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Consumerism essays
Consumerism in america today
Consumerism essays
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American citizens live in one of the richest and most fortunate countries on the planet. Yet, our society struggles with a stunning lack of appreciation for what we have. Even with an abundance of material goods, we’re always looking forward, always wanting more. This materialism, or obsession with material objects, remains an immense problem in American society. Materialism clogs rivers and countrysides with waste, uses up resources that could be better utilized elsewhere, and gives Americans a mindset that will hinder their happiness. The environmental side of this issue is extreme waste. Wendell Berry discusses the fields and rivers he lives by, now trash heaps overflowing with “not only disposable containers, but also with broken toasters, television sets, toys of all kinds, furniture, lamps,” etc. One of the main causes of all this waste is manufacturing companies who smother their products in layers of plastic, paper, and cardboard, which ultimately ends up in a trash heap. However, it is not the manufacturer’s fault alone. “Our wasteful problem is not the fault of only producers. It is the fault of an economy that is wasteful from the top to the bottom -- a symbiosis of an unlimited greed at the top and a lazy, passive, and self-indulgent consumptiveness at the bottom at the bottom-- and all of us are involved in it.” (Source 4) …show more content…
We shop to practice decision-making… We shop to remind ourselves how much is available to us.” While it may be true that shopping can be a form of therapy, recreational buying is a selfish and shallow-minded practice. If one’s habit is to turn to shopping every time they are bored or unhappy, not only are they going to buy more products and further the problem of materialism, but they are going to spend more money. Recreational shopping, although a substantial part of American culture, has a very negative effect on the
“I rather would be blind than then see this world in yellow, and bought and sold by kings that hammer roses into gold.” (King Midas Pg.462 Para.10) Many think that if they got what they wanted they would be happy, but if the world was all based on malterlistic things and everyone got what they wanted there would be chaos and no feelings just want and people would do crazy things to get what they want. Now a day’s people mistake malterlistic things for happiness. “The necklace”, “Ads may spur unhappy kids to embrace materialism”, And “Thrill of the chase” illustrates examples of materialism and show some base their happiness on it.
1. The main idea is not only that owning stuff is not the key to happiness, it’s also that consumers today own more than they need to thrive which directly impacts the environment. Hill illustrates the environmental impact by showing statistics of global warming today versus the past century, and how consumerism is leading to a hotter climate. Hill debunks claims of buying happiness by discussing a study where stress hormones spike to their highest when people are managing their personal belongings. Hill’s most prominent example that consumerism is not the answer is himself, as he discusses some of the most stressful times of his life being right after coming into a large sum of money and buying whatever he fancied. When Hill concludes his article, he states that “I have less—and enjoy more. My space is small. My life is big” (213).
The poem “America” by Tony Hoagland reflects on how peoples’ minds are clouded by small-scale items, money, and the unimportance of those items. Metaphors and imagery are utilized to emphasize the unimportance of materialistic items in America. How America is being flooded with unnecessary goods. The poem uses examples of people to create an example and connection to the overall meaning.
A large part of this problem is that many Americans buy into the ploys of capitalism, sacrificing happiness for material gain. “Americans have voluntarily created, and voluntarily maintained, a society which increasingly frustrates and aggravates” them (8). Society’s uncontrolled development results in an artificial sense of scarcity which ensures “a steady flow of output” (78).
Of all the strange beasts that have come slouching into the 20th century, none has been more misunderstood, more criticized, and more important than materialism. Who but fools, toadies, hacks, and occasional loopy libertarians have ever risen to its defense? Yet the fact remains that while materialism may be the most shallow of the 20th century's various -isms, it has been the one that has ultimately triumphed. The world of commodities appears so antithetical to the world of ideas that it seems almost heresy to point out the obvious: most of the world most of the time spends most of its energy producing and consuming more and more stuff. The really interesting question may be not why we are so materialistic, but why we are so unwilling to acknowledge
Materialism sets the stage for society by comparing society with the highest values in life. With materialism, newer objects tend to represent success and levels of achievement in a person’s life. Just like human nature, humans are attracted to better things in life, which gives materialism such a strong grip on us. People become young and restless in these quests for better objects. Just like clothing, people tend to care more about what others think about them than how they think about themselves.
In terms, the more stuff we have, the happier we are. Aristotle illustrates this well in his Nicomachean ethics stating, “...happiness, we claim, is an end and something in every final way....” (Source A). Aristotle suggests the idea that something is needed to find the society deemed definition of happiness. Without it, happiness is nonexistent. Aristotle continues his ethics by saying, “He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods” (Source A). Today, Americans are growing into this society of selfishness and greed. Happiness has become the main focus of many people, obtaining whatever they can, no matter the situation in hopes of findind what they are missing. They strongly believe that “just a little bit more will finally buy happiness” (Source E). They have been given the free right to buy what they feel will successfully buy happiness. However, just because America has given everyone the same unalienable right, the pursuit of happiness, does not mean everyone crosses the finish
Have you ever wanted something, an item or material so badly that you would do anything or give up anything for it? Well, guess what? Materials are not a necessary thing in your life. Materialism is ruining people's lives to the point where it is their occupation. In today’s society materialism take part in every person’s life, no matter where they are from or what social class they are.
Who doesn’t like shopping? I can’t name one person. Phyllis rose states many positive qualities in her essay “Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today”. One of the positives qualities she mentions about shopping is that it’s a form of therapy. Being that I love to shop. Rather it’s online or going to the stores it’s something I also find very therapeutic. You don't really need, let's say, another sweater. You need the feeling of power that comes with buying or not buying it. You need the feeling that someone wants something you have--even if it's just your money. To get the benefit of shopping, you needn't actually purchase the sweater. After a long stressful work or school day there’s nothing more relaxing than walking around
Americans often chase after things such as being socially accepted, attaining wealth, having a bigger house, and are view things as “bigger is better”. American culture has a tendency to promote quantity over quality and other countries view Americans as loud, selfish, and obnoxious. Also, other cultures view Americans as stressed out and unhappy people because they are always trying to make more money or buy more things. Studies show that U.S. workers put in more hours on their job than the labor force of any other industrial nations and have a “live so they can work” motivation. This mentality of achievements, making lots of money, and that owning material goods equate to happiness stems from the early American Dream, that prosperity and freedom can only be attained through upward social mobility and hard work. Many had a goal of owning a house or making higher income but achieving those goals was rare, and it was common for people to end up working hard, long, hours in factory, sometimes becoming depressed or addicted to alcohol. This ideal of acquiring happiness and prosperity through increased income and upward social mobility, caused many Americans to be unhappy, harming their moral character rather than helping
...hat materialistic attitudes are harmful to one's well-being. “The psychological perspective attributes the development of materialistic values to family circumstances that create stress and self esteem issues that promote materialistic values,” (Hung Vu Nguyen.) Many people in our culture attribute material goods to personal achievement. Truth rings true with Bertrand Russell’s statement “It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly.” Even at young ages children are competing and bragging to one another of who has more possessions. Past studies by Rindfleisch say that materialism developed over time as a response to stress due to family issues such as divorce, separation, and loss of loved ones. Materialism leads consumers to put a disproportionate amount of their resources into acquiring goods.
In life, especially in American culture, our existence revolves around the physical, materialistic possessions and goals. Every commercial, ad and salesman caters to those who need more “stuff”
In many high schools, if you don’t have an iPod or any other cool device, a replacement automotive or lots of cash, then the cool crowd typically doesn’t even notice a person. In nearly every organization, cash and things are the entire foundation, thus it is sensible that Americans would be thus materialistic. Of every last one of ideas inside economic concerns, supply and interest is maybe the most well-known by the overall population. Individuals' assets are constrained, yet everyone's needs and needs are boundless. “We shop to assert our superiority to the material objects that spread themselves before us,” (Rose 482).
Material goods don’t make us happy. Acquiring things like houses and cars only have a transient effect on happiness. People’s desires for material possessions crank up at the same, or greater rate, than their salaries. Again, this means that despite considerably more luxurious possessions, people end up no happier. There’s even evidence that materialism make us less happy.
The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid wastes each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet. The number landfills in the United States are decreasing, but the amount and volume of waste being thrown into the new landfills is increasing (Russell 4). Because of this escalating amount of garbage, Methane which contributes to global warming is an outcome of these landfills (Russell 7). As a result, our planet is suffering because of this epidemic. The garbage being put in the landfills could be recycled, but not enough businesses, ...