Addiction Sells

Addiction Sells

The easiest form of commerce in the world consists of selling people things that they will naturally become addicted to on their own. For example, you don't have to sell alcohol because it sells itself. (The exception to that rule might be selling people bottles of wine that cost $485 apiece.)

It's easy to sell unhealthy things such as fried foods. All you have to do is give those kinds of products catchy names such as “Kentucky Fried Chicken.” And you can sell tobacco effectively with unusual flavors and simple marketing tricks.

In the food and beverage business, it’s necessary for retailers to give the impression that their products are healthy, even if they are harmful to people. And some retailers will package and market their products in such a way that buyers are addicted to the good feelings that the packaging and marketing generate.

It's interesting and perplexing that we humans capitalize on the suffering of other people. We create addictive products, services, ideas, philosophes, hopes, desires, and dreams. We package them well, brand them, and make sure that we get them to others for consumption. All of us, and especially those of us who are prone to addictions, should carefully consider the products that we consume and make sure that we are not consuming them motivated by addiction.



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