Assignment Speech: What Is Consumerism And Living Small?

1184 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The positive and negative effects of consumerism

Consumerism Assignment Speech Script What is Consumerism and Living Small? Consumerism. It’s the ideology that promotes us to spend our money to consume goods, in the belief that it will keep our economy running smoothly and give jobs and income to many people all around the globe. It makes us believe that living bigger and better is the most desirable option. Though it has become clear that with people over consuming products due to this order, that it is really killing our society instead of aiding it. So why have most people not considered defying this consumerism and living smaller? Living smaller means applying things such as only purchasing needs not wants, not disposing of something that can be fixed and ignoring advertisements to your lifestyle. It has numerous benefits such as reduced spending, less debt, less stress, better for the environment and no constant upgrading. The truth is that the global consumerism issue is that people are not living small, and that we need to switch to this minimal lifestyle to counteract the negative affects of consumerism. How does this affect consumption among consumers? When you buy into consumerism and live big, you are helping increase the consumption of goods and services. However, living smaller means that the amount that you consume will decrease and this may be more beneficial that the former …show more content…

These wasted resources can have a significant negative impact on the both people and the environment. When we start to purchase more what we want as well as what we need, resources such food are being wasted instead of allowing people who have low or no incomes to go hungry and starve. Moreover, the resources used to make these goods all come from nature, so more trees have to be cut down and more fossil fuels are utilised, further damaging the

Show More
Related

  • Graham Hill Consumerism

    2231 Words  | 5 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • The Trouble with Omnivores Explained in Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...quote by Daniel Bell that the “tendency of capitalism, in its single-minded pursuit of profit, to erode the various cultural underpinnings that steady a society but often impede the march of commercialization” (302). He means that if it will stop the flow of money, the capitalist government will do all it takes to remove it. If we are to fix the way Americans eat and think, we need to move back towards pleasurable eating and diets not ruled by capitalistic attempts to make more money. The only way this will ever be accomplished is if the government worries less about money and more about the health of the people. That will control the markets and what is sold, but the problem will still continue unless people change the way they eat as well. If we follow the French example of longer dinners and smaller entrees, we may be able to solve this omnivore’s dilemma.

    Read More

  • Mark Edmundson's On The Uses Of A Liberal Education

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is what an example of a consumerist attitude looks like. The idea of consumerism, put simply, is to get more bang for your buck.

    Read More

  • Locavore's Dilemma Argument

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the extreme side of having a healthier lifestyle there is a locavore system. This system means that you confine your food to a 100 mile radius (Pelletier703). In “The Locavore’s Dilemma” by Christophe Pelletier, he disagrees with movement, but believes that the distance is not more important rather than the carbon footprint. Pelletier also recognizes the struggle of busy tight budgeted families when deciding their food decisions. Therefore, the support of this movement is more of the wealthier population. People who are able to spend considerable amounts on only local. But eating only locally produced is not necessary to live a healthy lifestyle. The difference between Bittman and Pelletier regarding this is that buying for real food versus buying food locally grown, which of course is the healthier option but not needed. Like Pelletier, I agree that eating only locally grown food is not needed and not realistic (Pelletier703). There should be the healthy medium of eating real home cooked meals rather than eating highly processed foods and between eating only food that is in 100 mile radius. Americans shouldn’t go for the extravagant and costly diets or fads when going toward their health. Simply cooking healthy meals at home rather than eating out will increase their

    Read More

  • Theme Of Consumerism In Brave New World

    1890 Words  | 4 Pages

    ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley is a science-fiction book in which people live in a futuristic society and a place called the World State. In ‘Brave New World’, Aldous Huxley used the idea of consumerism to describe the behaviors and lives of the citizens of the World State. The practice of consumerism by the people of the World State fulfilled their satisfactory and happiness. However, it also blinded purity and truth among its people. Different classes and different genders of people practiced different acts of consumerism such as consuming soma, technology and bodies. They sought happiness from them and eventually these acts became a social norm. However, these practices of consumerism also had side effects. It blinded truth such as

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Recycling

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also recycling as spoiled societies in well developed regions. I Believe we consume way more then we need because we know it 's will be reused for a good cause but all that waste is generating more working for recyclers which in way is counterbalancing the environmental benefit. In Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter he spoke on a study that was done at the university where they observed the paper towel usage in a men 's restroom over a period of time. First with just a trash can and then the second time the recycling bin included the study found that that people used about half a hand towel more where there was a recycling bin (pg 266). “The increasing consumption found is partially due to the fact that consumers are well aware that recycling is beneficial for the environment: however the costs of recycling are less salient”(Minter 267). I believe the reason why recycling isn 't technically working is because we consumer see recycling as a first option when it 's actually should be sacred process that should be used in rarity. We as consumers need to think conserve instead of

    Read More

  • Consumption And Consumption Theory

    2464 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout history the connection between consumption and capitalism has played an integral part towards social changes that have occurred. As society changed so did the theories used to explain why these changes seemed the way they were. The sociology of Consumption has been rooted within sociological theory since its earliest days for example from Karl Marx’s ideas of utilisation of use-values (Marx, Engels and Arthur, 1972). However even within in these roots the influx of research only began to occur within last few decades. The sociology of consumption provides another route in which theorists can study society. As Marshall (1998) believed that sociology theory had for a long time been eclipsed by theories such as alienation and social class to name a few that are constantly being used to explain the basics of the social order and conflict with it. Although consumption has grown within the last few decided it’s not an easy term to define as there is not a standardised definition as many people believe when talking about consumption they already understand what is meant by the world. However it’s more likely they understand the word in terms of what it means to “consume” as the majority of society consumes on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • Pop Art: The Negative Impact Of Materialism And Consumerism

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consumerism is directly related to materialism. The idea of consumerism encourages over consumption, which leads to being wasteful. Materialism provokes people to overspend their money on unnecessary material possessions, which is also wasteful. In his famous depictions of Campbell’s soup cans, he painted the soup can 32 times (Johnson). These paintings both display materialism and consumerism. Warhol can easily paint one soup can, but instead he painted 32 soup cans. The soup cans allude to the unnecessary mass consumption that people have. Instead of purchasing one soup can, people might end up with 32 soup cans. It is not only unnecessary to buy so many soup cans, but also incredibly wasteful. Materialistic people tend to purchase items without being financially responsible because they end up overspending their

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Consumption and Identity

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people become victims of consumerism, often aspiring to unrealistic heights or being unable to sustain the financial implications of passive consumerism. The difference between essential consumerism and euphoric consumerism is a very fine line that can be easily crossed over if control is not maintained.

    Read More

  • Rational Consumer Behavior Model Essay

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    The rational consumer behavior model is founded on four assumptions: diminishing marginal utility, non-satiation, free disposal, and whole-income usage. Diminishing marginal utility suggests that added happiness, given by each additional unit, decreases. Added utility can never reach zero based on the assumption that our desires for a good are non-satiable, or that more is better. Free disposal states that no amount of a good can be considered too much logistically. Lastly, it is assumed that

    Read More

  • Benefits of Sustainable Business Practices

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jeff Butcher and Rachel Hill pointed out the impacts of businesses on environments, by stating “The more of a product that is consumed or produced, the more of an externality that results” (Butcher, Jeff, & Hill, Rachel, 2006). Obviously, we can see that one product produced will bring benefit to consumer, sellers, and manufacturers. Meanwhile, one produced and consumed will cause negative externalities for environment. There is one fact we cannot deny that the more social life develops, the more externalities will be produced to the society. Daily living garbage, industrial wastes, carbon dioxide from factories are most outstanding examples to describe negative externalities to environment (Butcher, Jeff, & Hill, Rachel, 2006). In “The tragedy of the Commons”, Hardin showed us causes of negative externalities. He proved that people assume a...

    Read More

  • Trade Liberalization On The Environment Essay

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...lations diminished production, those without the basic human needs of food, shelter, and clothing will be forced into still greater poverty. So the very debate about whether to curb production to save the environment is also a question of whose livelihoods we value more: present day poor or future populations.

    Read More

  • Consumerism In The Environment Essay

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is very important to know better about this problem. We can all work trying not to buy disposable products, recycle, and reuse. In addition, The rational use of energy is also critical so we must reduce consumption of electricity, water, and other natural resources. In order to live in a truly more sustainable and healthy world to go for a good way to the

    Read More

  • The Impact of Population Growth on the Environment

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though several people see large rapidly growing populations in developing regions as the primary culprit in environmental decline, we need to focus on the costly environmental outcomes of overconsumption among the gradually increasing populations of the developed nations. These differing emphases naturally point to fundamentally different solutions: slow population increase in less-developed nations or change destructive consumption and production patterns in the more-developed nations. This debate, however, assumes a one-step answer to the complex problems created by population pressures on the environment. Both population size and consumption ...

    Read More

  • Sustainability And Environmental Sustainability

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    In order to grow, besides using technology, the economy also feeds on natural resources. This in turn emits waste that pollutes the air and threatens the climate, causes an overuse of natural resources such as oil and gas, and in the long run, this will create a skin hole which will swallow up the economy, environment and society.

    Read More

More about Assignment Speech: What Is Consumerism And Living Small?

Open Document