London – The late Steve Jobs helped create a selfish “i, i, i” consumer culture that has only brought unhappiness, the Chief Rabbi has claimed.
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Lord Sacks said that advertising only made shoppers aware of what they did not own, rather than feeling grateful for what they have.
The Chief Rabbi’s comments are likely to raise eyebrows because he singled out for blame Jobs – the co-founder of Apple who died last month – by likening his iPad tablet computers to the tablets of stone bearing the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses.
Speaking at an interfaith reception attended by the Queen this week, Lord Sacks said: “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.”
He went on: “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.
“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.”
Its ok to say this in shul for a musser drusha but how did it wind up in the telegraph?
How obscene. What a Concrete thinker!!!!!!!
The ‘i’ insignia on Apple products is not about you, its a designation. Personally I think it indicates “intelligence”.. Its not even a capital i. Gosh, what are our rabbonim doing these days? The only ego I see in this article is the one of the rabbi who wants to denigrate a recently buried hero and wants to make himself a nice photograph in vos iz neias and where ever else. Talk about egos!!!!!!!
yeh he is right, everything is about I and me, even the wII console hgame has two I’s. start caring about others around you.
To blame a single man who was just niftar for the lack of menchlichkeit in an entire young generation is not nice.
How very well said.
Nobody views the “i” as a selfish kind of thing, its viewed as a unique and creative icon, everybody loves it! That’s one unhappy so called rabbi!
Interesting that he didn’t blame אוסם for creating the ביסלי, this also symbolizes לי as in selfishness.
This goes to show that instead of looking at himself and his look for positive ways to influence people as his role should be, he found someone to bash.
The above comments were entirely inappropriate thing for Lord Sacks to have uttered, especially in front of the audience, in which it was spoken. The entire world benefited from Mr. Jobs’ inventions and ingenuity. Lord Sacks should retract his statements, and apoogize to the Jobs family.
My question is: Was it always like this? Weren’t there always people who had, people who didn’t have, and people who had more? And didn’t society always have to deal with competition between families, neighbors, classes, etc.? I mean, Steve Jobs didn’t invent envy, did he?
Does the Rabbi mean that only people who are poor are happy?
i once saw a cartoon that said: iphone, ipod, ipad….ibroke!
i think the rabbi is a litle bit ibroke
Has the good rabbi read the compelling accounts of how the iPad has totally revolutionized communication and education for autistic individuals? There are thousands of autistic children and adults who were unable to communicate or participate in the world until Steve Jobs’ iPad unlocked their prisons and released them from isolation. Instead of condemning Jobs, Rabbi Sacks would have told a far more honest and inspiring story by likening what Steve Jobs did to the releasing of thousands of Gilad Shalits. He has achieved nothing less than “pidyon shevuyim” on the grandest of scales. As someone who worked with an autistic teenager, and was endlessly frustrated by the inability of this very lovable teen to express basic thoughts and feelings, I consider what Mr. Jobs has done as nothing less than a miracle. He is my new hero. May Hashem take special care of his soul.
My teacher said this idea a few years ago. many things these days are focused on “i”-making the individual feel great.
He may have picked on the wrong i-con. Steve Jobs i-dolizers won’t be taking these comments sitting down, I fear…
For a chief rav of the UK to utter such a mindless comment worthy of the dumbest chareidi fanatic is a bushah for the goyim . The torah teaches us to avoid loshan horah and in this case he chose to disrepect and dishonor someone who was just niftar who is venerated throughout the world. Let him keep his comments to himself.
The word iPod doesn’t, apparently, get its name either from Ive or an acronym. Instead, the story goes that the name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelancer Apple had hired to work with the original iPod design team, who was inspired by the movie 2001.
I might be “narrow minded” in your opinion, but I at least try to think from a Jewish perspective. Calling Steve Jobs one of “OUR visionaries” doesn’t sound very Jewish to me. Our visionaries are people far different than Jobs. Don’t get me wrong, I consider Jobs a very respected CEO and was great at his job, but he isn’t one of my “visionaries”. I’m proud not to be so broad minded like you!
Also, in my opinion the Rabbi wasn’t being critical of Jobs on a personal level, it was more of a lament about how the “consumer society” that he helped foster brings about a lot of unhappiness to people. Yes, no doubt the the Apple products per se have certainately brought about lots of advantages to our generation (see #14 ), but then again, the Rabbi was talking about the “consumer society” (consumerism) and not about the products per se. Why can’t we look at the issue at hand objectively, instead of bringing up all sorts of issues that aren’t specifically related to the Rabbi’s words? READ what he said and then comment.
p.s. Re: “intitlement” – you are right, I guess I also came under the influence of consumerism!
To quote the Times description of Rabbi Sacks, here is part of it: “Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, is seen by followers from all faiths as a persuasive and insightful speaker.”
Any of you bashers get such praise from the nonJewish world? Until then hold back from being so hateful about such a special person (there is way more to him then the description I brought)
Kol Tuv