In the article “Stuff Is Not Salvation,” by Anna Quindlen, she discusses American materialism and the desire to acquire a greater number of things than needed. Quindlen talks about how television commercials have made it possible to purchase unnecessary things. She discusses how American society over-spends and stuck with financial obligation by mass over consumption of products they do not use. She furthermore discusses how America society has fallen into so much financial obligation and that more and more individuals are becoming homeless and losing their employment. She argues that a person in America changes his or her telephone every sixteen months basically in light of the fact that it has gone out of the latest fashion. She then need the America society…
First, Americans are becoming over materialistic because of competition. Source number five, “The New Consumerism”, an essay written by Juliet Schor, explains the concept of competition between Americans, which leads to dangerous effects. In the essay, Schor explains how the American neighborhood led to competition in the middle of the twentieth century. Schor states, “In the 1950’s and 60’s, when Americans were keeping up with the Jones down the street, they typically compared themselves to other households of similar incomes” (Schor ¶ 3). This explains competition because even though each family has similar incomes, the competition to have the same possessions may develop in the neighborhood, even if they don’t need it.…
Today’s new materialism determines your placement on the social ladder. In almost every American organization, money and things are the whole foundation, so it makes sense that Americans would be so materialistic. Americans thrive…
In reality though, the rich are the most materialistic of all. They posses the most, strive to consistently attain more and more, and are never fully satisfied with what they have. The poor and middle-class are the exact opposite. These people know what it is like to endure hardships as well as to make sacrifices and therefore take considerably less pride in materialistic objects. Materialism is an inward battle as well as an outwards. A materialistic person values extrinsic factors (ie. image, status, prestige, beauty, and popularity) more than intrinsic factors like being a good person and behaving authentically. This personality trait is most commonly seen in the rich, not the middle-class as Eighner claimed in the closing sentiments of his narrative on dumpster…
November 28th, 2008. A man looks anxiously at the agitated crowd pressing harder and harder on the doors. The doors give way and the man holds up his hands as a final attempt to keep the crowd back. The front of the crowd pushes him aside but the rest of the crowd doesn’t know he’s there. The man’s fellow workers clamber and shove their way into the crowd to save him, but they too are trampled. The man dies of a broken neck, lung collapse, and head trauma. Two years later, people are bringing guns to toy stores in hopes of getting in line first, all to save 30% on items they don’t even need. The clearly defined reason behind this horrific event has become part of most Americans’ lives:the drive to acquire more stuff In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatz, a member of the lower class, exemplifies this intense desire for wealth and material goods. Although he only does this to impress the woman he loves, his story is a perfect way to summarize the birth of materialism. That driving force that causes Americans to want huge cars, huge houses, and tons of “stuff” to fill them with is the reason why so many Americans are in irreparable amounts of debt. Materialism, no longer restricted to a single class, is becoming the norm rather than the exception in America’s society today.…
Money is of major importance in today’s society. If you have an abundance of it, it could vault you into a life of friends, leisure, and fame. Contrarily, a lacking of it could leave you with absolutely nothing but shambles. Indeed, that is the point William Hazlitt attempts to make in “on the want of money.” By using appeal to prosperity, contrasting of ideas, and the idea of ethos, Hazlitt effectively persuades the reader that money is needed to achieve their desired goals.…
Money and gems can not buy happiness, but only comfort. For example Prof. Howell says, “And yet we still keep on buying material things,” He says ,“Because they’re tangible and we think we can keep on using them.”(Prof. Howell 2008). This tells us that people will buy jewelry and furniture because they’re tangible and will last a while. This also proves that people will buy material goods because they think it will last longer than a cruise or a flight to Hawaii. Dr. Dean says “People's’ desires for material possessions at the same, or greater rate, than their salaries… this means that despite considerably have more luxurious possessions, people end up no happier.”(Dr. Dean 2008) This…
People being materialistic causes America today to be so unhappy and disillusioned because the majority of people have to keep up with what’s new and always try to get the latest trends. Being materialistic has caused Americans to become greedy and also causes to ruin a lot of relationships. People tend to be so materialistic because…
Unfortunately, the American dream is becoming more and more materialistic. I guess it was always a bit materialistic, but when I look at America today, I see a nation obsessed with shopping and buying unnecessary products. Previously, people aspired to have a nice house in the suburbs with a couple of cars, the big SUV, the Costco member ship and the greener grass. Now, there is no end to the products that people want: the latest I Phone, expensive cars, and designer purses, the list is endless. The American dream revolves around luxury goods for most people. Shopping is not a problem on its own; it’s the obsessive accumulation of unnecessary products, along with the hope that…
Today’s society teaches people to be happy but in that, they focus on the material items to make them happy. Many people in the world define happiness as living a good life or exceeding the expectations of others. But happiness begins with finding what is within, what is one’s true desires in life. People focus more on the price of life than life itself, and they tend to make happiness out of material objects and then not being happy in the end.…
The term “Paradox of Affluence” refers to the disparities between a person’s material well-being and their psychosocial well-being, which derived from David Myers’ book The Paradox of Affluence: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of Plenty. (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009, 99) Over a span of 40 to 50 years, material affluence and a person’s well-being has drifted farther apart. (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009, 100) In today’s society, people’s average income has nearly tripled since 1950; they are buying more vehicles, more watercrafts and spending way more money on eating out. Although there is a huge influx in material affluence, national surveys reveal…
“American Consumerism is not only causing more debts, but it is also causing a sharp decrease in saving”. Due to the desire to get more materials things, the amount of money allocated for saving or in saving to be use in the near future will be diverted towards the purchase of latest and newest fashion design clothes, cars, best food etc. Most people today are not concern about the future or what tomorrow will look like in term of survival, but tend to prove some level of supremacy over others by showing off or bluffing, by consuming materials that cost more money showing to others that they are financially equipped. As such, the amount of money need to be saved will be used up. Jamie Bentley wrote “In 1973, the average amount of disposable income put into saving was 8.6%, in 1994 it was 4.2% by November 2005, it was negative 0.2%.”…
The true path to happiness is usually painted as a dollar sign; however, in Jessica Krampe’s article “Does Money Really Make People Happier?” a different picture is painted. In fact, money may negatively impact our lives if not utilized correctly despite popular understanding that it is the key to limitless happiness. While money does play an important role in the creation of individual happiness by providing safety and stability, money may also act as a conduit for insecurity and a feeling of being constricted. Krampe exposes the steps behind happiness when combined with wealth. Emphasizing that luxury will not facilitate happiness in the long run, the logic and statistics used by Kempre further pushes the idea that modesty and self-worth…
Consumerism is the center of American culture. Americans tend to confuse their wants with their needs. With new advances in technology, as well as the help of advertisers, people are provided with easy access to new products that seem essential to their everyday life, even though they have survived this long without them. People cannot live without food, clothing, and shelter. But realistically, according to people's different lifestyles, more than food, clothing, and shelter are needed. Most people need to work to survive. Unless a job is either in their own home, or within walking distance, a means of transportation is needed. Whether it be a vehicle, money for a taxi-cab, or a token for a ride on the subway, money must be spent in order to reach the place of work. For a student, paper, pens, and possibly a computer are a necessity. In order to complete school assignments, these tools are sometimes even required. Schooling is required for many types of jobs, which provide money, which is without a doubt essential in life. Food, clothing, and shelter are not the only things needed to survive. The problem begins when people with a larger disposable income take it too far. A car is definitely needed, but the fastest car in the most attractive color is not. Needs begin getting confused with…
Lewis Lapham stated that the “American faith in money easily surpasses the degrees of intensity achieved by other societies”. As time goes on, it has become apparent that “money means so much to us” but it is only paper and that in actuality it cannot bring happiness. In my opinion, Lewis Lapham’s take on the attitudes toward wealth in the United States are correct. Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and the rising rate of depression that is extremely apparent amongst the adolescent population both agree with Lapham’s opinions.…