FWIW The musings of a webmaster Sunday 12 November 2006 What's this?

The new religion

Consumerism, they say, is the new religion.  If that is true, shopping malls are its cathedrals, and advertising its liturgy.

I was in Manchester last week and, having an hour to spare, went to worship at a state of the art cathedral, The Trafford Centre.  If you are not familiar with it, it's like The Mall near Bristol, but about five times the size.  It has 280 stores, 30 restaurants, a 20 screen cinema, leisure facilities and a prayer room. Being a true cathedral to consumerism it even has a dome!

I have to say, it's impressive. It draws you down its glittering arcades, tempting you with wonderful goodies in artistic packaging.  Lights sparkle, heavenly scents fill the air, music plays, rich fabrics ask to be touched - every sense is engaged. 

So did I succumb to temptation?  You bet.  In Selfridges a very charming French gentleman tempted me with a (very) small sample of a 23 year old malt whisky. A whisky old enough to be out on its own.

It was good.  It was very good.

But you don't just buy a bottle of this stuff off the shelf.  First you choose your bottle - dozens of shapes and sizes are available.  Then your whisky is ceremoniously decanted from an oak cask into your chosen receptacle, which is then wrapped lovingly in tissue paper, and placed in a designer carrier bag.  I bought 100ml which was all I could afford - it cost about the same as a full bottle of Famous Grouse. 

But it really was very very good.

Extraordinary amounts of creativity, time and money are invested by businesses small and global to persuade us to part with our hard earned cash.  Buy this this cosmetic - because you're worth it. Join this organisation - because it's good to belong. Use this energy supplier - because don't you just love being in control? Buy this burger and have it your way. Bank with us, and find out what's in it for YOU. Enter this lottery, because it could be YOU.

It's all fascinating stuff and it's hard to say that there is anything wrong with it.  After all, it provides jobs and meets needs. But we also need to remind ourselves that to continue to practice this new religion, and worship at this cathedral, we have to put more than a couple of quid in the collection plate each week.

Bernard Levin wrote: "Countries like ours are full of people who have all the material comforts they desire, together with such non-material blessings as a happy family, and yet lead lives of quiet, and at times noisy, desperation, understanding nothing but the fact that there is a hole inside them and that however much food and drink they pour into it, however many motor cars and television sets they stuff it with, however many well balanced children and loyal friends they parade around the edges of it... it aches."

I did not get as far as the Prayer Room at the Trafford Centre.  I went with the intention of finding it, but got distracted by the glittering temptations along the way.

Now, isn't there a story about that somewhere?