Affluenza in American Society

Money— sweeter than honey but oh so destructive. It facilitates a man’s life, while a lack of it imprisons him in the streets of penury. It raises his social status, while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while a deficiency of it makes him worthless in society’s eyes. Considering these two roads, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase riches.

Anyone who kills innocent people should not be able to avoid jail just because their family is rich. Ethan Couch a teenager killed 4 innocent people and injuring 2 of his passengers while driving drunk. For his actions he was supposed to go to jail but instead got probation for being diagnosed with “affluenza.” Which is when someone does not understand or control what they do simply because they come from a rich family. Affluenza is not an acceptable reason for someone to avoid jail time because he is old enough to know what was right or wrong and he is no different from any other kids.

The average United States Citizen views about 5000 advertisements a day (Johnson). Advertising is everywhere. Billboards on the way to work, ads on the internet, and paper products such as magazines or newspapers display a sale or a promotion of a good or service. Usually, the ad will give a brand or company name, and uses the product’s merits to draw the consumer closer. This has grown exponentially as advertisements in media in 1970 were estimated to be 500 a day, a ten percent increase in the last 48 years. (Johnson). This is due to the rise of technology, as the computer has become a household gadget within the new millenium. These advertisements are meant to give a synopsis of the product or service’s purpose, quality, and efficiency. If a consumer views 5000 advertisements in a single day and assuming the commercials do not repeat, 5000 goods or services are introduced. With more options to choose from in such little time, the consumer has a harder time differentiating the quality and perhaps necessity of the product. The marketers rely on the quick, impulsive decision making of consumers. With the misleading nature of many infomercials or radio broadcasts, the people of American society are bombarded with constant propaganda, thus making seemingly harmless promotions more potent to filling industries’ pockets and lessening the common population’s

In January of 2015, student athlete Brock Turner sexually assaulted an intoxicated, unconscious woman. In June of 2016, Turner was sentenced to a mere six months in prison. The reasoning of such a short sentence being it would have a “severe impact on him, [and his father argued that] a kid’s life shouldn’t be ruined…because of 20 minutes of action”(Dockterman 2). This argument is one that is often brought up in recent culture. Teens or young adults who are convicted of crimes such as sexual assault, driving under intoxication, or other similar types of crimes are often let off the hook. This defense used is known as “Affluenza”, or, as defined by Matt Gutman of ABC News, the idea of being “too spoiled by [one’s] parents to know right from wrong”(Gutman 2).

In his book, “Money and Class in America,” Lewis Lapham states, “The ardor of the American faith in money easily surpasses the intensity achieved by other societies in other times and places.” This notion is the reoccurring theme in Lapham’s book. America is so taken with the idea that without money your achievements do not mean as much as they would if they came with a large sum of cash. We as a society value money over more important qualities such as knowledge or integrity.

During the 1920s, people with abundant amounts of money were publically canvassed as gods. The popularity and social class of a person were correlated to their money. Having the most pretentious house and car is what made someone paramount in others’ lives. This idea causes multiple people to contribute in activities that may or may not be illegal. Not all people chased after money, but an upteem amount of individuals yearned to be part of the elite society of the tycoons.

Fussell mentions, “Style and taste and awareness are as important as money” (27). Two people can make the same amount of money however if one purchases organic foods while the other sticks to conventional foods, he who purchases the organic food is viewed on a higher pedestal socially than he who does not. What this implies it the deception that people have the ability to choose who they want to be or how they decorate himself, deciding on the lifestyle that they want. The middle class seems to suffer from an anxiety of having to portray themselves as better than they really are by buying into more honorable products or surrounding himself with aesthetics associated with a higher status because they are trying to mask their insecurity financially. “Worried a lot about their own taste and about whether it’s working for or against them, members of the middie class try to arrest their natural tendency to sink downward by associating themselves, if ever so tenuously, with the imagined possessors of money, power and taste” (41). The “American Dream” connotes to one being able to change his world around and start the life he wishes to live. This idea is implemented into many individuals which leads them to believe they can move up on social ranking no matter of their background. Unfortunately, moving from one social class to another is unlikely which causes those specifically in the middle class to indulge in an upper class lifestyle so that they can fit the mold. To protect his esteem, one may create a perception of himself publicly as better off in order to receive admiration and approval from others. Basically, in order to be looked upon with more honor, members of the middle class conceal their insecurity with their social standing by flaunting a lifestyle or greater standard of living, inherited from an upper

In an average day, an American is exposed to over 3000 advertisements, (Kilbourne). Whether they want to admit it or not, they are drawn toward them. A common scheme of the advertisers is to allow the consumer to “picture the new them.” Whether this be a wealthier them, a skinner them, or a prettier them, they gear there product towards every person and want everyone be able to connect with the advertisement and picture the “new them.” American Idol, Nutrisystem, and The Biggest Loser, the lottery, and many other “products” promote that anyone has the chance to be famous, fit, or fortunate. The successes from these “products” present themselves as they were before, with the sob story that hopefully touches a nerve with

In the world today, there is a very complicated border between the upper class and lower class. This border consist of many opinions that the general population tend to agree on. Although these views are sometimes incorrect and dealt with in the wrong manner, they have existed since the very first society. Basically, the views a community has on one another due to financial situations will hardly ever vary. The fact of money being power in a society has been one of the main causes of this “border”.

A response to “Class in America- 2009” makes some good points why Americans hate the word class. Class is a word to classify a group of people to a certain social status. Americans do not like to be put in a category based off of their money. Gregory Mantsios the author, explains how we view ourselves. For example, most American citizens identify themselves with work. Mantsios gives other reasons, and a solution to fix the American class labeling. Mantsios made some really good points about how Americas view word class, and made me agree with some of his myth. He also presented a weak solution that would go against our government to fix the problem of class in America.

Wealth, in American culture, is seen in a golden light, displaying it as not only necessary for survival, but also necessary for happiness. Many Americans lust for wealth, assuming it will solve their problems, rather than cause more. However, when wealth causes more problems for someone than it solves, destruction is bound to ensue. F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American author whose goals, life, and novels all revolve around wealth. His character’s seek but not need, receive but not earn, and flaunt but not appreciate wealth.

I would like to submit three points here. Firstly, if you query people regarding the definition of affluence, they will acknowledge to an amount larger than their own. Thus, the definition of wealth asserts itself to one’s peculiar economic situation. If you have traversed to other countries, American wealth manifests itself lucidly. Likewise, a Christian from Russia may distinguish an American as prosperous when from an American perspective you are not.

Nowadays society is construe and have conviction that affluent is addressed to accentuate the adequate amenity. The ardour in being affluent is forgone illusion. In pursuance of my prevailing, this concept is aimed to a faulty premise and advocated to be rectified. Everyone should adhere an affluent lifestyle, not solely financially yet similarly withal emotionally. Heaps of individual assert themself to buckle down to hunt down financially nevertheless omit their corporeal health and sanity. In addition, a bound of money is evanescent. Consequently, having abundant of money is vain if having an ailment. Therefore, absolve ourself for example at alfresco is noteworthy before the stress is attenuate our health and engender compunction. Futhermore

Social Class has the most obvious effect on financial stability. The Lammles were consumed with being finically stable. Being finically stable was a large indicator of being in the upper class. The Lammles were consumed with thoughts of being able to be in the upper class, so much that they would do anything to even be considered for the upper class. In Our Mutual Friend (1865) Charles Dickens writes “Mr. Lammle plunged into his whiskers for reflection, and came out hopeless: ‘No’ as adventures we are obligated to play rash games for chances of high winnings, and there has been a run of luck against us” (542-543). Mr. Lammle refers to “adventures”, what he meant that they would take as many risks as they could. Whether these risks were through gambling or faking it. They were going to be considered as upper-class citizens. The Lammles were affected psychologically through this because they had become obsessed with the upper class. Darlene Lancer states that obsession has roots that are deep down in a person psychological aspects of life. Obsession is seen when something takes control of our lives. (“Obsessions”) In Peter Gurney’s Article The Age of Veneer he even takes it as far to say, “The elevation of money above all else, until it had even consumed the role of religion” (232). The Lammles would fall into this statement. They did

As the video stated affluenza is, “An unhappy condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.”