In it's own way, consumerism, as it has become, is almost a political idealogy, in it's own right. Indeed, I would go as far as to say that in it's own way, it is every bit as damaging as National Socialism could be, or perhaps various forms of Communism have been, in Eastern Europe. Sure, there are no mass murders on behalf of consumerism, before anyone cites that, yet please consider, if you will, the following. Despite the fact that we are probably all better off than many who went before us on these shores, and for all our gadgets, gizmo's, time saving devices, expensive cars, and large homes, we are a society full of people who are unhappy. This unhappiness is deep, and results in depression and/or other mental health issues. This happens irrespective of what you have, indeed, sometimes it can be because your ideals are so shallow in the first place. Look at how many in the US, many well paid and intellgent people, finish up going to see shrinks? And over here, the NHS cannot keep up with the demand for people who are crying out for help, genuine help. Again, these people are of all types. There is one example of how a society made addicted to consumerism can make a people sick. And it is an epidemic. The want want want attitude is ultimately one that you lose, for there will always be someone who has more than you, or who is better looking, or whatever. I bet that if you studied the societies of tribal people, you would find almost an absence of mental health issues. Consumerism literally enlslaves us with a desire for things. Slick marketeers know how the human psyche can work, and play on it. Slave labour and environmental damage are caused, making 'things', often total rubbish, that people don't need, and dispose of. That is consumerism. They keep you wanting more, the latest, fastest, most buttons, biggest screen, most powerful, and so on, and so on. My earlier 'comparison' with the excesses of NS and Communism were not direct one's, of course. Two things can be damaging, yet different. Consumerism has created a junk food nation, and all the health issues that go with that. Consumerism, remembering that it absolutely relies on you being a marketing monkey, lends itself to crime, since it encourages a society in which one is made to feel isolated, if they do not have the latest 'thing'. That is what consumerism and advertising does. Like I say, damaging now that it is that this level.
Consumerism is definitely an addiction of the West, and more specifically, America. It's motivated our foreign policy to meddle with various foreign governments and even the occasional war. It's not going to change anytime soon though. The only difference in the future will be that America will eventually lose its status as the world's number one consumer. China will eventually take that title.
I think of it like a matrix that people are wired to, in part because they are bombarded by messages, advertising messages, that evoke all sorts of emotions in people, and in part because they allow themselves to be. Here's the beauty - unlike standing up to Nazism or Communism, which might have resulted in a midnight knock on the door, all you have to do with consumerism, or at least to an excessive degree is....disengage yourself from the matrix. Is that a hard thing to do? Not really. It can begin with a simple shift in your own attitude. Put money and possesions into some sort of perspective. Live more within your means. Don't feel that you 'need' to buy that new phone, television, etc. Desist from all tabloid press - it pollutes the mind. If you must read it, do so for research purposes only. Choose your media sources with care. Pay special attention to those that are multi million dollar corporations. It is not only what you are reading that matters, but who are the men behind it, who are the financiers of it, and what is their agenda. The internet is a cheap and instant source of alternative and more balanced reporting, for gods sake, use it, rather than use it for porn, which is apparently what most use it for! You are given this garden of knowledge, and what do men do...want to look at boobs. Let's be honest, our Gov's hate that freedom we have, cherish it boys and girls, since one day it could be a memory. But mostly it is just a shift within your own thinking.
The genius that was George Carlin sums it up well for me here [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsDuL4jTkz0"]George Carlin on Consumerism - Edited Audio - YouTube[/ame]
