2
Student
4A Student
Mr. Ames
English 10
22 December 2010
A Consumerist Culture
According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, consumerism is defined as "a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods" (Merriam-Webster). If one were to associate this with a single nation's culture, that nation would be identified globally as the United States of America. Consumerism is obvious in America today through the population’s overwhelming purchases, their change in cultural values, and society being geared as a whole towards consumption. This idea has not just recently become prevalent however; ever since the Second World War, the American culture has been inundated with the idea of consumerism. This has caused consumerism to become an integral part of what it means to be an American.
Although it is widely believed that consumerism is a negative cornerstone of the meaning of being American, not all declare it a dangerous and damaging theory. In fact, a small majority embrace this idea. Some find it useful for bringing family together. According to one source, interviewed shoppers at a mall in Fairfax, Virginia find nothing wrong with Americans' embrace of shopping as recreation. They believe it is a good way to spend time together with their families (Masci 1003). In this busy time people currently live in, children and parents are always running from place to place, whether it is soccer practice or a work meeting. Only a few families even eat dinner together anymore. Because of this, many families relish the time they spend at the malls, “shopping ‘till they drop” as it were. Consuming brings busy parents and children together, and it allows parents to be involved in their children’s lives. The mall is a useful tool for bringing some families together, but others believe they do not need to be brought together. As reported in one magazine, Critics of consumerism believe it has made Americans too materialistic, forcing them to work too hard and spend less time with family in order to be able to buy more things. However, supporters believe that consumerism is not doing this, but rather that people generally make informed choices about work and family (Masci 1001). These supporters believe consumerism is not a factor affecting their family life. They believe that they have a balanced life and merely purchase goods because those items will improve and bring happiness to their life. They do not in the least find consumerism a damaging practice. A separate portion of the American population however, is in the middle on this issue. According to a popular magazine, these members do not embrace consumerism, but they believe money at some level is required to make them happy (Williamson 11). These people are not enticed by the obsession with consumer goods or the idea of playing slave to advertising executives, but they do believe happiness is directly related to the amount of money and goods one is in possession of. Owning necessities to simple human life and even a bit further is understandable, but it is when Americans become fanatical about purchasing every new item that is advertised on television and billboards that consumerism takes a nasty turn and becomes clearly present in nearly every home in America.
The staggering amount and size of the purchases Americans make in the country today exemplify the consumerist economy there. As one shopper put it, “I don’t spend money on things I don’t need,” noting that most Americans are not like him. “They’ve got to have everything, like cell phones and palm computers, even if it’s not necessary” (Masci 1003). This general overspending on goods demonstrates the presence of consumerism in the American culture. The population goes out and spends money on a laptop. Then, in another nine months when a “new and improved” model comes out, they have got to have it. This cycle exists in hundreds of companies and thousands of products, and it keeps consumers coming back again and again for more. This continuous spending shows up when one takes a look at the American economy as a whole. As one magazine reported, consumerism is so prevalent in American culture that over two-thirds of the economy is made up of the purchasing and selling of consumer goods (Masci 1001). When one considers how many other possible things could make up the economy, but consumer goods makes up two-thirds of it, one is taken aback. It begins to become apparent that consumerism has taken over the lives of Americans to become the main focus in life. Rather than working to help their child pay for college or help others, the average American now works to be able to purchase goods and services that will make them happy. This is the true reason for the functioning of the American economy. As one economist described it, the American economy is based on an illusion that all of the things that Americans spend their lives working for will content them (Williamson 11). In order for one to comprehend this, an example must be given. Imagine Christmas day: presents piled up under the tree and stockings filled to overflowing. Now if one moves ahead two or three days, they will find that those wonderful presents they have wanted for so long have begun to bore them, and they move on to other forms of entertainment. It is the same idea in all the people of America, that the new car or bigger house that they do not necessarily need fill their mind and become the object of desire that they will work their entire life looking to possess. All of these excess purchases Americans make aid in proving that Consumerism is present in the homes of America today, but the change in the ideals of citizens also support this proof.
The alteration of basic values of the American culture assists in revealing the presence of consumerism in the nation's society. Prior to the Second World War, Americans were virtuous and hardworking people. However, once that great war had passed, society changed. One magazine describes this change saying that America was once a nation defined by household values "conducive to work, investment, deferred gratification, and service.” The magazine continues on describing that the nation has since, however, given way to "consumerist capitalism" defined by morals which are "conducive to laxity, impetuousness, narcissism, and consumption" (Barber 74). A once proud country that found working hard and doing service for one’s community to be instinctual has now converted to a land of men and women who are lazy, impulsive, egotistical, and bent on purchasing in ever increasing quantities. These behaviors exemplify consumerist culture in America. Going back to one dictionary’s definition of consumerism of being obsessed with buying consumer goods (Merriam-Webster), these actions solidify consumerism as an American cultural value. One may also use this definition to explain President George W. Bush’s actions after the tragedy of 9/11. One magazine described the situation by commenting that Bush after 9/11 did not invite Americans to sacrifice or work hard in order to defeat terrorism; he invited them to go shopping (Barber 74). This is a great example of changing values as it shows how Americans have developed an innovative idea of how to deal with national crises. Americans have decided that the best way to deal with terrorism is to deal with the issue head on and buy things. Obviously sarcasm is intended for use there, but in actuality, the American public has done nothing besides buying things they do not need to fight terrorism. This type of lazy culture defines America today and exemplifies the national presence of consumerism. The public has been modified in to beings completely different than those in the first half of the twentieth century. One magazine describes this modification writing thatconsumerism has turned Americans into shoppers. It goes on to point out that this has caused the nation to start to be ruled by markets and shoppers rather than run independently (Barber 73). Because Americans have been transformed into shoppers by consumerism, markets have begun to make a myriad of important decisions regarding the nation’s health and well-being and controls many actions the government takes. The ups and downs of markets now make decisions about things from whether residents have a reliable source of transportation towhether citizens pay higher taxes. Because Americans live in a land where countless decisions affecting their lives are made by the markets every day, the people feel they must pay tribute to these institutions through the purchasing of consumer goods. The new values created by the innumerous bodies that have come to exist in the nation define the consumerism present in all Americans. It is not only a change in the values of Americans or the purchases they make that makes consumerism visible in the culture, but it is also the movements that society makes as a whole.
The American people take actions which unmistakably identify consumerism in their culture, the first of which dealing with the civilization being driven to consume. Executive director of the Center of Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, believes that American society is geared toward consumption and that citizens of the U.S. are constantly pushed in that direction (Masci 1003). He is certain that the public feels a motivation to go out and purchase goods. He believes people feel, because they are citizens of America, they can and should go and make purchases. That Americans have always freely bought anything they had the desire for, so they should have that ability as well. The drive and push that citizens feel to buy products is derived from many places in the nation that the people encounter daily. The ideals of consumerism are kept fresh in American’s minds by what one expert on the subject terms endless waves of new commodities and grand television displays (Cronk 1). As was brought up previously, the cycle of new products that people feel the need to buy fuels the furnaces of consumerism, keeping the thought ripe in the individuals’ minds. The unending parade of fresh goods moving from retailer to consumer is one of the major driving forces of consumerism in the nation. The substantial amount of time society in general spends in front of the television contributes evenly to the effect on the population. The shows the media puts on for viewers are the driving force that gets consumers to get up off of their couches and purchase goods. One magazine plainly states that the necessity Americans feel to buy things is “literally programmed into us” through the media (Masci 1003). Advertising keeps the people out in the stores making needless purchases. It creates a burning desire for products which is only subdued by an inessential intake of goods. These actions bring about the end result of impulse shopping. Wave after wave of purchases generate actions of consumption based on what a widely read periodical phrases, compulsion rather than a question of personal choice (Masci 1003). Because Americans have been overexposed to methods of consuming, they have begun to buy goods out of habit. They no longer question whether the purchase they are about to make is necessary; they just do it because it feels normal and right to do. This has created a culture based upon consumerist values and ideals whose presence is easily visible.
In today's American society, immense purchases, the change of the nation's values to ones which focus on consumption, and the adjustment to a whole population governed by consumption displays the nation'spreoccupationwith consumerism. For over 65 years, the culture of the United States of America has been overcome with this phenomenon, and it will not soon leave. Its presence is apparent, and civilizations around the globe recognize the U.S. for its Consumerist actions and values.