...Tasfia Wahid | January 2nd, 2016 | US History Pd 2 | QHSS Consumerism is defined as an economic theory which encourages costumers to make purchases because it is believed to benefit them along with the economy. American consumerism was ignited as a result of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. This is because the invention of machines popularized factories. As a result, mass production of merchandize became possible and attaining goods became more affordable. The 1900's was dubbed as the “Era of Mass Consumptions” because people started buying new models of products, such as automobiles and appliances, whenever they were released. Also, the introduction of various forms of media during this century prompted companies to advertise...
Words: 311 - Pages: 2
...Consumerisms Effect Consumerisms Effect Consumerism is defined as, “the theory that an increasing consumption to goods is economically desirable; also: a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods” (“Consumerism,” n.d.). With this said, is consumerism healthy for anyone who is involved? From American cultures birth after the revolutionary war, this society has relished the flattery of consumerism. The search for wealth, material goods, and happiness has no boundaries in this society. Although some positive influences exist within consumerisms definition, a darker side to this phenomenon cannot be over looked. Consumerism reflects many negative human attributes and its increase is adversely affecting American culture, societal equalities, and the environment. Consumerism, in all its forms, has been around since the earliest times of American culture. From the earliest time of America, directly after the Revolutionary War, this attitude of need and want for material good and what was considered the best was very evident. One would think that during a life altering divide of nations the concept of consumerism would stop between them, but during this time, Americans still sought British goods. A high perceived value and thought pattern that these goods were of superior quality allowed these items to become a status symbol for early Americans. George Washington, weeks after signing a peace treaty with Britain, ordered a large...
Words: 2146 - Pages: 9
...Consumerism History of Consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in an elevated amount. Consumerism as an ideology first appeared in Western Europe roughly three hundred years ago. It gave a rise in consumer’s need and importance to the display of material items. It promoted economic progress, a rise in small shops, an increase in the growth of cities, and an incline in individualism. A shift in the market hit right before the Industrial Revolution. Capitalist development and the industrial revolution focused on infrastructure and production and manipulation of fossil fuels. In 1919 consumerism began to sweep over the American population when General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) was established. The General Motors Acceptance Corporation mission was to issue loans to customers who had purchased a vehicle. Americans started the notion of “Keeping up with the joneses” which is the idea that Americans compare themselves to their neighbors, defining each stance in socio-cultural inferiority. With this new need for status with possessions was thought to be the beginning of the American consumer culture. Soon after The Great Depression and World War broke out. When the war-ceased consumers went wild, credit cards issued first for convince took off quickly to show status through the products each individual had. Consumerism gathered strength in the United States through internal trade growing, expansion...
Words: 3287 - Pages: 14
...MEANING OF CONSUMERISM Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Torstein Veblen. Veblen's subject of examination, the newly emergent middle class arising at the turn of the twentieth century, comes to full fruition by the end of the twentieth century through the process of globalization. In this sense, consumerism is usually considered a part of media culture. Consumerism is also used to refer to the consumerists movement, consumer protection or consumer activism, which seeks to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards. In this sense it is a movement or a set of policies aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer. In economics, consumerism refers to economic policies placing emphasis on consumption. In an abstract sense, it is the belief that the free choice of consumers should dictate the economic structure of a society. It was first used in 1915 to refer to advocacy of the rights and interests of consumers but in this article the term consumerism refers to the sense first used in 1960, emphasis on or preoccupation with the acquisition of consumer goods (Oxford English Dictionary). DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMERISM The development...
Words: 1866 - Pages: 8
...The Story of Stuff: A Review The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute film aimed at raising awareness on the dangers of excessive human consumption. Presented by Annie Leonard – an activist for consumerism and environmental sustainability (Story Of Stuff Project, 2013) – this video provides a simple yet well researched explanation on the ‘behind-the-scenes’ management of the life-cycle of common items consumed daily in the United States. From mining and manufacturing to distribution, consumption and waste, this presentation takes viewers on a journey to explore many missing fragments that are hardly ever reported in the system (Leonard, 2009). Watched by over 12 million people worldwide, and translated into over 15 languages (Roosevelt, 2010), Leonard has received both applauds and criticisms for her unapologetic condemnation of humans (especially Americans) – for their excessive consumption and wasteful habits – and her rather conspicuous allegation of the devious relationship between the government and private corporations. One significant issue that Leonard (2009) presented in the video was that, due to human activity, natural resources around the world are rapidly diminishing. Natural resources such as minerals and trees are constantly mined and felled to satisfy men’s insatiable appetite for more goods. The presentation revealed that in the last decade, one-third of the world’s resource base has depleted. Furthermore, it is said that only four percent...
Words: 854 - Pages: 4
...With modern consumerism on the rise, it is negatively affecting our children and their future. The negative effects of modern consumerism on children must be addressed before the damage is a permanent affliction of the American society. I. The effects of consumerism are beginning to mold our children and the American future society in negative ways. A. Sub point 1: In the current consumer society, "I am what I possess" is the average American’s outlook on their lives. 1. In today's society consumerism is viewed to be a negative portion of society and social behaviors. 2. Families have begun to stray from the meaningful and necessary time spent teaching and shaping their children to become productive adults. B. Sub point 2: Modern families need to focus on rearing their children to be a positive influence in society. 1. When a child is raised primarily by electronics they lose sight of their actual surroundings. 2. Common interaction with peers becomes limited. Parents need to focus the attention away from the television and put the efforts into their family values rather than the family car. II. Consumerism can actually have some positive effects on the American society. A. Sub point: The economy depends on society purchasing items. 1. Without the everlasting effects of supply and demand the employment status would decrease. 2. The increase in demand for consumer items also entices investors to provide money into an increased production therefore, consumption...
Words: 451 - Pages: 2
...in which people can express their opinions and feelings about certain ideas. Poetry communicates an idea, a sentiment or concept significant to the poet’s life, Bruce Dawe’s “Americanized” develops a concern of human attitudes towards cultural imperialism and consumerism. To depict these ideas, Dawe characterises a mother and son as America and a younger, developing nation. The poet imparts a concept of America’s consumerist society indoctrinating other nations with their western culture as an act of cultural imperialism. He also employs various other poetic techniques to assist him in campaigning the issues of cultural loss of another country such as, extended metaphor, rhetorical question, alliteration, irony, entrapment, foreshadowing, denotation, motifs and punctuation marks to further emphasise his points. The study of his poem allows us sight into the concerns of consumerism and cultural imperialism. ** there's no need to list techniques and repeat your ideas... America’s rise in cultural power has caused a raging concern from Bruce Dawe, to bring this about; he ( you mean Bruce ...expresses his emotions and opinions through his poem “Americanized”. He adopts a pun in the title to exemplify the expansion of American vocabulary into Australian literature. Not only does this pun emphasise his point on Australia being lost in America’s culture, but it also foreshadows the extended metaphor he utilises in the mother and son of the story. The mother is America and the son is...
Words: 706 - Pages: 3
...Hyper consumerism is a major problem in America and I do not think this problem will ever change. That mindset of “keeping up with the Johnson’s” is so true within this generation. I just watched a video on YouTube called “you don’t need this” where Emitai Etzoni discusses want vs. need and how humans are actually very simple. A Human only needs three things to be satisfied and happy. The problem today is choice, the more choices equals the better chance that consumers will be satisfied because of such a large variety. Freedom of choice is nothing more than the freedom to buy and consume. With that being said the increasing the number of choices is not so much about improving human well-being rather it’s about expanding the market and making money. Everybody always wants more and more which to me means the pursuit of happiness is unattainable. Greed equals American consumerism no one’s satisfied ever I look at it as exactly the same concept as the old saying money can’t buy happiness. Occasionally it is okay to go and spend or splurge on something you want but today’s society works by wanting, working, buying, using, and rinsing. Same concept as a drug addiction except the withdrawal stage is just significantly longer than that of a heroin addict. I guess you could say that this greedy nation is plagued by the addiction of want vs. need. Ever seen a movie where kids or adults are enjoying a nice Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Back then it was the only pop around and it was a luxury to enjoy...
Words: 1219 - Pages: 5
...discussing the ethics of consumerism, it is important to develop an- in depth understanding of the history of the subject before having the discussion of the moralistic opinions about. The video The Story of Stuff provided the background necessary to understand the reasons why there are so many issues with consumerism. The argument in the video is that the United States has become a consumerist society since the early 1900’s. A consumerist society is defined as one directed largely by the accumulation and consumption of material goods (O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy, 2002). This consumerism was said to have peaked during the 1950’s when it is said that happiness and contentment with life was at its greatest. Today, things have changed significantly. The adoption of modern marketing practices has led to the emergence of consumerist societies in the swelling middle classes (Chan and Cui, 2004). On one hand, this means that more people are earning enough money to spend. However, the increase in the spending power of the middle class had led to greater demand for consumer goods and thus the resources that are used to make them. The video discussed how much marketing has played a role in the way that people advocate for consumerism. Those who advocate against consumerism stated that social progress and economic development have caused contemporary marketing practice to contribute to a consumerist or materialistic society. The main issue with consumerism seems to be the fact...
Words: 1810 - Pages: 8
...Two Cheers for Consumerism In the article called 2 cheers for consumerism, the writer Twitchell explains how people, the consumers, are consuming more and more items everyday. According to the author of the article “The really interesting question may be not why we are so materialistic, but why we are unwilling to acknowledge and explore what seems the central characteristics of life.”. Many people spend most of their time and energy consuming or producing items all the time and most of that happened in the 20th century, like for example in the 1960’s. Some people consider this as Commercialism, and others as consumerism, but either way, commercialism or consumerism will stay up high for many people that like to buy stuff. The U.S. is a nation of consumers. Consumerism affects people in many ways, like for example age and many other things. The main idea for consumerism is that many people can’t resist having a specific item, most of those items are objects that they don’t really need. According to the author “ it is simply impossible to consume objects without consuming meaning.”. This means that consumerism is all around us, currents of desire are flowing around us all the time, like if it were white smoke. Some people say that consumerism It’s pretty much a waste because it’s now a big concern. America is considered a nation of consumers, one that can never have enough things (Twitchell). Twitchell refers to American material culture as a mallcondo...
Words: 1458 - Pages: 6
...Abstract This essay employs a visual analysis to compare and contrast Andy Warhol’s ‘Blue Marilyn’ with Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘In the Car’ in association to the postmodernist theme of Consumer Culture and more explicitly, the introduction of Pop Art, born from post-war consumerist societies. The argument refers to eight scholarly research sources, three of which are scholarly journal articles. POSTMODERNITY AND CONSUMERISM: WIT, INVENTION AND THE AFTERMATH OF WAR Research Statement: Using a visual analysis, compare and contrast Andy Warhol’s Blue Marilyn with Roy Lichtenstein’s In the Car in association to the postmodernist theme of Consumer culture and more explicitly the introduction of Pop Art; born through post-war materialisation. The Postmodernist Cannon of the latter twentieth and twenty-first Century Art is a crucial anthology, signifying radical and innovative movements that differentiated from Modernist art practices. It signifies a period of time whereby practitioners sought to contradict the rebellious experimentational aspects of Modernist art through re-visioning and revitalising media to fit the metamorphosing culture. Incorporated within the Cannon were several movements that were heavily influenced by the rise of Consumer cultures, dictated by the post-war explosion of advertisement in the 1950’s, compelling practitioners to manipulate and transform their style in either awe of the perpetually adapting society or in rebellion towards the mass produced...
Words: 2088 - Pages: 9
...Consumerism I- Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen. Veblen's subject of examination, the newly emergent middle class arising at the turn of the twentieth century, comes to full fruition by the end of the twentieth century through the process of globalization. In this sense, consumerism is usually considered a part of media culture. Sometimes, the term "consumerism" is also used to refer to the consumerists movement, consumer protection or consumer activism, which seeks to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards. In this sense it is a movement or a set of policies aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer. In economics, consumerism refers to economic policies placing emphasis on consumption. In an abstract sense, it is the belief that the free choice of consumers should dictate the economic structure of a society (compare producerism, especially in the British sense of the term) The term "consumerism" goes back to at least 1915 in the sense of "advocacy of the rights and interests of consumers" (Oxford English Dictionary), but in this article the term "consumerism" refers to the sense first recorded...
Words: 1233 - Pages: 5
...Introduction The role of hyper-consumerism on culture as a source of control and power relations has been discussed by a variety of scholarly voices. Among the most prominent is Michel Foucault, who described the various ways that consumer markets circumscribe public spaces, placing important distinctions between class members. In particular, Foucault discusses heterotopia – the public space which carries both physical and psychological gravity. For Foucault, public spaces are characterized by existing without truly existing. The heterotopia serves as a metaphor for a larger context while having the appearance and characteristics of other everyday spaces. Tyndall takes this notion a step further by developing social rules that are attached to consumer places, such as malls and shopping districts (Tyndall, 2009). This version of consumer-driven rules – culled from qualitative research and personal interviews – depicts a new notion of public-ness that is less egalitarian than ever before. It is a version of public space that is not entirely open to the public. Baker adds to this perspective by historicizing the commercialization of public space, dating the use widespread use of public space for advertising purposes to before the dawn of the 20th century (Baker, 2007). This argument inextricably links the notion of “culture” with “consumerism”, and sets the stage for the potential for access to public spaces to be consumed, or purchased. Finally, Klingle underscores this...
Words: 1702 - Pages: 7
...Nowadays our society has a huge interest in American culture, the culture of progress, money and Capitalism. American culture, and western culture in general, may be characterized as the culture of Capitalism, or more specifically consumer Capitalism, and American society may be characterized as the society of perpetual growth. The following discussion treats exactly the topic of this thesis. The first part deals with Capitalism and the second one with consumerism. For most of us, American culture can’t be imagined without Capitalism, and it seems we got here on a way as determined as that of a tossed baseball. We are taught and come to believe that the head of the American economy is capitalist. It’s time to break out of that way of thinking. Let’s briefly think of the history of American Capitalism, only to get us out of this habit of thinking. When did American Capitalism begin? It is easy to forget that capitalism was born not so long ago, in the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution took place, and entrepreneurs were creating new industries and wealth. In other words, capitalism came to be a “big thing” once it was already there. Capitalism effects people and created a consumerist society. Consumerist societies live by the influence of advertisements, and often buy things they do not need, and in most cases, they cannot afford it. This, in turn, leads to greater economic inequality, consumerists have a feeling of unfulfilled due to spending a lot of money yet having...
Words: 325 - Pages: 2
...Ryan Plunkett Ray Setters AMS 250 7 March 2013 The Culture of Narcissism Paper For over the past 30 years there has been a prevailing idea that American society has changed drastically. While it is undeniable that every person is different and there are always plenty of exceptions to the norm, in many ways our modern society has become very similar to what Christopher Lasch predicted in The Culture of Narcissism. Unfortunately, it would be safe to say that some modern people are in a state that is extremely pre-occupied with the self. The idea of narcissism came from psychology and is mostly attributed to Sigmund Freud. It was considered to be an extreme preoccupation with the self that distorted ones relationship to reality. This resulted in an inability to make a clear distinction between themselves as the subject and what existed outside them. They were so focused on themselves that they lost awareness of the real beyond them. Because the narcissist does not recognize the separate existence of 'the other' they tend to use reality as a mirror to reflect messages back to the self. The other is there to impress, to be admired by, and to get pity from. The Narcissist is so identified with his/her needs that the other person is simply there to be available for them. In his book The Culture of Narcissism Christopher Larsch describes the Narcissistic personality, “the Narcissist can function in the everyday world - and is often very charming. However, his devaluation...
Words: 1311 - Pages: 6
