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The positive and negative effects of consumerism
Effects of consumerism on american society
Consumerism and its effect on society
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Sometimes, when relatives and friends say “go big or go home” it’s not always in sports-related situation.. Graham Hill and Jessi Arrington both address the theme of minimalist in their videos during a Ted Talk. They both are very relevant to this theme as is the article “The Realities of Hedonistic Consumerism” in Rereading America. Although they all have their distinct characteristics and reasons for being relevant, Graham Hills video Less Stuff, More Happiness does a better job of explaining and giving examples. The two videos and the one article explain how as the years go by the normal American expands the storage they have to fit everything they desire. Graham Hill is the founder of treehugger.com and LifeEdited.com. He works to design one’s life to include more money, health and happiness with less stuff, space, and energy. Hill explains the benefits of having less space in his Ted Talk, Less Stuff, More Happiness (Hill, 2011). “We Americans about three times the amount of space than what we did about 50 years ago” said Hill while talking in front of an audience. The problem with this is that we have become very good shoppers that in return we think we need …show more content…
The only thing new on her body is her underwear, but other than that she has chosen to buy everything used. Wearing Nothing New showed a week’s worth of outfits that were all chosen from a thrift stores around LA. Arrington said, “It is okay to let go” after she knew that all her outfits were not going to fit back in the one suitcase she brought from Brooklyn. She provided a slide show that suggested outfits and how each and everyone had a special feature that made it look cute. She told her audience how one can look stylish with an outfit that is less than $50, and also explained how one does not have to get so attached to things because sometimes right around the corner there will be something that is more of out
The chosen article is Two Cheers for Consumerism by James Twitchell. In this article he talks about consumerism, commercialism, and materialism. He argues the stand point of consumers and the role they live by every day. In other hands the critics, Academy, gives the consumers and overview description to their consumers.
Companies realize what people need and they take it as sources to produce commodities. However, companies which have famous brands try to get people’s attention by developing their products. Because there are several options available of commodities, people might be in a dilemma to choose what product they looking for. In fact, that dilemma is not real, it is just what people want. That is what Steve McKevitt claims in his article “Everything Now”. When people go shopping there are limitless choices of one product made by different companies, all choices of this product basically do the same thing, but what makes them different is the brand’s name. Companies with brands are trying to get their consumers by presenting their commodities in ways which let people feel impressed, and that are some things they need to buy. This is what Anne Norton discussed in her article “The Signs of Shopping”. People are often deceived by some famous brands, which they will buy as useless commodities to feel they are distinctive.
The realm of higher education is in a state of constant evolution, which can be witnessed on as small of a time scale as a year-to-year basis; however, the more drastic changes are most notable in larger scales, such as five years, ten years, and so on. One of the main forces for change is the student body and their parents, to some extent. Mark Edmundson, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, wrote his essay On the Uses of a Liberal Education: As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students about the more recent changes of not only universities, but of the student body as well. He laments how consumerism has transformed these institutes of learning into, basically, glorified daycares, and he does make a rather compelling argument by drawing upon his personal experiences as a teacher.
“Either she falls into saving hands and becomes better, or she rapidly assumes the cosmopolitan standard of virtue and becomes worse”
There are many people who are driven by consumerism and many people who wish they can get in touch with that type of world. Consumers are often promoted to advertise more of the products that they are buying to get more people to buy more products. Hari Kunzru, author of “Raj, Bohemian,” creates a narrator who is obsessed with maintaining his individuality and free will in a world that is overcome with consumerism. Believes that the world takes away individuality when consumerism comes into play and how hard it is to maintain their true self. In her LA Times article “Teen Haulers Create a Fashion Force,” Andrea Chang writes about the phenomenon of teenage Youtube users who make videos that publicize their latest shopping binges. She expresses
“Proper society did not think about making money, only about spending it,” said Barbara W. Tuchman. This quote shows our real world, and the people that spend money, but they forget about the value of money. Nowadays people want more than they have. They forget how many things they have and how much money they spend. Most people when they see people having something better, they think that they need it also. Also, people forget how hard they get that money, but how easily and quickly they spend it. In the article “The Treadmill of Consumption” by Roberts, he says that people are willing to go into debt to buy certain products and brands. That is right that people can do crazy things to buy certain goods. Sometimes people
‘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
Several months ago I began to suspect that a new acquaintance had some unusual ideas about money. Her Facebook posts and conversation starters revolved around living a frugal lifestyle and her approach, at least at the time, seemed quite novel. The Great Recession has certainly forced all of us to reevaluate our spending behaviors and tighten up our proverbial belts a few notches. In fact, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) conducted a poll in January that shows many of us are experiencing “frugal fatigue.” Cunningham, an NFCC spokesperson, says that “…66 percent (of respondents), indicated they were tired of pinching pennies… ,” but, “(t)he interesting finding is that more than 20 percent… had implemented financial lifestyle changes that they found to be positive and intended to keep them in place" ("Majority of Americans Have Frugal Fatigue”). I could not find any estimates about how many Americans have adopted extreme frugality, but the 20 percent of respondents in the NFCC’s poll that believe they will continue their frugal ways suggests the number may be very high indeed. At any rate, my new friend talked about her frugality with the same fervor as a religious convert. The only other person I knew who could rhapsodize so joyfully about reused plastic baggies and thrift store finds was my maternal grandmother. I was intrigued and inspired to research this co-culture, or perhaps counterculture, of extreme frugality.
American’s and people in general are an audience targeted for various commodities, advertising being a major contributor. The world of advertising has become a multiplex science, as mentioned in “What We Are to advertisers,” Twitchell divides consumers into 8 categories and Craig, in “Men’s Men and Women’s Women,” concludes there are specific times of day for advertisements to be displayed to reach specific audiences. “Mass production means mass marketing, and mass marketing means the creation of mass stereotypes,” claims Twitchell. These stereotypes of men, women, and humans in general are how advertiser’s reach their targeted audiences.
We’re all materialist to one extent or another. we all use and enjoy material goods in our daily lives, and most of us simply couldn't get by without them. And there's nothing wrong with that, as long as the desire for material goods doesn't control us and our actions”. In my opinion, some materialism is important in our daily lives as, long as it does not interfere with our
There are a few number of people that believes counter culture does not exists anymore. They claim that it is now merely a commodity that can be bought and sold like any other product. Some others disagree. Personally, I agree with the former group. This piece of writing will analyse this statement of whether counter culture is only a commodity or not. First I’m going to explain how counter culture starts and what is consumerism. Then I’m going to analyse how it is commodified and the connection between consumerism. Then I will discuss how the consumerism affect counter cultural group’s lifestyle in the past. Then I’m going to give a few examples of different counter cultural people and groups from different countries and I will state my counter-argument. Finally I will conclude my argument and state my opinion on this.
Peace Pilgrim once stated, “Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them. There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but no too much who are the happiest”. In today’s society, there are individuals who consider themselves materialists, prideful, rich and others not that wealthy. However, material possessions are one of the most unnecessary items that Americans people have, which sometimes could be a critical aspect that defines their identity. In fact, many people who experience such dilemma, have particularly rented self-storage room, which helps them to accumulate and save all their valuable possessions. In the article “The Self-Storage,” by Jon Moallem,
Living off the grid is slowly becoming more prevalent, and there are a growing number of people embracing this lifestyle because they desire to live The Good Life. Many are discovering ways to appreciate off-grid living, rather than assessing the disadvantages of it. It is obvious that people are removing themselves from the grid in order to combat global warming and climate change, but those who have a stronger appreciation for nature are willing to make sacrifices to live off the grid. People who have a positive attitude toward this way of living are more likely to relate it to pursuing the Good Life. Even though “living completely off the grid isn’t for everyone,” those who dream of living a sustainable lifestyle are determined and fully committed to doing so (Bodkins 1). A vast majority of people dream of becoming wealthy and living lavishly, but that dream does not appeal to everyone. Some people are content without owning a mansion, multiple cars, or earning millions of dollars. Things of monetary worth are not important to those ...
The United States is a country full of people from different backgrounds and beliefs with dreams of endless possibilities. Every single person is uniquely different in every way. Millennials are the luckiest people of America. They learn from their parents mistakes and have more opportunities than them. They get to choose their own career, sexual orientation, religion, and basic beliefs. One of those choices is their living arrangement. Many millennials would rather purchase experiences than things. This way of life is called Minimalism. The minimalistic lifestyle ignores the societal pressure to purchase the latest fashion trends. Minimalists focus on their personal goals in life and are not attached to physical belongings. Hoarders,
What ties the individuals and their lives together is the manner in which they choose to settle on the decisions against the risk of lack. The economy is about why individuals settle on the decisions they make and what the suggestions or impacts of those decisions are, and it plays a significant part in everyone's lives. As America advances in technology, our materialism appears to grow and technology has become a tool for distracting individuals. A century or two past, our society’s hierarchy was supported by cash and land. Today’s new materialism determines your placement on the social ladder.