Preview

Importance Of Consumerism: Beneficial To US Society

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1618 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Importance Of Consumerism: Beneficial To US Society
Consumerism is Beneficial to U.S. Society
Name
Course
Professor
Date

Consumerism is Beneficial to U.S. Society
Consumerism can be defined in different ways. First, it refers to the policies or movement targeted at controlling the services, products, techniques and principles of sellers, manufacturers and advertisers in the interest of the purchaser. Such sort of control may be statutory, institutional, or exemplified in a charitable code agreed to by a specific industry, or it may occur indirectly from the pressure of consumer associations. Consumerism also refers to the theory that a gradually superior use of products is economically beneficial. It can also refer to the accessory of money-oriented values or possessions which deplore the uncontrolled consumerism of the modern society (Twitchell, 2002). Some people argue that consumerism has a lot of negative influence to the United States society yet more others argue that
…show more content…
According to the article, Does Money Buy Happiness? written by Don Peck and Ross Douthat, it is clear that things that make people happy on earth include drink, food, entertainment and merchandise all of which are acquired with the availability of money. Peck and Douthat argue that despite the fact that money cannot buy everything in life, they facilitate happiness. The authors provide evidence by stating that richer nations are generally happier than poorer nations because they have stable economies while the poorer nations suffer from unstable economies (Peck and Douthat, 2003). This is because richer nations offer its people with the chance to acquire several things through credit which enables them to buy goods or services in large quantities. Consumption also enables people to acquire a sense of status because they obtain numerous items and upgrades all through their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Docwra's book provides frank views on the course consumerism has put the society on. Docwra takes a serious approach to the aspects of consumerism, the sections in Docwra's book are at first problematic and situational but then become rectifying and provides direction on everything from the effects of consumerism to what is wrong with consumerism resulting in what can we do about consumerism. Docwra informs us on the negative effects consumerism places upon us, but Docwra puts most attention into providing tactics we can use to stop consumerism. He states: "To move away from a culture of consumerism, we will therefore need to challenge the philosophy and values of this current economic system. Essentially, we need a cultural shift in our society…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bruce Dawe Consumerism

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The over consumptions of material goods have overtaken society to the point where it has become a part of today’s necessity. But first of all, what is consumerism? Consumerism is the process of selling and promoting material goods which often leads people to obsessively consume vast amount of products. The concept of Consumerism however, have been negatively depicted within Bruce Dawe’s ‘Americanized’, ‘Televistas’ and a film ‘confessions of a shopaholic’ .…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Essay, “In Defense of consumerism,” by Llewellyn Rockwell, Rockwell makes some very valid points using logos, pathos, and ethos to appeal to his audience. He uses those three appeals to present his views and defend consumerism. Throughout his essay he defends consumerism in a way that shows specifically how it has been unfairly portrayed as an evil that is destroying our society today. In today's society consumerism is often portrayed to be a negative aspect of people's lives and purchasing behaviors which inevitably leads to materialism. Many of these viewpoints can be analyzed as being subjective in that they focus primarily on "superfluous" products and "debts" created, but yet fail to acknowledge the positive aspects like Rockwell does.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What can we conclude about the contribution of money to individual happiness? So far, our discussion suggests the following. People living in rich nation are, on average, happier than those living in poor nations are, however, this conclusion must be tempered by all the factors that co-vary with wealth that may be responsible for the relationship.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Consumerism provides individuals with a temporary "high on life". Buying new things makes them feel momentarily happy, powerful and superior. These are all good feelings however they don 't last and many people who don 't have the resources to buy luxury items are buying them. This creates for them debt, stress, frustration and competitiveness. Those who can 't afford these luxury items show resentment for the ones who can. This causes tension in society and can create an Empire where people are competitive and hostile. The golden rule of Earth Community is do unto your neighbours as you would have your neighbour do unto you as you work together to create a better life for all. Consumerism is focused towards making individuals happy as opposed to everyone. Those people who can 't afford to have the nice things are forced to live with daily reminders through advertisements of things they want but cannot have. Consumerism doesn 't create a better life for all but creates one for those who can afford it. Consumers are fully aware that they are more interested in consuming appearances rather than the object. They enjoy the status that surrounds the objects they…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main point of "In Praise Of Consumerism" by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. was that consumerism is very broad and relates to a lot of different features in everyone's everyday life. When Rockwell says "consumerism is just another word for freedom in the marketplace." What Rockwell is saying is that any person in the world can buy anything they want because of the widespread variety and costs. Any person could be rich or poor and still have some sort of option even if you had to scavenge materials and build your own item, consumerism plays a role.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To analyze and explain the significance of something, you must first define it. Consumerism is “advocacy of a high rate of consumption and spending as a basis for a sound economy”. Consumerism plays an enormous role in Brave New World. It gives us a small view of what a different type of economy we might have. People are solely dependent on the things that the world state provides for them. There is much significance to consumerism in BNW, and through an analytical view of it, we find many similarities between consumerism in BNW and in our world today.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Consumerism is a word loaded with many connotations, some negative and others positive. For the purpose of this essay, the following use of the word will be referred to. Consumerism is an ideology and a way of life that has exploded within the last decades. It is the constant need and want to buy goods and services and upgrade frequently due to planned obsolescence even when they are not necessary or even particularly useful and it should not be confounded with consumption, which is the act of buying fundamental goods.…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maclemore Consumerism

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The emphasis on material items is a serious issue and has begun to cripple our nation. Consumerism is the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable. The idea of consumerism has started to move away from benefiting our economy to benefiting the self interest of each consumer. For too long, we've been manipulated to consume as much as we possibly can, to buy every new product launched, the top brands, and pretty much anything we could get our hands on (Tanaka). Company’s manipulative and misleading branding leads…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The term "consumerism" is used to refer to the consumerist movement or consumer activism, which seeks to protect and inform consumers by requiring practices such 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. Many facts can be considered as causes of consumerism such as advertisement, Easy access to credit card, a, lack of financial education, competition and showing oneself social, fashionable and up to date and many more.…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Geography of Bliss Essay

    • 1088 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For centuries, mankind seeks to answer the question: Can money buy happiness? Therefore psychologists are exploring the relationship between wealth and happiness for decades. They came to the conclusion that money can make people happy if it involves moving from a state of extreme poverty into the middle class, but they do not have a noticeable impact in the future. It means that people feel glad and safe when they have enough of money to satisfy daily needs. It is important to understand, what really makes people happy besides the living routine. Jarod Kintz quotes “I think the key indicator for wealth is not good grades, work ethic, or IQ. I believe it is relationships. Ask yourself two questions: How many people do I know, and how much ransom money could I get for each one? ”I think it is safe to say happiness have many aspects. The real versions of well-being that plays out every day are the ones based upon an individual experience, perception and values.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Defining consumerism can be complicated. Consumerism is a term used to describe the effects of equating personal happiness with purchasing material possessions and consumption (Fritsh). In other words, consumerism is the wants and needs of people based upon standards that are set in a given society and how those people acquire wealth. Throughout history, consumerism has evolved drastically since the first records of civilized society were recorded. The evolution of consumerism in the United States can be understood by dividing it into three basic components; trade, monetary policy and the digital economy. These types of economies can also be described as the agricultural economy, the industrial economy, and the post industrial economy.…

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Defense of Consumerism

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The article I chose to discuss is “In defense of Consumerism” authored by Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. This article is very well written and pointed, while demonstrating the author’s point of view, relating to several topics. After researching Mr. Rockwell and his work I found that his work has been credible with an astonishing amount of published material. He has published several articles, a few are entitled as such: “Use the dollar of else”, “Operation Ron Paul”, “Freedom of Association”, and “The astonishing Ron Paul”, as well as many others.1 Rockwell is the CEO of the “Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama”. He is a highly accomplished and intelligent man; however the premise of this article is substantially flawed.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stearns defines it as, “[a society]‘in which many people formulate their goals in life partly through acquiring goods that they clearly do not need for subsistence or for traditional display,’” (Stearns, 73). Based on these two definitions for consumerism, it is setting the society it affects up for displeasure and an unsatisfied state of mind. Which is why consumerism thrives on the human state of displeasure, and once the consumer gets what they want they realize it does not give them the satisfaction they want. Lastly, consumerism sprouts out of a collective social state of economic consistency in which the population does not have to worry about the daily needs of themselves and those who depend on them. This explains why this consumerist society sprouted out of the Enlightenment period because it was the first time where the prices of substantive items were not so overwhelming that there was no money leftover for superfluous items. In Western Civilizations, Joshua Cole states, “Houses became larger... but even more strikingly, the houses of middling ranks were now stocked with hitherto uncommon luxuries…” (Cole, 550). This is a logical step for society to take when they are not burdened by the weight of foodstuff’s and other necessary item’s…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Consumer Society

    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To what extent are we controlled by the consumer society we live in? The rise of the consumer culture is a phenomenon characteristic for our century. Most American people consider themselves the most prosperous and most free people in the world. Unfortunately, not everything is what it seems to be because of consumerism. It is a cultural cycle that whittles away America's intellectual prosperity. Consumerism itself is defined by the spending habits of the nation's middle and upper classes. According to Juliet Schor, the consumer culture represents a force too powerful to resist, thereby making it impossible to escape even if we wanted to. Therefore, people continue to be buying different products, even after they reach a state of comfort. In this essay, I will explain why I agree with Juliet Schor's statement.…

    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays