Consumerism in the United States and Its Negative Effects to the General Public

We live in world full of consumerism. It is taught that capitalism is the best everyone and that it provides a fair chance at life. Yet, there are poverty-ridden communities that don't seem to be shifting. People who grew up poor seem to be in the same situation, and sometimes, even worse. So what's going? Where is the fair chance to get ahead? If one looks deeper into the issue, it can almost be deducted that this fair chance has been stifled by the rampant consumerism in this country.

Since the 1950's, when housewives were urged to do the family's shopping at the first self-serve grocery stores, brand names have been booming.

A study from 2014 showed that each person in America is exposed to over 5000 advertisements per day. (Johnson) No wonder the people have such an ingrained sense of wanting "the best" and the "new and improved" versions of everything. This mindset is stuck and very hard to get rid of which makes it easy for the person to look past what they have in their pocket and buy that new car or iPhone anyway even though there is nothing wrong with their current car or cell phone.

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Consumerism is one of the biggest causes of poverty in society and without due action may leave lasting effects which will be hard to manage.

"Human beings who cannot spend become worthless." (Verdant) This seems like a very gruesome statement, yet the views the general public has about the people who cannot or do not spend nonstop should be more horrific to hear.

Practically since the day a child is born in this country, he or she is exposed to tens of thousands of brands and advertisements. People of this country are urged to spend more than they have on things that are not essential in life. They are buying the brand, not the product. This urging is coming from our economy and banks. How else can one explain banks setting up loans for a poor community so it can buy tickets to the next sports game (at the stadium which is funded by big companies) instead of helping them find ways to afford next month's rent? (Verdant) Companies hype their products with fluffy descriptions and find strategies to catch the attention of the consumer.

In the illustration, a man with hypnotic eyes chanting meaningless words is convincing this couple to buy something they know they don't need (since clearly, they don't even understand what it is). Yet, they are going to buy not one, but two of this product. We can see this happening every day, even if it's not as blunt as the illustration here.

The effects of this consumerism seep deep down into our society and the one affected the worst is the lower class. The ones higher up want to make a big profit so they make products for as cheap as possible to sell to Americans. Making the products cheaply means corporations open factories in poorer countries so they can pay lower wages. This takes away jobs from Americans, who need more money to buy more things. The lower class now has to find jobs that don't require much education and resources (nice clothing, transportation, laptop, etc.).

However, now that the person is earning little money, the corruption of consumerism hasn't left his or her mind and he or she still feels the need to be up to par of the social image of the time. It is shown in "Serving in Florida" when Joan fools everyone with her nice clothes, yet in reality, she lived in a van in a parking lot. Joan obviously doesn't have the money to be buying over the top outfits, but she feels compelled to look the way the society seemed “fit”. This lifestyle is driving more and more Americans into the poverty. The jobs pay little (In "Serving in Florida" many had to work more than one shift per day and they still lived horribly) and yet a person is expected to buy so much.

With every person in our country buying new things, their old things are being thrown away. Pollution is also a side effect of consumerisem. While talking about the extend of consumerism, Verdant says, "...where will it end? When America looks like some faded Third World fragment... An overpopulated wasteland of pollution, eroded landscapes, worn out infrastructure and hungry people digging into landfills for salvageables?" However, there's no need to wait for people to go digging through trash to feed themeselves. Our country has reached that level as we can in "Dumpster Diving" with the narrator describing what and what not to eat while going through the cities waste. "Dumpster Diving" also showed how many perfectly good items people throw out.

What can society do to solve this huge problem of consumerism? First, everyone should be able to have the same start once he or she reaches 18. Given a small apartment, a small starting balance, and resources to be able to find a job if they do not attend college. Also, the pushing of the agenda that the people need new things even though the old item is still in perfect shape should be stopped. If society can put these two things into action, more solutions will surely arise.

The United States is based on consumerism and it's tearing society apart. It's taking away the fair chance in life that people are meant to have. Consumerism is selling brands instead of neccessities. It's creating a view on life that no sane person should have. It's turning our world into a trash can. Without action to stop this, society will ruin itself and the planet. There's a quote from the Fight Club that sums up the problem in one sentence: "You work in a job you hate, to buy stuff that you don't need, to impress people that you don't like."