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Consumerism and the environment essay
Consumerism and the environment essay
consumption and it's detriments to the environment
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The Importance of Ending Consumerism
America is the world’s biggest and most earnest consumer. Within the national culture, there is a tremendous emphasis placed on the acquisition of goods, and subsequently, the cultivation of luxury. The American dream itself implies material gain, the pot of gold at the end (or top) of the socioeconomic ladder. Collectively and personally, Americans identify themselves through consumerist attitudes and practices. Ironically, the price of such consumerism is far greater than the simple cost of any given product; though not necessarily in terms of currency, but that of planetary expense. The harm done to Mother Earth is substantial both in its scope and rate of growth. Luckily, though, it is also avoidable.
Clearly, one of the best ways to aid the environment is to eliminate excess. By excess, I mean the needless proliferation of products, elaborate packaging and the waste that such extravagances necessitate. The overuse of fossil fuels in production, waste products created by industry and the damage rendered to the landscape, all direct outgrowths of consumerist practices, contribute to the destruction of our most valuable resources, such as clean water, and air. Still, American society continues to heedlessly grow more and more materialistic each year.
As a wealthy and powerful nation, we Americans seem to give credence to the philosophy that if we have the economic means, we should acquire all that we can. This ideology is merely the reflection of another: might makes right. Yet, our government is often intervening in foreign affairs which do not concern our country in an immediate sense; cases in which a weaker nation or group is being victimized by a stronger party, for example, U.S. intervention in the Bosnian conflict in the late 1990s. Thus the contradiction is established between our military or foreign policy and that of our economic patterns and practices. Truly, should not the environment be defended in the same fashion as the weaker nations to whose defense we rush as a matter of custom?
The present state of the environment in America demonstrates an acute lack of foresight and an abundance of greed. Depressing though it may be, it is time that we, as nation, came together to truly evaluate the problem. Additionally, it is time that we eliminated the wheat from the chaff of our lives, the harmful luxury from the necessity.
In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the characters gain happiness through mass consumerism enforced by the government to create a stable society. Huxley displays his view of the toxic relationship between consumption and perceiving happiness, by showing the impact that government slogans, and strict government control over information, has on each citizen and society. The use and concentration of government slogans in the novel are a major indicator of the relationship between human consumption and perceived happiness. One of the most notorious quotes from Brave New World is the hypnopaedic phrase “ending is better than mending” which conditions citizens to throw away clothes and buy new ones in place of continuing to wear clothes they already
Aldous Huxley writes down his interpretation of a future dystopia in Brave New World. He predicts that the notion of a traditional family will no longer exist and it will become a grotesque concept. Aldous also foretells that the society will be consumeristic and it would collapse if it was not. Lastly, he guesses that there will be a universal ideal that everyone will conform to. Aldous Huxley correctly predicted that traditional families are no longer emphasized, our society is consumeristic, and conformity is a major part of society however, not to the extreme that it was in the novel Brave New World.
There are many efforts to reverse the effects we accelerated; countries around the world are supporting green change and aim to ultimately benefit the existence of humanity. Greener transportation, greener disposal of objects, and a greener mindset and understanding of waste. The wasteful habits we exhibit today are not conducive to the progression of our world as a “healthy” planet. Individuals have the opportunity to help out and do the right thing, they have the tools to do it; facilities and resources surround us on a daily basis. We need to recognize it. By realizing the effect we can have on the world, we can make a
Since 1899 and to this day, it has been known that individuals no longer buy products out of need; instead, they purchase items like expensive clothing to improve their social status (Naiman, 2012). By 1998 consumer capitalism had grown massively. America and Canada accounted for thirty one percent of four Trillian dollars that was spent globally by private and public companies even though they only made up five percent of the population (Naiman, 2012). This portrays that needs are not the only thing that individuals consume for. Today, corporations, advertisement and the media are encouraging individuals to purchase fashion products with money they do not have. This provokes them to borrow money for consumption leading individuals to be in debt rather than accumulating wealth (Naiman, 2012). Correspondently, this has a major impact on the health of an individual. It could cause them plenty of stress because of the loss of money and still having the need so consume.
Consumerism is the most driven in the economy on what people should buy or deny. A couple of videos and articles talk about consumerism being misused and the effects that it has on people’s lives. People often have problems with spending habits which leads to debt, too much stuff to manage, and more stress; but some solutions were given to alleviate the problems. TED Talks had two videos with Graham Hill and Jessi Arrington that spoke about those problems. Graham Hill’s speech was titled Less Stuff More Happiness.
"In today’s consumer society, "I am what I have" is the active classification of itself. Consumerism is often viewed as a negative aspect towards society’s lives and purchasing behaviors, which predictably leads to materialism. If one steps back and look at the positive aspect that consumerism has been a certain positive characteristics in today’s society. Consumerism creates mass market, cultural attitudes and economic development.
In modern society, humans constantly pollute the environment by using cars, technology, food packaging, and a countless amount of other products. Despite understanding how causing mass amounts of pollution can harm, often there are minimal attempts to correct polluting behaviors, at least until it poses an immediate threat to humans. The idea that the environment is suffering due to our mass consumption through instances of climate change and pollution, is not nearly enough motivation to stop the use of things that may be harmful. In order to address pollution in any respect, there must be an immediate threat to the health and well-being of humanity. Rachel Carson highlights this idea in her
There are many different strategies to solve environmental destruction. Western society uses technology to solve our environmental problems. Building cleaner cars, efficient factories, and new sources of energy are western culture’s attempt to reduce its impact on the environment. This is a shallow and shortsighted way to help the environment; it fails to see that a root cause of environmental problems is that humans in the modern world have lost connection to the environment around them. Cities, roads, malls, and parking lots have separated modern humans from nature. We are no longer under the influence of the Earth. We live inside, sheltered from outside contact. Without a connection to the Earth, there is no reason to protect it. When something has no value, it can be thrown away. To help solve environmental problems, we ne...
Consumerism is another thing that is threatening our planet. Everyone who wants to be anyone “must have'; whatever is cool at the time. This usually means the biggest, meanest, least efficient car or the fanciest toys, generally leading to wasteful packaging and harmful chemicals or other bad stuff. “In short, Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology.'; (Ehrlich, 1990) The problem is that everyone cares too much about societies image of them that they don’t think about the results of their actions.
Due to rapid, unrestrained growth, housing, shopping, and entertainment construction has spread across the surface of the planet like an oil slick. We are depleting resources and altering ecosystems at an alarming rate. Only now are we beginning to comprehend the long-term effects of more than a century of environmental ignorance, neglect, and apathy.
Consumerism has proven to be central to today’s society and economy. Its promotion of consumers’ interests allows us, as consumers, to manipulate different aspects of the world’s businesses and markets. The chain effect of consumerism is a big factor in maintaining Canada’s employment rate, and increasing each person’s financial status. Globalization and its connection with consumerism works to bond people of all different origins, and spread the world’s markets. Consumerism proves to be a major component of today’s society, enhancing quality of life for Canadians. It could even be thought of as a culture that we all live upon, that links us together.
It is no secret that many environmental issues impact the human race negatively. It is also no secret that humans are the primary cause of these issues. Time and time again, society has shown a blatant disregard for nature, instead pursuing monetary capital and status by exploiting the earth’s natural resources. These priorities are causing consequences of epic proportions, which those in charge ignore in favor of capital gain.
Consumerism, the key tool of social manipulation is considered a child of globalization and represents a set of beliefs, and values that owning material goods is placed very high on the list of priorities. Earlier value system through which we concluded what people really need in life is slowly replaced by the advertisements that people dictate what is fashionable . We no longer know who lives the way he wants to live , and who lives according to " rules " and norms of what is proclaimed in the media . Without adequate personal value system , the question is how our needs may indeed be real and not subject to consumerism . Simply put , today's society has become a consumer society in which no one is happy and by spending money people are trying to fill their lives with joy , a feeling that they are strong , powerful and lead their life the way they want . Is it really so , or is it all a well organised illusion in the minds of marketing professionals ?
As an environmentalist (or a "radical" environmentalist, as I am often labeled by members of the mainstream environmental movement), I feel it is my duty as a protector of the Earth's well-being to write this editorial as a means of bringing into the American consciousness a variety of frightening environmental issues. Though some of you may be aware of these problems, I know many are not, and thus may be shocked to learn about the degradation of our Earth and the people living in it. Indeed, I truly believe that "since the dawn of the industrial age, America has behaved like an alcoholic with a good job—prospering despite a lifestyle that jeopardizes the future and ruins much of what is good with irresponsible behavior.
It’s out with the old and in with the new, isn’t it? Society has become obsessive with the materialistic way of life. The consumption of goods at a higher rate, Consumerism. Consumerism is becoming the hallmark of most world economies. In the West, it is a common phenomenon, but now even developing countries in the world are resorting to it. It has become one of the biggest challenges the world faces. Our greedy appetites have a terrible impact on the world, and not just economically, socially or on our health, but on the environment. The global environment is being destroyed by processes that exist primarily to fuel the world’s desperate need to constantly consume.