Business Notes

Having more was no longer associated with the expansion of unexplored lands, but with the idea of consumerism; whereby having more was now associated with happiness. As a result, people constantly engaged themselves in impulse buying (Shames 94). Consumerism has made Americans overlook quality and decency and as Shames argues, “Americans have been somewhat backward in adopting values, hopes, ambitions that have to do with other things other than more” (92). The mentality of Americans was to strive for bigger and

Affluenza is a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. It is a powerful virus that has infected the American society, threatening our wallets, our friendships, our families, our communities, and our environment. Since the United States has become the economic model for most of the world this virus is now flowing freely on every continent. The costs and consequences of this disease are massive even though they are often concealed. Left untreated however, it can cause permanent discontent. Affluenza is based on our culture and how it encourages its citizens to measure their worth by financial success and material possessions. The media such as the

In “Swollen Expectations”, the authors describe their theory that the population of the United States has become more and more greedy since the simpler times of the late 1950’s. They claim that houses, vehicles, and even food have been victims of our “virus”. While agreeing that our expectations have been swollen, especially when compared to life in the late 1950’s, we think we “need” more things, but we really only want the convenience.

“It’s not what you own its what people think you own” (Ewen 183). Consumerism is fueling today’s “middle class”. Stewart Ewen’s “Chosen People” goes into detail about the rise of the materialistic middle class.

In today's society, having the biggest and best products is valued above everything else. From new technology, to homes, and even automobiles -nothing is off limits to our ever-growing expectations. This growing trend of owning bigger and better things without being satisfied is more apparent in today’s society than ever before, and it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. The need to have the newest products is“stuffing us up” and creates a problem for future generations. The article “Swollen Expectations”, written by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor, provides some interesting insight into the standard of living in past generations. I also conducted an interview with my father, asking him a series of questions about life when he was younger, material possessions, and how he has seen it all evolve throughout the years.

Based on “Webster‘s dictionary definition, affluenza is described as a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation. But what really does this mean? Psychologist G. Dick Miller who defends Ethan Couch, claims that affluenza is “a condition fostered by wealthy and permissive parents who encourage their children to believe normal rules do not apply to the affluent.” If rules don’t apply to higher society and wealthy is an economic addiction or obsession, then how does this impact human society? According to “Washington Post, affluenza affects “young kids or adults in their rich world refering to them as “poor little rich kids”.

The book, Affluenza; All-Consuming Epidemic, De Graaf, Wann, and Naylor refer to comsumerism as a disease, affluenza. Affluenza, meaning placing a high value on obtaining material things in order to help us to feel more affluent, is contagious, which, in turn, has caused negative consequences with our health, families, communities and the environment. This book discusses the symptoms, diagnoses, and cure for the disease known as

Consumerism has structured our economy for generations: living on a day-to-day basis has been fired in a web of buying and spending money on things that we do not need to survive. Kurtis, Kaplan and Bradbury all present liable information on consumerism, what it is and how it has conformed our society over the years. Bradbury uses his story, “The Veldt,” to show the fear of many on how our materialistic life style could eventually destroy us. Consumerism has been labeled for the success and virtue of America, along with the title of the “American Dream.” In the documentary, “The Century of the Self,” Edward Bernays was able to successfully drive out what the “American Dream” truly meant to everyone in America.

You should become like me so you can afford whatever you want”, it’s difficult. While most are out working to provide for themselves and/or their family, there’s a lot of outside influence whether it be through music and isolation. Or social media, where everyone is flaunting. Everyone is working and spending less time with the children. To compensate we are just buying… and turning them into consumers.

Are there cultures or subcultures whose value system is particularly consistent (or inconsistent) with the consumption of our product?

Schor, a professor at Boston College, argues that we are living in “the cycle of work and spent” which motivates the people to “spend longer hours of work” in order to buy materialistic items based on their appearance to the world. She states the “competitive consumption has shifted out to the vast majority of the population” and “the media has a very pronounced bias towards showing upscaled or affluent consumption” (Schor). Schor highlights the kinds of “socially visible items become increasingly important as a part of a competitive consumer system.” And because of that, “the growth of the aspiration gap has led American

According to Wilkins and Sanford (2009), there are several elements of a consumerism worldview; accumulating and using things brings fulfillment, money is power, we need just a little bit more, people are viewed as objects to consume, and if something ceases to fulfill me or meet my needs it should be discarded. With the idea that by accumulating and using things brings fulfillment, whether it be fulfillment of material things or fulfillment of emotional needs, this worldview neglects to fulfill our deepest emotional needs leaving us always desiring more to fill that void. Money is power leaves people always striving to accumulate wealth so they can have power and control over situations, because you are only important or significant if you have wealth. Also with the consumerism worldview, we always feel that we need a little bit more, because what you already have is never enough, due to material

Consumerism is damaging to our society, in our North American society consumerism is often portrayed to be a negative aspect of people’s lives. However, one can also argue positive effects that result from consumerism, or emphasize on the negative effects of consumerism and how it can be a constraining force in one’s own life. Consumerism is an idea of an economic policy that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumer and continues to emerge to shape the world’s mass markets. Some of the negative effects of consumerism that many critics may argue and that will be further emphasized on are the overexploitation of consumerism which has lead to economic poverty, and increase

Pollution has become a prevalent issue worldwide and has begun to affect the air used to breathe, the soil used to grow food, and the water used to drink. All of these effects result in commonly occurring destruction of health and wildlife that one may have seen on the news or heard from peers. In order to live, one needs food, water, clothing, and shelter. If the water and food that society consumes gets contaminated, a major component of life has been eradicated, which can only have negative consequences. If more people are educated as to what effects the environment, the world has a chance to counteract the effects of pollution. The main causes of pollution are the burning of fossil fuels such as with car exhausts, littering as a result of societal norms and laziness, and factory waste as a result of lax waste regulation, and can result in mass destruction of the environment and catastrophic effects on the everyday lives of contemporary people.

In order to demonstrate that you are serious about social responsibility it is important to fully communicate your values using very specific language and examples.