Lacuata 1
Mariel Lacuata
Kathy Rowley
English 201-23
May 30, 2012
Argumentative Essay:
Materialistic Society
“Personal satisfaction and greed are the most important aspects of life of the society driven by materialism. Many people echo the sentiment that the real cause of the economic problems that has hit the world is the greed caused by materialism,”
(Mukherjee, Materialism in Society). Everyday there are companies introducing their latest wardrobes, cuisines, electronics, vehicles, and merchandises on the market. Many of these products are upgrades of previous items but more modern in style. Numerous retail corporations benefit from selling their products, as consumers are the main ones who keep their businesses alive. Selling merchandise also profits the economy by bringing in prosperity. There are various people who do not mind having old products but there are also other people who obsess over having the most up to date products out there.
However, since there are many products to choose from, many people are consuming more they can even afford. As merchandise continues to upgrade, so are the expenses. In result, more people in society are struggling to survive financially in our economy. The advanced and upgraded products are extremely enjoyable to have, nonetheless people have to realize that they are quickly falling into becoming too materialistic. Consumerism is quickly affecting individuals, families and the environment.
Consumerism is a problem many people in society are getting involved with.

Lacuata 2
Consumerism is a doctrine advocating a continual increase in the consumption of goods as a basis for a sound economy.
It is one fact to purchase merchandise that is essential for everyday living such as groceries, clothing and miscellaneous care products. But it is also another fact to buy bulks of unnecessary merchandise. As companies are frequently releasing new products everyday, more people are attracted and tempted to buy them.
With multiple advertisements shown on television, heard on the radio, seen on a billboard or heard from a sponsor, customers have no chance to step aside from all those advertisements. Society has tied people in needing to have and buy the latest upgrades and newest products on the market. There are many people who are content with not having all the new products, however there are people who take part in going the highest levels to buy products. According to CBS News, in October 2011, hundreds of people camped out and stood in line in front of the Apple Store for the new release of the iPhone
4 (“Buyers Camp Outside”). In another article states the release of the new Air Jordans shoes that involved thousands of people standing in line and camping over multiple nights until the release. Is it necessary to have to go that far for a product? This is where the issue of people becoming too materialistic comes in. One of the larger events that people all across the nation take part of is, Black Friday. Black Friday occurs every year on the day after Thanksgiving where most retailers offer promotional sales starting from midnight. More than thousands of people start to camp outside of retails such as Best
Buy, Walmart, Macy’s and many more. Although, there are extreme bargains, people do not realize the difference between wanting a product and needing a product.
On the other hand, not only has consumerism affected adults, corporations have been triggering children and teens as well. Companies have a way to spark children

Lacuata 3 through books and animated films. Elizabeth Teare makes notice in her article, “Harry
Potter and the Technology of Magic”, explains how books such as Harry Potter have been subliminally attracting more and more children daily. One-reason children seem more involved is because manufactures associate materials such as toys and accessories with the novel .
Children are then more tied in with those products and that then leads them to the books .
For example, manufactures develop more products that will attract children such as colorful toys, action video games and graphic clothing. This however, can have a negative affect on children. This sets a standard that more children are becoming more materialistic. They are being tied into buying the products simply over a book. Since books are loosing their initial value, children go for the tangible products that are associated with their favorite shows or movies.
In addition, “Zipes points out that the Harry Potter books, especially in hardback, are too expensive for children to buy for themselves, so they must be purchased by reasonably well-off adults” (Teare 806). Not only have companies encouraged consumerism, parents and adults have also take part too. As a parent or an adult, one of the main duties is keeping a child happy or satisfied. Many parents go out to shop and bring their children along. Children are known to throw tantrums and outbursts when they do not get what they want. To appease them, parents choose the tactic of giving in and buying them what they want. “ 76 percent out of 6,000 moms admitted to spoiling their kids,”
(
Ludwig, “Holiday Hazard”
).
This adds to consumerism as these parents are showing their children that they can have what they want, whenever they want. To some viewers, this seems like parents are “spoiling” their children when they purchase many

Lacuata 4 items for them. Parents should know when and when not to give into buying a product for their child.
Next, a common problem most families are struggling with is financial issues.
There are individuals out there who work a full time job and still remain stressed by the amount of bills and rise of costs. As it is already tough for individuals to support for themselves, to make times worst, financial burdens increase once married. “Whether cohabiters pool their finances or keep them separate and split living costs, managing financial issues take some level of cooperation and positive exchange. Among married couples, financial conflict is more intense and is less resolved than other types of conflict” (Dew 180). There are families out there who are just stressed and struggling to get by everyday. Since the economy is not in a good state, prices have been increasing daily. Everyday essentials such as gas, groceries, and clothing prices are rising. Families are receiving a tough time as well, especially for families who have multiple children.
Having children does increase the amount of money a family needs to support them. In a recent article titled, “The Inflation of Life — Cost of Raising a Child Has Soared”, author
Shelly stated, “The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 has surged 25 percent over the last 10 years, due largely to the rising cost of groceries and medical care. The government’s most recent annual report reveals a middle-income family with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend roughly $227,000 for food, shelter and other expenses necessary to raise that child — $287,000 when you factor in projected inflation.” Article also adds, The USDA report shows that a family earning less than $57,600 per year can expect to spend a total of $163,440 on a child from birth through high school; parents with an income between $57,600 and $99,730 can expect to spend $226,920; and families

earning more than $99,730 can expect to drop $377,040 (Schwartz).
In addition to financial issues, consumerism and materialism also lead to
Lacuata 5 excessive negative impacts on individuals and society. One problem that arises every year is the amount of disputes that happen over sales. As mentioned previously, the big event of Black Friday is where most violence takes place. Every year, as thousands line up before the doors open, people will get into arguments that can cause conflict and lead to brawls. As chaotic shoppers rush through the doors, violence begins. “ Violence erupted at shoe stores across the country as people tried to purchase Nike's new retro Air
Jordan sneakers. In Atlanta, at least four people were arrested in a mob scene at a suburban mall, according to The Associated Press. Twenty police cars responded and the crowd broke down a door to enter the mall before it opened,” (Ng, “Violence Erupts
Across”). Stated in the Huffington Post, “A Black Friday shopper who collapsed while shopping at a Target store in West Virginia went almost unnoticed as customers continued to hunt for bargain deals” (Kelly, “Black Friday”). Happenings like these prove that people get so caught up in being the first to reach the bargains, but they loose their sense of being good Samaritans. This shows that obtaining the offered merchandise is far beyond important than stopping to save a persons life. Another negative effect this has engaged is pollution. Pollution has been an on going issue in the environment. “T he production, processing, and consumption, of commodities requires the extraction and use of natural resources (wood, ore, fossil fuels, and water); it requires the creation of factories and factory complexes whose operation creates toxic byproducts, while the use of commodities themselves (e.g. automobiles) creates pollutants and waste” ( Shah ). Since companies are making more merchandise, more energy and environmental products are

Lacuata 6 being used to make them. As people are buying more products, more products are turning into waste. When all the waste adds up, it ends up in our environment.
In conclusion, consumerism adds up to a negative toll on all. Companies are quickly influencing people into buying their products. As people are buying massive amounts of unnecessary products they are being lead into becoming materialistic. People are participating in extreme circumstances just to obtain products. To add to that, people are causing ferocity in communities. Not only are adults victims of consumerism, children are targeted as well. Companies are now attracting everyone into excess consuming. Individuals and families are beginning to buy more than they can even afford. Financial burdens are impacting families and individuals as prices of daily essentials are constantly escalating. Overall, consumerism does nothing but negatively affect the people and environment. The best way is to avoid purchasing unnecessary products. As stated above, there is a difference from wanting and needing. When purchasing products, people need to take products that are strongly needed into consideration. Another way to prevent materialism is for individuals to create a budget.
The budget could be a daily, weekly, monthly or annual budget. The budget will be used to control the amount of money spent and avoid spending more than one has. For events such as Black Friday, patrols should enforce greater security precautions to create a safer environment for individuals. Most importantly, individuals need to protect the environment where people live in. People need to realize that consumerism is striking negatively fast and to prevent materialism, people need to begin to take action, now .

Lacuata 7
Works Cited
"Buyers Camp Outside For New IPhone 4S." CBS Local . The Associated Press, 14 Oct.
2011. Web. 28 May 2012
Dew, Jeffrey. “Financial Issues and Relationship Outcomes Among Cohabiting
Individuals.” Family Relations. 60.2 (2011): 178-190. Electronic.
Kelly, Tara. "Black Friday: Target Shoppers Step Over Walter Vance As He Collapses,
Dies." The Huffington Post . TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Nov. 2011. Web. 28 May
2012.
Ludwig, Robi. Holiday Hazard: Kids Acting like Spoiled Brats.
MSNBC News Today.
23 Dec 20122. Web. 27 May 2012.
Mukherjee, Bidisha. "Materialism In Society." Buzzle . Web. 29 May 2012.
Ng, Christina. "Violence Erupts Across the Country Around Release of Nike Air
Jordans." ABC News . ABC News Network, 24 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 May 2012
Shah, Anup. "Effects of Consumerism." Global Issues . 07 Sept. 2001. Web. 30 May
2012.
Schwartz, Shelly. "The Inflation of Life - Cost of Raising a Child Has Soared." Yahoo!
Finance . CNBC, 7 May 2012. Web. 30 May 2012.
Teare, Elizabeth. “Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic.” From Inquiry to
Academic Writing. Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky, eds. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2008. Print