The Rise of Consumption Equality by Andy Kessler

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Recommended: The problem of consumerism and its effects

Through out the world, thousand of starving people look wherever they can for scraps of food or spare change. On the other hand, millionaires and billionaires can buy a private jet to fly anywhere on a whim while eating the finest of foods. In the middle, ordinary people work regular twelve-hour days in order to pay the bills and put food on the table. Each person can be in a different category. Most often you can tell which category an individual is in by looking at the things they own. Consumerism, or the push to buy goods and services, is not a new thing. It has been around since the very first sale or trade centuries ago. Although today, controversy has arisen about the rapidly growing rate of consumerism and how it affects the economy around the world. Is the current rate of consumerism a good or bad effect on the economy? Also, what are some ways to help people understand consumerism better? As I do research and explore, I hope to find the answers to these questions in order to understand the issue better myself. My first source, “The Rise of Consumption Equality” by Andy Kessler, published in The Wall Street Journal, discusses how the different social classes are becoming more alike and more different from each other. At the beginning of the article, Kessler’s talks about how wealth used to be popular, but now it is hard to be wealthy without being guilt-tripped by the lower classes. Kessler then moves on to say that most often the rich work themselves to death to make their fortune, and with the rise in new technology and equality, they only get to enjoy the same things as the middle class. He questions the fairness in that in the next sentence. In the following paragraphs of the article Kessler describes many of the dif... ... middle of paper ... ...eb. 19 Feb. 2014. “Consumer Protection.” Manila bulletin. 21 July. 2011. Global issues in context. 24 Dec. 2014. "Global Economic Inequality." Economist. 13 March. 2004: SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. Hassett, Kevin, and Aparna Mathur. "Consumption and the Myths of Inequality." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. Kessler, Andy. "The Rise of Consumption Equality." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Terrill, Ross. "China Is Rising, but for How Long?" New York Times. N.p., 11 Sept. 2006. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Timmerman, Kelsey. “Follow Your Labels: Your Place in the Global Consumer Chain.” Christian Science Monitor. July 21. 2008. Web.

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