Work is the curse of the drinking classes - Oscar Wilde
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Chief Rabbi blames Apple for ‘I’ culture
THE UK'S CHIEF RABBI, Lord Sacks has criticised Apple for creating a culture where people only care about the things they own.
Sacks was speaking at an interfaith reception attended by the Queen when he said that a society obsessed with products is a society that is failing, and called out the late Steve Jobs for his role in creating the way we live now.
"People are looking for values other than the values of a consumer society. The values of a consumer society really aren't ones you can live by for terribly long," he said, according to the Telegraph.
"The consumer society was laid down by the late Steve Jobs coming down the mountain with two tablets, iPad one and iPad two, and the result is that we now have a culture of iPod, iPhone, iTune, i, i, i. When you're an individualist, egocentric culture and you only care about 'i', you don't do terribly well."
Wanting Apple products takes people further away from faith, he explained, because it takes away their perspective of what is important and replaces it with a feeling of want.
"What does a consumer ethic do? It makes you aware all the time of the things you don't have instead of thanking God for all the things you do have," he added.
"If in a consumer society, through all the advertising and subtly seductive approaches to it, you've got an iPhone but you haven't got a fourth generation one, the consumer society is in fact the most efficient mechanism ever devised for the creation and distribution of unhappiness."
Update
The Chief Rabbi has contacted the INQUIRER to offer some context around the comments he made.
"The Chief Rabbi meant no criticism of either Steve Jobs personally or the contribution Apple has made to the development of technology in the 21st century. He admires both and indeed uses an iPhone and an iPad on a daily basis," says a statement sent via the Director of Communications and Programming at the Office of the Chief Rabbi.
"The Chief Rabbi was simply pointing out the potential dangers of consumerism when taken too far." µ
Tags: Apple
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The internet crowd (I am one too), and humanity.
My advise: Don't despair but appreciate those around you that are different more, assuming you are sure they are different and it's not just you not seeing what they say on the internet.
To bad, Preved medved !
Ever single comment on this article, bar the last, reasonably well argued one, is moronic. Who the hell are you people? I despair.
Imagine the security detail you need if you are a chief rabbi in the UK, that must be a whole lot of very smart people, and all foreigners too because I don't think he could trust locals.
So wait, some voodoo shaman of the judaism clan has made some stupid statement?
Has anyone alerted the president?
Before humans could paint badly on walls, they were selfish. 99.9% of all human interaction is rooted in selfishness. We want to promote OUR genes, our ideas, our beliefs etc etc.
Cognitive dissonance, we are all biased towards ourselves.
How is this relevant? the village witch doctor, e.g. rabbi is stuck in his belief system and is thus limited in his capacity to explain the world around him.
Assuming you believe "god did it" then god made humans and by extension everything they made. You can always say "he gave you free will" but creating a car in a highway I design with no opt out does not equal free will for the car, even if it's a really clever one.
Conclusion; beware the dangers of religion. It might force you into a catch 22 where by god loves you so you must do his/hers/its bidden or be eternally damned/punished etc. You have free will, but if you don't make the right choice, well you're damned again.
iVoodoo
"Meanwhile "the Queen" claims to own you serfs of the UK."
So, wrong audience when it comes to decrying materialism.
He is nothing but apple hater!!!
OMG steve jobs is a GOD!!!!
And my iThing is biger than his Thing :p
I thank God at every opportunity for disease, for tsunamis, for making the eating hole the same as the breathing hole (really good for choking on food) but most of all I thank Him for the Jews in Israel who, day-in, day-out, persecute, maim and kill innocent children in Palestine.
O, Lord, I am a mere insect beside you supreme wonderfulness, caring, as you do, for every being you gave life to...dribble, dribble...
Steve Jobs may have yanked your willy, at least he didn't cut the end of it off.
Go an wail at a wall Sacks.
so the jew (rabbi) did it again. its shame that they speak ill of the dead. Jobs brought technology to common people. how may people had smart phone before iphone? information is on you tip now the question is how you use the information. if some slow head from this rabbi's community dont know how to process information how can it be inventors problem. all i can say, i feel sorry for the people who listen to this rabbi
I think the Chief Rabbi has got his generations mixed up. The generation who who embraces the iphone and other technologies are the most socially, aware, socially conscious, sustainable and community aware in generations. He should remember that it was his generation who created the 'I' and the 'me' culture and his generation who showed little regard for the environment and social responsibility which has got us in the mess we are in now. I must say I am surprised.