet. Small leather goods seller buys a charsiew pau. Coffeeshop owner pays pig farmer for the next delivery of fresh human meat. Pig farmer goes back to village and puts half of his earnings into a jar, saving for his daughter's agent fee, because she wants to come to Singapore to work but needs to fork out S$8,000 to the agent to make the arrangements. Maybe a year later, she reaches our shores, secures an assembly line job at the factory producing SCV set-top boxes. Intrigued by the concept of cable TV, she pools with her 7 other flatmates and they subscribe to SCV. But coz you've gotta subscribe to a few groups, other than their Chinese entertainment channels, they also pick English entertainment (got subtitles what). Woah! AXN is part of the bundle. Woah! CSI Super Sunday has NY, Miami and Crime Scene Investigation! And she doesn't have a clue that way back in the scheme of things, because one public relations agency's designer proposed this clever idea of making a CSI crime scene tape lanyard, the money started changing hands and that's partially how she got here, eating her vegetable soup in front of the China-made TV, watching AXN on Sunday.

I'm all for betterment of our lots, but wait. Do we really need wastage to fuel the world's economic engines? How much of all manufacturing going on around the world is producing junk? Do we need another free magnet or umbrella or trolley bag? Do we even want another free calendar? Will we really use those gaudy ang pows emblazoned with Yakult given free by the aunty who sells them door to door?

I'm sure there's some economic term for the concept of producing only what the world needs. But I failed econs. Big F. And I bet no one would pay heed anyway. This world is driven by consumerism and wastism.

It'd be great if banks and companies started giving away vouchers at supermarkets or departmental stores instead of these someday-maybe-useful items. Or if everyone just signed up for this huge freebies exchange network, so poor drenched me can swap my free foot massage voucher for your golf umbrella.