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4A Student
Mr. Ames
English 10
22 December 2010
A Consumerist Culture
According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, consumerism is defined as "a
preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods" (MerriamWebster). If one were to associate this with a single nation's culture, that nation would be
identified globally as the United States of America. Consumerism is obvious in America today
through the population’s overwhelming purchases, their change in cultural values, and society
being geared as a whole towards consumption. This idea has not just recently become prevalent
however; ever since the Second World War, the American culture has been inundated with the
idea of consumerism. This has caused consumerism to become an integral part of what it means
to be an American.
Although it is widely believed that consumerism is a negative cornerstone of the meaning
of being American, not all declare it a dangerous and damaging theory. In fact, a small majority
embrace this idea. Some find it useful for bringing family together. According to one source,
interviewed shoppers at a mall in Fairfax, Virginia find nothing wrong with Americans' embrace
of shopping as recreation. They believe it is a good way to spend time together with their
families (Masci 1003). In this busy time people currently live in, children and parents are always
running from place to place, whether it is soccer practice or a work meeting. Only a few families
even eat dinner together anymore. Because of this, many families relish the time they spend at
the malls, “shopping ‘till they drop” as it were. Consuming brings busy parents and children
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together, and it allows parents to be involved in their children’s lives. The mall is a useful tool
for bringing some families together, but others believe they do not need to be brought together.
As reported in one magazine, Critics of consumerism believe it has made Americans too
materialistic, forcing them to work too hard and spend less time with family in order to be able to
buy more things. However, supporters believe that consumerism is not doing this, but rather that
people generally make informed choices about work and family (Masci 1001). These supporters
believe consumerism is not a factor affecting their family life. They believe that they have a
balanced life and merely purchase goods because those items will improve and bring happiness
to their life. They do not in the least find consumerism a damaging practice. A separate portion
of the American population however, is in the middle on this issue. According to a popular
magazine, these members do not embrace consumerism, but they believe money at some level is
required to make them happy (Williamson 11). These people are not enticed by the obsession
with consumer goods or the idea of playing slave to advertising executives, but they do believe
happiness is directly related to the amount of money and goods one is in possession of. Owning
necessities to simple human life and even a bit further is understandable, but it is when
Americans become fanatical about purchasing every new item that is advertised on television
and billboards that consumerism takes a nasty turn and becomes clearly present in nearly every
home in America.
The staggering amount and size of the purchases Americans make in the country today
exemplify the consumerist economy there. As one shopper put it, “I don’t spend money on things
I don’t need,” noting that most Americans are not like him. “They’ve got to have everything, like
cell phones and palm computers, even if it’s not necessary” (Masci 1003). This general
overspending on goods demonstrates the presence of consumerism in the American culture. The
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population goes out and spends money on a laptop. Then, in another nine months when a “new
and improved” model comes out, they have got to have it. This cycle exists in hundreds of
companies and thousands of products, and it keeps consumers coming back again and again for
more. This continuous spending shows up when one takes a look at the American economy as a
whole. As one magazine reported, consumerism is so prevalent in American culture that over
two-thirds of the economy is made up of the purchasing and selling of consumer goods (Masci
1001). When one considers how many other possible things could make up the economy, but
consumer goods makes up two-thirds of it, one is taken aback. It begins to become apparent that
consumerism has taken over the lives of Americans to become the main focus in life. Rather than
working to help their child pay for college or help others, the average American now works to be
able to purchase goods and services that will make them happy. This is the true reason for the
functioning of the American economy. As one economist described it, the American economy is
based on an illusion that all of the things that Americans spend their lives working for will
content them (Williamson 11). In order for one to comprehend this, an example must be given.
Imagine Christmas day: presents piled up under the tree and stockings filled to overflowing.
Now if one moves ahead two or three days, they will find that those wonderful presents they
have wanted for so long have begun to bore them, and they move on to other forms of
entertainment. It is the same idea in all the people of America, that the new car or bigger house
that they do not necessarily need fill their mind and become the object of desire that they will
work their entire life looking to possess. All of these excess purchases Americans make aid in
proving that Consumerism is present in the homes of America today, but the change in the ideals
of citizens also support this proof.
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The alteration of basic values of the American culture assists in revealing the presence of
consumerism in the nation's society. Prior to the Second World War, Americans were virtuous
and hardworking people. However, once that great war had passed, society changed. One
magazine describes this change saying that America was once a nation defined by household
values "conducive to work, investment, deferred gratification, and service.” The magazine
continues on describing that the nation has since, however, given way to "consumerist
capitalism" defined by morals which are "conducive to laxity, impetuousness, narcissism, and
consumption" (Barber 74). A once proud country that found working hard and doing service for
one’s community to be instinctual has now converted to a land of men and women who are lazy,
impulsive, egotistical, and bent on purchasing in ever increasing quantities. These behaviors
exemplify consumerist culture in America. Going back to one dictionary’s definition of
consumerism of being obsessed with buying consumer goods (Merriam-Webster), these actions
solidify consumerism as an American cultural value. One may also use this definition to explain
President George W. Bush’s actions after the tragedy of 9/11. One magazine described the
situation by commenting that Bush after 9/11 did not invite Americans to sacrifice or work hard
in order to defeat terrorism; he invited them to go shopping (Barber 74). This is a great example
of changing values as it shows how Americans have developed an innovative idea of how to deal
with national crises. Americans have decided that the best way to deal with terrorism is to deal
with the issue head on and buy things. Obviously sarcasm is intended for use there, but in
actuality, the American public has done nothing besides buying things they do not need to fight
terrorism. This type of lazy culture defines America today and exemplifies the national presence
of consumerism. The public has been modified in to beings completely different than those in the
first half of the twentieth century. One magazine describes this modification writing
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that consumerism has turned Americans into shoppers. It goes on to point out that this has caused
the nation to start to be ruled by markets and shoppers rather than run independently (Barber 73).
Because Americans have been transformed into shoppers by consumerism, markets have begun
to make a myriad of important decisions regarding the nation’s health and well-being and
controls many actions the government takes. The ups and downs of markets now make decisions
about things from whether residents have a reliable source of transportation to whether citizens
pay higher taxes. Because Americans live in a land where countless decisions affecting their
lives are made by the markets every day, the people feel they must pay tribute to these
institutions through the purchasing of consumer goods. The new values created by the
innumerous bodies that have come to exist in the nation define the consumerism present in all
Americans. It is not only a change in the values of Americans or the purchases they make that
makes consumerism visible in the culture, but it is also the movements that society makes as a
whole.
The American people take actions which unmistakably identify consumerism in their
culture, the first of which dealing with the civilization being driven to consume. Executive
director of the Center of Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, believes that American
society is geared toward consumption and that citizens of the U.S. are constantly pushed in that
direction (Masci 1003). He is certain that the public feels a motivation to go out and purchase
goods. He believes people feel, because they are citizens of America, they can and should go and
make purchases. That Americans have always freely bought anything they had the desire for, so
they should have that ability as well. The drive and push that citizens feel to buy products is
derived from many places in the nation that the people encounter daily. The ideals of
consumerism are kept fresh in American’s minds by what one expert on the subject terms
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endless waves of new commodities and grand television displays (Cronk 1). As was brought up
previously, the cycle of new products that people feel the need to buy fuels the furnaces of
consumerism, keeping the thought ripe in the individuals’ minds. The unending parade of fresh
goods moving from retailer to consumer is one of the major driving forces of consumerism in the
nation. The substantial amount of time society in general spends in front of the television
contributes evenly to the effect on the population. The shows the media puts on for viewers are
the driving force that gets consumers to get up off of their couches and purchase goods. One
magazine plainly states that the necessity Americans feel to buy things is “literally programmed
into us” through the media (Masci 1003). Advertising keeps the people out in the stores making
needless purchases. It creates a burning desire for products which is only subdued by an
inessential intake of goods. These actions bring about the end result of impulse shopping. Wave
after wave of purchases generate actions of consumption based on what a widely read periodical
phrases, compulsion rather than a question of personal choice (Masci 1003). Because Americans
have been overexposed to methods of consuming, they have begun to buy goods out of habit.
They no longer question whether the purchase they are about to make is necessary; they just do it
because it feels normal and right to do. This has created a culture based upon consumerist values
and ideals whose presence is easily visible.
In today's American society, immense purchases, the change of the nation's values to
ones which focus on consumption, and the adjustment to a whole population governed by
consumption displays the nation's preoccupation with consumerism. For over 65 years, the
culture of the United States of America has been overcome with this phenomenon, and it will not
soon leave. Its presence is apparent, and civilizations around the globe recognize the U.S. for its
Consumerist actions and values.
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