Friday, July 2, 2010
Consumerism in America
After we discussed the rise of consumerism this past week in class I had to ask myself the question: is consumerism the end, or simply the means to an end? There was no debate in my mind whether the rise of consumerism was valid- one merely needs to walk down the street and observe their own behavior to be sure of that. As a society, we make snap judgments based on a person's clothes, car, home, community, etc. I won't speak on this kind of "social profiling" in this post, and I do not want to convey any negative connotations; just to say that consumerism is evident, that we as Americans divide ourselves by income bracket, and spend our money correspondingly. But is the goal of the average citizen to advance through those income brackets, to make enough money to move up the social ladder? I think in today's society, the answer is yes and no. Every person has the natural inclination to advance themselves in their lifetime, which I would say illustrates at least an unconscious desire of most people to work into a higher position in society. Furthermore, I have yet to meet the person who would turn down a promotion to maintain their position. These natural inclinations might persuade one to conclude that consumerism is an end, but I think that misrepresents the truth. While people may have these inclinations, I do not think that for most people attaining wealth for the purpose of demonstrating one's position in society is at the forefront of their thoughts. I do not think that it is a goal that is concentrated, focused on. Perhaps, as I stated before, there is an unconscious drive, but the fact that it is not a cognizant goal would suggest to me that it is not an end. I believe that our society is turning away from this sort of "social profiling" that fuels consumerism. No doubt, it exists stronger than ever in some circles, but for the majority of people this is a declining phenomenon. I believe in this day and age, people seek wealth for comfort and the ability to achieve other goals, whatever they may be, but that wealth is usually not a goal in and of itself. Granted, we also live in an extremely diverse society so this cannot possibly be true of all; but for most Americans, I believe this to hold truth.
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Ryan - I agree with you that materialism and status symbols are not the reasons most people strive for wealth. It is ingrained in us from early on the the accumulation of money equals success. I think that for many people, however, the drive is just natural and money is just a sign of personal achievement. I think another reason to accumulate wealth is to help out those around you (wife, children, parents, ect.) Many people work hard and make money just to make the lives of people around them more comfortable. This however is an extremely optimistic view of mankind.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, there are many different types of people, so it is impossible to give an across the board assessment of the opinions of wealth in America. However, I do think that for a good percentage of Americans, there is a sort of generational metamorphosis taking place. In the past, a career, money, and promotions might have often been regarded as means to material items or a reputation. I think that for this generation rising up now, money is regarded as a means to a completely different sort of end: experience and security. In terms of experience, I think many Americans are now seeing money as a way of traveling, obtaining an education, and experiencing the world. In terms of security, I mean exactly what it sounds like: that there is now a greater focus than ever before on creating a stable financial situation in an economy that is more than a little bit precarious.
ReplyDeleteI agree that most people desire to move up their position in society, but I don't necessarily think it is done subconsciously. I think to move up in society a person has to make the dicison to work hard. Unless a person is born into a position of higher status the only way to achieve that stuatus is through effort. I think that many people stive to better their lives and the lives of their family when they make the decision to take that promotion or work those extra hours. Many people probably don't see it as an end, but they do set goals. Also, one aspect is that many peole want the security as McKenzie said of a "safety net."
ReplyDeleteTo me the real question (and point from Veblen's reading) is whether or not people still consume to assert status. The purpose of vicarious consumption was to demonstrate one's status in society through the consumption of one's dependents. I would argue that this pattern continues today. People demonstrate their status (or base their claim to status) through consumption, through their ability to purchase and own particular items as well by showing that they can allow their dependents to consume expensive items.
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