“There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.” Henry Ford
One American’s consumption of resources is equal valent to that of 35 Indians. Over a lifetime, the typical American will create 13 times as much environmental damage as the average Brazilian. Unfortunately, consumerism as a modern econo-political phenomenon contributes to abnormal waste and pollution, social discrimination, and lack of economical sustainability.
Consumerism encourages extensive production of goods that are not necessary, and are not being refurbished, repaired, or even recycled. As a matter of fact, consumption is an engine of the economy. Usually, in a free
…show more content…
80-90 percent of people of the early twenties century spent most of their budged on food and basic needs, furthermore, luxuries were available only for a limited number of people who could afford them. These luxuries were main indicators of one’s wealth, and social group affiliation, that were not available to middle class, and poor people, but were very desirable. With appearance of discount stores, and new manufacturers ready to mass-produce luxuries at the affordable price, suddenly, it became affordable to look like rich. “It is true of dress in even a higher degree than of most other items of consumption, that people will undergo a very considerable degree of privation in the comforts or the necessaries of life in order to afford what is considered a decent amount of wasteful consumption; so that it is by no means an uncommon occurrence, in an inclement climate, for people to go ill clad in order to appear well dressed” [Veblen, p 107]. As a matter of fact, not only wealthy people were role models for newly-established trends, but also young indigent people, who were socially and politically active, inspired others to purchase brands of clothing companies they wore. These meanings are derived from bricolage, the process by which mainstream products are adopted and transformed by subcultures [Sturken, Marita and Cartwright, p.78]. For instance, …show more content…
Statista.com states that in 2015, the U.S. investments made in China were valued at approximately 74.56 billion U.S. dollars. The total direct position of the United States abroad amounted to 5.04 trillion U.S. dollars in 2014. Additionally, US overall advertising expenses went up from 158 to 210 billion dollars in 2011 and 2015 respectively. These facts indicate that large companies with great funds invested in production and advertising depend on overall sales and demand in most of the consumers’ target groups. As a matter of fact, these investments boost record breaking sales of some of the leading companies in the US such as Walmart with 354 billion dollars a year, The Kroger Co. with 103 billion dollars a year, and Costco with 83.5 billion dollars a year. Since the recession in 2008, Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States have grown steadily. In 2014, Christmas retail sales grew to about 620 billion U.S. dollars; a 4.1 percent increase from the previous year. The amount of money that U.S. consumers plan to spend on gifts has also increased. A November 2016 survey revealed that U.S. consumers expect to spend, on average, approximately 830 U.S. dollars in 2015; over a 100 U.S. dollar increase from 2015 [Statista.com]. These numbers of steadily growing economy and revenues from sales also impact other valuable
For decades now, humans have always been so quick to judge a book by it’s cover; one’s clothes help create the cover to this book. Norton brings up various styles individuals wear and how it displays their character to the world. For instance, “a display in the window of polo provides an embarrassment of semiotic riches” (Norton 88). One who wears the brand polo is someone who is of the upper class due to it’s vogue aesthetic and price tags. This goes for any high end designer brand like Michael Kors or Chanel; if one is seen covered in such a luxury, there is no doubt they are living in wealth. By wearing this clothing, one is being told to attain the typical preeminent behavior of the rich, having an attitude that they surpass all others. Moreover, Frank focuses on a particular group who have this rock and roll flare. He believes “we consume not to fit in, but to prove, on the surface at
Over the course of the history of clothing styles and production, one thing has never changed: a person’s wealth directly influences
As a nation we all participate in daily consumption of food, clothing, shelter and some sort of transportation. to survive. We are destroying our environment with waist. On average Americans disposed over 200,000 tons of edible food daily. Pollute our air and water, destroy our forest, just so we can drive the newest car or have the latest crafted oak furniture We use top soil to build malls, so people can consume even more. In "The shadows of Consumption, Peter Dauvergne explain the coast of consumption by globalized corporations, trade, and finance." (Dauvergne, Peter. The Shadows of Consumption: Consequences for the Global Environment. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008. ).
The Trickle-down theory, a well-known theory in fashion industry, has significant meaning in 19th to 20th century Europe. The American economist and sociologist, Veblen, published The theory of the Leisure Class by 1899, in which he discussed the split between the leisure class and the industrial class in the US critically. He concluded that leisure class treats dress as a sign of their status and possessions, furthermore, ‘Dress must not only be conspicuously expensive and inconvenient; it must at the same time be up to date’(Veblen 1994), by saying that, he refers to upper class was tend to create new fashion trend which was the top of the trickle-down theory. In the 20th century, Simmel, the
There was a time when social classes were most easily identified through material goods and possessions. Whether wealth was gained through inheritance or hard work, it was the luxury items that made the most visible and tangible statement regarding a person’s social status. Men could rely on a large house or expensive car to proclaim the success they had earned. It was much more common to see women adorned in jewels, designer clothes, and furs as symbols of her upper class status. The extravagance of a woman’s appearance was a reflection of the success of her husband, so it was natural to indulge her desire for expensive material possessions.
Americans alone produce 250 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, tripling from 1960 (Weeks). That cannot continue because there is not enough natural resources to be consuming and dumping into landfills. There are many consequences of not becoming concerned for the environment. The depletion of resources and supposedly safe methods of recycling or burying waste are not working. Many engineers and the US EPA acknowledge that the landfills will leak eventually and pollute groundwater (Sheehan). Eliminating forests and other sources are leaving a very fragile eco system. The more humans contribute to global warming; the more natural disasters will be seen. American consumption and lack of reducing and reusing every item not only affects the environment negatively, it also affects the workers of those behind the “Made in China” label. American consumption needs to slow down and readjust the way waste and the environment is handled, and there is a way called zero waste. Success has been seen in individuals and companies that participate and make differences ethically, cites have experienced great success with a zero waste lifestyle.
As a country, Americans love to shop. Whether in malls, grocery stores, on the Internet, or elsewhere, the culture of buying is deeply ingrained in American culture. Fueled largely by advertising and the current credit system, America’s consumer culture is depleting our planet’s finite natural resources and polluting our environment. Consumerism has instilled in Americans an artificial, ongoing, and insatiable desire for mass-produced and marketed products, and the money with which to buy them, with little regard to their actual usefulness or necessity. This constant desire to acquire more possessions is poisoning the planet, as it can never be sated and thus results in the never-ending exploitation of the Earth’s natural resources, and
Whether or not consumer culture is a positive influence is absolutely up for debate. On one hand it can have many positive impacts such as creating an economy that has allowed countless companies to become extraordinarily rich and influential. Also, this has created a culture aimed at working as hard as possible to gain success. However, not everyone has seen these benefits. There are still people who, despite their efforts they cannot afford the consumer culture lifestyle, and have become outcasts in society. In addition, if the people were not enough, the environment has been impacted substantially by consumerism for an exceedingly long time now, though this impact is still being debated.
Consumerism describes the rising want and need for goods and services. People then find the need to consume and buy and keep on buying. This makes stores continue on opening, finding great opportunities to sell and gain money from people who are obsess over consuming. This is only great for marketers, but for other business as well. People usually don’t carry a great deal of money in their pockets every time they purchase. That’s when business decided to make credit cards. Money inside a card that fits in a wallet easily. This made other business like PayPal and Bitcoin continue improving their
Consumerism is a phenomenon that has been dominant in all societies for an extremely long time. It causes people to excessively purchase goods and consume things excessive to their actual needs. “A consumer is a person or thing that consumes” (Dictionary.com). Consumerism can be defined as a belief that an expanding consumption of goods is an advantage to the county’s economy. Today people are practically brainwashed to buy more than what they need in order to keep the economy afloat. No one thinks twice about why they are buying things or maybe even what they need. Consumerism has a big impact on our country, good or bad.
In the age of commodities and consumerism, the U.S has emerged as one of the leading over-consumers in the world. Overconsumption is a catastrophe, as humans exploit more than the environment can sustainably provide. People consume water, energy and minerals on a daily basis at a rate that is depleting the earth’s life-sustaining systems. Americans make up to 4.5% of the world’s population and consume more than 20% of its energy (WPB). The lifestyle and culture exhibited by Americans are unsustainable resulting in significant problems that add to the issue of global warming, species extinction, and accumulation of toxic wastes. Part of the consumption is linked to the high population. Whereas the U.S accounts for 4.5% of the 7.1 billion population of the planet, the relative consumption of every individual account for the largest consumption rate in the world thus leading to environmental problems such as air and water pollution. An analysis of the relative consumption rate in the U.S indicates that the U.S population is associated with heavy levels of consumption that accelerate the rapid depletion of resources.
Political consumers in the United States as well as in Europe tend to match the well-established pattern of traditional political action. Traditional political action tends to reflect patterns of societal inequalities (Verba, Scholzman, and Brady 1995). Those likely to engage in political behaviors are males, white/majority members, the educated, those with a higher socioeconomic level, as well as older people (Dalton 2008; Norris 2002; Verba, Scholzman, and Brady 1995). In European countries and the United States, most if not all of the same socio-demographic groups are more likely to engage in political consumption and green consumerism. However, there are a few exceptions in that younger people and females are as likely, if not more likely,
Fashion is an incidental product made in the manufacture of leisure society that has gone beyond the range of many basic human struggles in a lower level of the ranking is needed. “The years between 1890 and 1919 were pivotal ones for the American beauty business. The women took the first steps toward freeing themselves from restrictive garments.” (Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler) Because back then women couldn’t work, they didn’t know what to wear when they started to work. Women’s clothes were practicing for a workplace; however, they have to still look cute and fashionable, so they would wear dresses, shirtwaist and skirts. Back then, in the 1700s, women look at the fashion in the magazines and they learn about the latest trends of fashion. The Artists who are in courts of royal took informed of the fashion choices of the ruling class, and these fashion choices were transmitted to handicaps all over the country who were able to afford to emulate this fashion. With free time to wonder about the meaning lives and all the ways in which it is possible for humans to express the inner thoughts, wealthy citizens people began to use fashion as a form of expression that reflect on zeitgeists of time.
Consumption, we describe as the act of meeting basic needs with material goods and the practice of consuming as a way of life is ‘consumerism’ ( Kennedy 173). The ideology that the meaning of life is found in buying things has really caused majority to spend almost their monthly salary on goods and services in search of utility. This excessive recreational spending also plays a part in increase of inflation, also has made more money in circulation.
Consumerism exists to benefit our economy which forms the base of the base superstructure model. This model was used to help explain what Marx ideology termed economic determinism (Sherman, 1981), in which the means of production controls everything else that goes on in society and anything that surfaces from the superstructure has the capacity to change people's ideas or their behaviour (with the exception of relative autonomy). Consumerism is a mass production that presents us with cultural products and supplies. The means of production are owned by the bourgeoisie, providing them with wealth and power whereas the proletariat only has its labour power, so consumerism also controls our sense of class. Bourdieu described this through what he labelled the habitus (Grenfell, 2014) where we are divided into different class fractions and products become a direct reflection of our class status. This