Cap A delicious quip from ancient Greece came to mind on gagging through the June Nazttonal Post column of philosophy professor, Mark Kingwell: Demosthenes: “The Athenians will kill you some | day when they are in a rage.” Phocion: “And you, Ww vhen they are in their senses.” ‘The editorial column was 4 trendy mumbo-jumbo; a pack- age of “brend” banal that should deface the more frivo- lous sections of a newypapcr. Following a barrage of inco- herent verbiage about “ ‘cross- over,” “synergy, ” and “toral brand experience,” Kingwell offered up the hackneyed assaulr, masquerading as tongue-in-cheek wit, on Bill Gates and his profits. Incidentally, a primer for ‘ the new sophistry infesting the Left is Naomi Kicin’s book Ne : Logo: Taking Aim At the Brand Bullies. Kingwell is credited with acting as Kicin's menror while she assembied her miscellany. A sound-bite bellwether in her own right, Klein uses terms such as “brand bullies,” “brand bomb- ing” and “brand convergence” — all of which echo in italists profi lana eroer conuuent Kingwell’s profix kitsch — to denote that the masses buy into a vision of the world an evil capitalist cabal sells for its own gain. In both instances, the reader should avoid con- fusing an orgy of alliteration with conscious thought. To Kingwell’s central the- sis: Gates has it all wrong, he claims. Yes, Microsoft makes pretty good software, allows the professor, although natu- raliy it stole its ideas. And Gates’ billion-dollar enterprise has marketed itself with “mod- erate success.” But since life is alf about packaging, not sub- stance (groundbreaking idea), Gates should have “crossed over” to marketing something unconnected to software, like a “Gates World”, or a “Microshuttle” air-service. Instead of joining the “cross- over™ trend, laments Kingwell, Gates makes us watch his attempts to “justify his own outrageous wealth.” Hidden behind the hollow words is the deep contempt the Pett holds for the once noble proletariat. So stupid are people, such pawns of package are they, that they hp up products they neither need nor want. Hiiariously, Kingwell’s spasms of thought are really an unintentional pacan to capitalism. For it is thanks to mass production, capitalism. that the average incomes in North America are so high. And it is capitalism that explains why goods that were once luxuries reserved for few — like good food and clothing, vehicles, homes, computers, art, enter- tainment, and foreign travel — are now mass-market com- modities. The average man can, very plainly, afford to buy fluff over real stuff. No less incongruent is Kingwell’s view of wealth. Why is the wealth of Gates outrageous? Only, [ guess, if your departing point is that, being a malevolent capitalist, Gates forced all those who bought the bundled Windows Operating System (OS) and Internet Explorer to do so at the point ofa gun. But here is the cub: There is no bullying in a supply-and- demand fee marker. When a PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING A development is being proposed for the property at - 4850 Capilano Road (corner of Montroyal Blvd & Capilano Road) North Vancouver and you are invited to join Wedgewood Ventures Ltd. and Ramsay Worden Architects Ltd. Data: Wednesday July 12, 2000 Time: 7:00 p.m. - Viewing of the plans and informal discussion with applicant. Location of Meeting: Canyon Heights Christian Assembly at 4870 Capilano Road - (comer of Montroyal Bivd. & Capilano Road) North Vancouver _ Formal Presentation to begin at 7:30 p.m. with question period to follow. : The meeting is being held by the applicant in compliance with the District of North Vancouver Council policy. The applicant will present details of the proposal and discuss any concems residents may have. ’ information packages are being distributed to residents within 350m of the ‘ Site. Sf you would like to receive a coy or if you would like more ~ information, contact the Planning Department at 990-2387 or James Fox at -." Wedgewood Ventures Lid. 649-5658 or Bob Worden at Ramsay Worden Architects . ' "" Ltd. 736-8959 or bring you questions and comments tc the meeting. : . i This is not a Public Hearing. Council will receive a report from staff on . tssues raised at the meeting and will formatly consider the proposed at a later date. ENTIRE SPRING & SUMMER COLLECTION FABULOUS SELECTION! ' CLOTHING « - SHOES *° ACCESSORIES - HANDBAGS « HOSIERY (1441 BELLEVUE AVENUE, WEST VANCOUVER | 926-2113 t by sei sovereign consuntier decides to part with the 128 odd dollars 1n lieu of Gates’s Windows and Explorer deal, ic is because he values the prodtct more than the cash. Had the consumer valued the Netscape, Linus, or Solaris products — none of which offered a combined Intermet browser and OS at a rock-bottom price — more than the cash these companies were demanding for their cumbersome alternatives, buy- ers would have purchased those. Bill Gates’ market share is derived from the consumer's democratic vote of confidence. When Joc Average invested in the bundled products, he NICE BODY Friday, July 7, 2000 - North Shore News ~ 7 voted democratically with his cash, Indeed, democratic capital- ism is a fail-safe mechanism thar ensures the capitalist is roped into serving the masses. Ifhe fails to serve, absent gov- ernment intervention, the entrepreneur does not profit. As much as I would like the rarificd music of Bela Bartok to sell billions, the masses have spoken. Through their buving power, they decide what should be produced, by whom and in what quantities, and it is brand Britney (Spears) the masses want most. Why a man so hard at work on his own brand would strike such a pose against package is Feature of the Week slim Tech | Melt fat away with Health Enjoy the second glances = Have your ioved ones see the real you ® Clinically proven formula including “GA, HCA and enzymes - ng Masses unclear, Kingwell’s disdain for wealth is less bafiling: unlikely as it is to be based in scrip- tures, and very definitely not on the “Jewish legal tradition according to which wealth honestly acqtired is a bless- ing,” Kingwell’s disdain for wealth is probably borne of the impulse to replace “the social order in which the most ingenious citizens are impelled to serve the masses,” in the * words of economist Tudsig von Mises, with a system “ which they no longer will be the customers who give the orders, but wards of an omnipotent authority.” Baring ... —guome@attcanadanet SLIM BODY “uy THIS FABRIC SOFA F FOR “Sie é AND GET THE MATCHING CHAIR OR LOVESEAT FREE! 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