Consumer Culture
Consumerism is the equating of personal happiness with the purchasing of material possessions and consumption.
Today’s consumer culture is a dizzying busy world filled with irony. Many among us pay ridiculous prices for poorly made clothing only to find out the item went out of style last month. Another is the cheaply made disposable products, like toasters and coffee pots, that we seemingly buy new every couple of years. Didn’t mom have the same toaster forever? What has happened to our shopping habits and our demands for goods?
Simply stated, life has been good for many American consumers for many years. The United States has seen many years of strong economic growth. We have seen the rise of the double income family and big box stores bringing cheaply made goods at cheaper prices.
However, there is a lot of money being made on both sides of the fence. Corporations have seized this opportunity and have emassed a lot of power and money into consumerism. They have virtually changed our way of life (for better or worse?) along with redefining our shopping habits, needs and wants. Our attitude towards products and styles has completely changed and in the process we, as consumers, have lost sight of what is really important.
There must be more to life than having everything! ~Maurice Sendak
We have been witness to and have actively participated in a chronic frenzy of purchasing new goods or services without a single thought to the consequences of these habits. Long forgotten considerations like quality, durability, need, or environmental consequences of manufacturing or disposal have given way to mesmorizing aisles of $10 toasters that last 2 years. Enter any big box retailer and you will find all sorts of items that have been purposefully made with low cost labor and materials. The very intent is to get us to return in a very short amount of time to buy another, and another, and another.
Millions if not billions of dollars are poured into TV and print advertising each year in campaigns designed to create in our minds the need to follow trends. Keeping up with the Jones’ provides us with a level of satisfaction by which we will be presumably judged by our peers. Opinion we have now come to regard highly.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi
Along with our insatiable appetite for cheap and disposable, we have completely ignored the environmental and social implications of our consumer habits. When you stop to think about it, sadly, there is at least one entire generation that knows nothing about quality and durability of goods. Disposable is the accepted norm. They have literally grown up only knowing big box retailers.
While most of us appreciate today’s technologies, how many give thought about how to properly dispose of these items? Sure, retailers have recycling options for cell phones, computers, or similar electronic items. However, what do you do with the toasters, lawn mowers, coffee pots, and other things that reach their life expectancy after 2-3 years. How many times do you say (or hear)…”that’s OK, just throw it away and go buy another one”.
The social and environmental consequences of our lifestyle is overwhelming. As landfills burst with our unwanted items, we rarely think of the person (or child) on the other end that works in horrible conditions for little pay in order to meet our consumer demand for cheap stuff. The environmental consequences to production are of little thought to the American consumer.
You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard
What is the solution to today’s consumer culture? The answer lies in lifestyle choices that we all must make. Gone must be the mentality of measuring self-worth by number and size of material possessions.
Green living simply isn’t enough, but provides a good start. However, once again the retailers are taking advantage of good intentions by offering products that are marketed “green”, but upon closer look, are not. Green washing is something that the mindful consumer must be aware of.
Leading by example in every day tasks and habits is one of the best ways to change attitudes and lifestyles. The simple act of taking a reusable bag everytime you visit the grocery or retail store illustrates that your life is not lessened by making a that choice. If anything it is enhanced.
There is a call for voluntary simplicity. A return to frugality, homesteading, sustainable agriculture is being felt as families are making positive changes. A return to simpler thoughts and acts will create a sustainable community environment and reject the influence of consumerism as we know it today. A return to voluntary simplicity means that each one of us has choices to make. Choices that are simple and lead to a fruitful life in a healthy, balanced society that is mindful of our thought, word, deed, and the power that each one of us has to make change happen.