27 April 2008

Elitism


This card is one of a series of "demotivators" produced by Despair Inc. I bought a set of these particular cards ages ago because I liked the elitism play, but I also love Despair Inc.'s overall parody of trite corporate culture - here's how they put it themselves:

Psychology tells us that motivation- true, lasting motivation- can only come from within. Common sense tells us it can't be manufactured or productized. So how is it that a multi-billion dollar industry thrives through the sale of motivational commodities and services? Because, in our world of instant gratification, people desperately want to believe that there are simple solutions to complex problems. And when desperation has disposable income, market opportunities abound.

AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That's why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!

That there is something decidedly circumlocutious (to put it nicely) about Despair Inc "productizing" their critique says a lot about the nature of post-industrial capital. We really are monkeys chasing our own tails.

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