Christmas
Misrak Seifu
Ms. Ogochkwu Ngwudike
English 104
03-05-2013
Commercializing Christmas The season of love and giving hit the shopping malls on Black Friday; the stores fill with the latest gifts and the bargain shoppers begin the hunt for the perfect Christmas gift. Americans across the country mark this season, senselessly “buying” love for one another, while simultaneously degrading the very spirit of the holiday season: love. Thus, as the bells toll for the Christmas cheer, the deepening greed of our culture begins with the commercialization of the holiday. Materialism, or Objectivism in the philosophy of author Ayn Rand, is centered in the selfish nature of one’s self interest in their acquisitive “needs.” In our modern world, our society has formed the judgment of one’s successes in life based on the accumulation of materialistic goods: the size or price of one’s house, car, entertainment spots, apparel, and etc. The society we reside in is based on the principle of monetary possessions; our culture is overwhelmed by the continuous hunger for wealth from the entertainment world and the media conditioning the human spirit into the materialistic thought of selfish needs. Thus, Christmas in the spirit of giving, becomes commercialized by the shopping districts into a holiday of possessions. The media or corporate stores indoctrinate our society into the buying aspect of the season-the gifts. Their financial gain trumps their desire to spread true holiday cheer but to make a dollar in return. The season consequently loses the original meaning of love and becomes commercialized by the goods. Avarice, a seven deadly sin, therefore becomes the motif of the season; ironically demoralizing the holiday. In addition, in our unstable fiscal rollercoaster, it has become increasingly difficult for the working class to sustain the financial desires of their children. The rough economy cripples the buying power of the majority of parents,
Ms. Ogochkwu Ngwudike
English 104
03-05-2013
Commercializing Christmas The season of love and giving hit the shopping malls on Black Friday; the stores fill with the latest gifts and the bargain shoppers begin the hunt for the perfect Christmas gift. Americans across the country mark this season, senselessly “buying” love for one another, while simultaneously degrading the very spirit of the holiday season: love. Thus, as the bells toll for the Christmas cheer, the deepening greed of our culture begins with the commercialization of the holiday. Materialism, or Objectivism in the philosophy of author Ayn Rand, is centered in the selfish nature of one’s self interest in their acquisitive “needs.” In our modern world, our society has formed the judgment of one’s successes in life based on the accumulation of materialistic goods: the size or price of one’s house, car, entertainment spots, apparel, and etc. The society we reside in is based on the principle of monetary possessions; our culture is overwhelmed by the continuous hunger for wealth from the entertainment world and the media conditioning the human spirit into the materialistic thought of selfish needs. Thus, Christmas in the spirit of giving, becomes commercialized by the shopping districts into a holiday of possessions. The media or corporate stores indoctrinate our society into the buying aspect of the season-the gifts. Their financial gain trumps their desire to spread true holiday cheer but to make a dollar in return. The season consequently loses the original meaning of love and becomes commercialized by the goods. Avarice, a seven deadly sin, therefore becomes the motif of the season; ironically demoralizing the holiday. In addition, in our unstable fiscal rollercoaster, it has become increasingly difficult for the working class to sustain the financial desires of their children. The rough economy cripples the buying power of the majority of parents,