Shifting Chapter Summaries

Before reading the excerpts from “The Overspent American” I was not familiar with Juliet Schor’s work. While reading however, I saw that her views were different from many of the other authors that we have read so far. When I had finished the reading I found the reading enjoyable and fascinating. The reason that her writing intrigued me was because of her multiple perspectives while writing. Not only does she concentrate on the economics of American people, but she also uses a sociologist lens to show the purchasing habits of our culture. “The Overspent American” focuses on how we as a society have changed our spending patterns from the past. During the 1950s the phrase “keeping up with the Jones’” was coined and it represented Americans trying to outspend their neighbors and friends. For example, my friend buys a boat and I also need to buy a boat to make sure my friends saw me as being wealthy. Today our society as changed in many ways but Schor finds that our spending habits have altered the most since the 1950s. By analyzing and evaluating her work, one can see how Americans spending habits have changed over time and how our economics have been overtaken by television and broadcast media.

Affluenza is a culture in which the urge to consume dominates the psychology of citizens. Advertising and capitalism are the main causes of affluenza in America. According to the textbook, “affluenza is a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged, pursuit of more”. Forces such as advertising, cultural norms, the political economy, social pressures, and psychological associations shape the consumption patterns in consumers. According to Speth, “America is a consumer society in which consumerism and materialism are central aspects of the dominant culture, where goods and services are acquired not only to satisfy common needs but also to secure identity and meaning”. Consumers remain unfulfilled and are driven to seek more possessions, due to meaning and self-realization not being met, nor basic psychological needs.

Society is buying objects we do not need, with the money we do not have, to impress people that do not matter. The American Dream is developing into a more materialistic world, a dream in which the dream keeps getting larger and greedier. Materialism is the tendency to think material objects are more important than people; a desire for money over ethics. Today, life shows us that people have a desire for newest, thinnest, updated—most expensive smartphone or the more expensive lavish materials. Life shows us that our car is undesirable now, especially when our cars do not hook up with that latest cell phone. Life shows us unrealistic standards of a way to live, yet a huge portion of the people in society appear to be emptying out their wallets. This materialistic culture is a show, a phony act when in society we pretend we are what we are not. We all live in a materialistic society where the majority of people are more worried about what we have than who we are. There is an emphasis on what brand a person is wearing, what car someone is driving, and just how many objects one has, in general. A person must wonder where this hunger and greed comes from and why most Americans fall susceptible to this phenomenon, including me.

In the article “I came, I saw, I shopped” It says “...americans don’t have savings...” This line says a lot about how people tend to purchase wants more than needs. When deciding on whether or not to make a purchase unless you are struggling for money the thought of need or want doesn’t cross your mind. The article also states that collectors are in serious debt because the purchases these collectors make are too big for their pockets. These examples are just the beginning, as materialism has been an issue for thousands of years.

Consumerism leads to self-gratification and the loss of life’s important values such as friendship, love and religion; this is an ever-growing issue that manipulates and deceives society and has done so since the beginning of the technological age.

A job as a parent can be hard, especially when the parents have lots of activities. They have to balance their time with the child and their own personal activities. Some parents choose to go do their own activities and not to spend more time with their child just like Chip’s parents. Jonah’s parents chose the opposite. Also, parents who are fine with talking about the child adoption probably loves the child more. Varying by how busy the parents are, the child will be loved at a certain strength or level. Jonah’s parents are nicer than Chip’s parents.

In the world buying the things you want compared to buying the things you need is a consist problem for many people in America. Depending on a person’s financial situation, they might never be able to buy the things they want and just focus on the things they need. Most middle class Americans focus on paying for essential things such as: food, water, housing, and transport. My views towards consumerism is that people should focus on quality overbecause there are some moments in life that lower quality things will have negative effects.

"I have run up credit card bills that I didn't know how I would pay off. I recognize when I am engaged in a spending spree, but I often have felt powerless to stop myself. The compulsion to finish the list and to avoid adding other things to the list - by buying them right then - has often been much stronger than the recognition that I didn't have the money to pay for what I was buying" (Spenders Anonymous, n.d.). This excerpt is from the story of a man named Kirk, who is a compulsive buyer. Kirk is not alone; many Americans are controlled by a cycle of working and spending what meager amount they have left to buy luxury items. Sometimes these citizens do not even have the money to pay for what they are buying. Truly, these people are miserable, but the idea that consumerism equals happiness and that they are living free lives is driven into American people since childhood. Consumerism and freedom are key parts of the American dream. The American dream emphasizes hard work and sacrifice, but in return, it promises the possibility of success to everyone, regardless of his or her socioeconomic circumstances. Despite the good intentions behind the ancestral ideal, the American dream has turned into a nightmare.

In this essay I will be outlining consumerism and claims that a consumer society is always a throw-away society. Consumption plays a big part in our lives and causes us to live in divided societies. It may make us feel like we fit in buying new gadgets and clothes and also give us that sense of belonging but we don’t take into account what happens to the old items and packaging. People do not want to look at the problems caused. I will use this essay with the evidence I have read

Today, Americans live in a world where we are constantly encouraged “to keep up with the Joneses” whether it be from advertisment, longer shopping hours, or multiple other factors. A surprising statistic you can find in the book, Affluenza: How overconsumption is killing us--and how to fight back, where it states that “70 percent of us visit malls each week, more than attended houses of worship” (15). Shopping has become so convenient in recent years due to online stores, as well as the growing number of shopping centers, that it’s become a problem. Kalle Lasn, co-founder of the magazine Adbusters and starter of the Occupy Movement, believes that, “Overconsumption is the mother of all of our environment problems” (197). Consumers have come to see shopping as a fun activity while spending time with friends or family. When really over consumption of material goods ultimately leads us to unhappiness, the unsatisfied desire to want more, and possibly put you into debt.

Today, people consume for necessity and pleasure. The act of consuming goods may allow one to fit in, feel confident, or participate socially in shopping culture. Consumerism has become a universal behavior amongst most people and

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

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

As we are constantly exposed to mass media and popular culture in our modern society, the insidious nature of consumerism has allowed it to penetrate into every aspect of our lives, dictating our very beliefs, values and wants. Nearly every individual in our society subconsciously conforms to the shallow and superficial mindset that characterises our consumerist culture. This idea is highlighted by the following texts; the poem “Enter without so much as knocking” by Bruce Dawe, an extract from the sermon “The Religion of Consumerism” delivered by Peter House, the poem “Breakthrough” by Bruce Dawe, and the