Jennifer Miller
English 101
Pro. Fozouni
March 1 2012 The Generation of Consumerism Fight Club shows us that consumerism plays a huge role in our everyday lives, everywhere you look there are adds drawing your attention for the soul purpose of selling things that are not needed, advertising has made it extremely easy to become addicted to the basic consumption of goods. All of society at some point wants to fit in so they buy what they believe to be is the new “HOT” item or what television says will make their lives easier, and by doing so people become part of a superficial world that is obsessed by material possessions and forget what truly matters, such as our most basic needs and ourselves. Once we have become part of this world we start defining ourselves by what we own, not by the type of people we truly are. Jack (bathroom) “I had become a slave to the Ikea nesting instinct”, with the consumption of goods people begin to feel a false sense of self. People who are unhappy with their lives use shopping as a copping mechanism to fill the void they have, and this is what starts their addiction to consumerism. Jack (walking to the kitchen) “what kind of dinning set defines me”, some people with social and emotional problems use material possessions to define them selves because it is one of the only things that make them feel better, along with telling who they are. Jack (bar) “I was close to being complete”. Shopping gives us a false sense of completion, once making a purchase people feel complete and have a sense of wholeness.This is the high people feel when they get their hands on what they are addicted to, but once that high wears off we are left feeling incomplete once again. Jack (kitchen) “that condo was my life, not just a bunch of stuff that got destroyed it was me”. Jack felt destroyed because he had lost the only things in his life that he had control over and because the items that were destroyed were what Jack thought made him who he was, he felt that if anything happens to him the only way people would know he even existed would be through those items. Jack (bus) “I feel sorry for the guys that are packed into gyms, trying to look how Calvin Cline and Tommy Hillfiger says they should”. Jack is finally starting to see that there is more to him and the world than just material possessions. He is noticing that his possessions never gave him meaning, what he is currently doing is giving him meaning and that his condo and everything in it were just unnecessary replaceable items. Tyler (bar) “we work jobs we hate , to buy things we don’t need”. The world is becoming lazy and people are giving up on there dreams and taking jobs they hate just to get by, while running up there credit to buy over priced crap that looks good in the store, but once at home you realize you have no need for it and that you don’t like it very much. The only reason you bought it was because you felt compelled to spend money. Jack (condo) “how embarrassing, a house full of condiments and no food”. People with any type of addiction loose themselves because all they think about is what consumes them. Jack became obsessed with material possessions and didn’t care about taking care of himself, he though purchasing all of those items made him happy, when in reality it was destroying him by sucking the life out of him. Tyler (bar) “we are a by-product of a lifestyle obsession”. Consumerism causes an addiction to the constant need for superficial materials, but what’s left over after one has been consumed by their own selfish needs is nothing short of high debt and a complete lose of self. Tyler (bar) “things you own, end up owning you”.Consumerism has become our downfall due to we have become so obsessed with our wants rather than our needs that we live beyond our means and work our selves like slaves just to barely get by from living paycheck to paycheck until the next want comes along. Tyler (chemical burn) “its only after we have lost everything, that we are free to do anything”. The only way we can truly be free is to let go of the things that do not matter and that are not worth our time. The only things that we need to concern ourselves with is what benefits us as people not our egos. We need not stress our selves over what can not be changed but only what can be. Our generation has become so obsessed with material possessions that we have forgotten what truly matters in this world, along with the debt and trouble that this addiction brings along with it. The last scene of the movie shows two major credit company’s and the IBM being blown up. The point here is, even though consumerism is everywhere most of us can’t afford paying for everything and that’s where credit comes in. If you destroy society’s means to obtaining what they crave then the addiction will disappear along with the debt, stress, and trouble that comes along with it.