Consumerism in Children
Felicia Gardner
HMXP 102
Dr. Matthew Fike
October 13, 2010
Consumerism In Children
Introduction
When I was two years old my mother enrolled me in gymnastics. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life for the next four years. After moving up to be with the fourteen and fifteen year olds my mother realized that something was not right, because I was having body issues at the age of six. In the text “How Do Our Children Get So Caught Up In Consumerism” by Brian Swimme he addresses the issue of how deeply affected the children of America are due to consumerism. Unlike Swimme I do not believe that all of children’s psyche problems come from ads or television. I think they also come from people who our children highly trust. Although Swimme is right about consumerism affecting many children, I will argue that it is not only the media and ads affecting our children but also people that our children trust, because my psyche was deeply affected by one of my gymnastic coaches as a child.
Background One There are different ways that a child can be tricked into the thoughts of consumerism.
“The last thing we want to think about as we’re lying on the couch relaxing is the philosophy of the ad. So as we soak it all up, it sinks down deep in our psyche. And if this takes place in the adult soul, imagine how much more damage is done in the psyches of our children, which have none of our protective cynicisms but which draw in the ad’s imagery and message as if they were coming from a trusted parent or teacher.” (Swimme 148)
This quotation is one example of how consumerism enters into our brains. This is by far the most common way that my generation has been tricked by consumerism. Children are much more susceptible to the affects of consumerism than an adult, because they do not have a filter in their brain to tell them that they do not need something. As stated in the quotation imagine how much more damage is done to the psyche of a child due to consumerism. Consumerism is
HMXP 102
Dr. Matthew Fike
October 13, 2010
Consumerism In Children
Introduction
When I was two years old my mother enrolled me in gymnastics. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life for the next four years. After moving up to be with the fourteen and fifteen year olds my mother realized that something was not right, because I was having body issues at the age of six. In the text “How Do Our Children Get So Caught Up In Consumerism” by Brian Swimme he addresses the issue of how deeply affected the children of America are due to consumerism. Unlike Swimme I do not believe that all of children’s psyche problems come from ads or television. I think they also come from people who our children highly trust. Although Swimme is right about consumerism affecting many children, I will argue that it is not only the media and ads affecting our children but also people that our children trust, because my psyche was deeply affected by one of my gymnastic coaches as a child.
Background One There are different ways that a child can be tricked into the thoughts of consumerism.
“The last thing we want to think about as we’re lying on the couch relaxing is the philosophy of the ad. So as we soak it all up, it sinks down deep in our psyche. And if this takes place in the adult soul, imagine how much more damage is done in the psyches of our children, which have none of our protective cynicisms but which draw in the ad’s imagery and message as if they were coming from a trusted parent or teacher.” (Swimme 148)
This quotation is one example of how consumerism enters into our brains. This is by far the most common way that my generation has been tricked by consumerism. Children are much more susceptible to the affects of consumerism than an adult, because they do not have a filter in their brain to tell them that they do not need something. As stated in the quotation imagine how much more damage is done to the psyche of a child due to consumerism. Consumerism is
Cited: Swimme, Brian. “How Do Our Kids Get So Caught Up In Consumerism?” The Human Experience: Who Am I? Ed. Winthrop University. 6th ed. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2009. 147- 149 Print.