Catherine Masoud

55020

Consumerism and todays world. Consumerism the idea that is good for people to spend more and more money on goods and services has been a topic of debate for the past few decades at least. In the video The Trap of Consumerism, the history of how consumerism arose, as well as its impact on todays society is discussed. The speaker, British environmentalist Jonathon Porritt, informs us of how long consumerism has been around, regardless of the people whove fought against it in the past, and explains the negative effects of consumerism on both the personal welfare of individuals and the environmental state of our planet. The magnitude and effects of consumerism are also briefly discussed in the article Is America the Most Materialistic Society in the history of the World with emphasis on how glorified materialism has become in America in recent years, and how terribly people will suffer once their debt-fueled prosperity no longer exists. I agree with the information presented in both the article and the video, and believe that consumerism is certainly a trap that society needs to get itself out of, if this earth were to still exist for future generations. First off, it makes sense that if someone earns enough money for their hard work, they should be able to live as luxuriously as they please, but unfortunately that is not the whole picture; if consumerism only affected the consumer, this would not be a major issue. As shown in The Trap of Consumerism, our consumption habits are leading to the increasing need for energy, which is mostly obtained from fossil fuels, increasing our carbon footprint rapidly. Moreover, the more we purchase, the more waste we produce in the UK alone, 100 million tons of rubbish is produced per year. Both these factors result in Global Warming and consequently the destruction of the earth we live in, thus it is evident that consumerism affects not only the consumer, but the whole planet, including everyone else living on it. Moreover, it is not only harmful for the planet but also simply not possible if the Earths

Catherine Masoud

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entire population was to consume as much as the UK alone does, we would need two more planets to provide the resources to make it possible. Secondly, though consumerism may bring temporary satisfaction to the middle and upper classes, it does no good for the lower class. The recent rise in consumerism has caused developed countries to compete with each other to produce more goods at cheaper prices. More and more workers are needed for this increase in production resulting in lower wages, terrible working conditions, and child labor - all to satisfy a society that believes in the misconception that wealth is equivalent to happiness. Moreover, peoples greed and uncontrollable urge to own more does not only affect the environment and people in developing countries, but also people themselves. People have forgotten that joy comes from feeling like a part of the community and now believe that to feel good, one must not only be able to afford things they want, but also own more than everyone around them. As mentioned in the article Is America The Most Materialistic Society in the World, Americans have bought into the lie that the higher your standard of living, the happier you will be, yet somehow more anti-depressants are taken by Americans than by anyone else on this planet. Moreover, families are slowly being torn apart because of materialism children simply dont appreciate their parents if they cant buy them the things they want. People fail to realize that the things we own are only temporary, and placing ones happiness in a possession that may disappear at any given time is like giving depression the key to your home. Finally, it is evident that though consumerism may be good for certain countries economies, it puts our earth and the people on it in a very precarious position. On the long run, society needs to realize that earthly possessions are transient, and it is very likely that

Catherine Masoud

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what you own today will not be here tomorrow; what is important is what lies in the heart, not it our wallets.