I was watching The Story of Stuff (see http://www.storyofstuff.org/) when the narrator, Annie, said something that really disturbed me. She said, "Our primary identity has become that of being consumers." Of course, the whole video is a little scary, being about the dark underbelly of our consumer economy. That comment, though, really hit me. Our primary identity is as a consumer? Is that true? Unfortunately, I think it is. We identify ourselves by what we buy, which is what we wear, what we drive, even what we eat. Instead of being a daughter, a friend, a lover, a teacher, I'm someone who buys food at the co-op, owns reusable water bottles and coffee mugs, and produces knitted and sewn items. Even as I try to distance myself from this economy of excess, I'm still caught up in the driving force of it. I'm still allowing my identity to be determined by what I purchase, or what I choose not to purchase.
This list of purchased goods is not who I want to be, so I've been reflecting on how I do want to define myself. So far, I think I would prefer to be defined by my relationships with others. I'd prefer to think of myself as friend or daughter. After all, isn't community a fundamental part of being human?
Or, maybe I don't want to define myself at all. Maybe I'm just Noella.
