This consumerist culture tells us that we can not be happy without our creature comforts. It tells us that we simply can not do without a newer car, or phone, or whatever new gadget that just came out. It tells us that we do not look acceptable without the latest clothes for the season. It tells us that we have to buy and buy in order to have a fulfilling life.
Well all that simply isn’t true. However, the pressure society imposes on us and our own wants make us keep on buying. This is understandable but if you can live a fulfilling life, get what you want, and do all this without being enslaved by consumerism, wouldn’t it be so much better? Of course it will be. This is why I’ll be doing a series of posts that will hopefully help everyone (including me!) beat this consumerist thinking.
Tip # 1 – Understand what consumerism is and recognize its negative effects.
In order to beat something you have to know that you need to beat it! You also need to realize that it is not a good thing because if you don’t see anything wrong with it then why even try to change things. My previous posts should hopefully help you realize the negative effects of consumerism.
Tip # 2 – Resolve to fight against it.
How corny. But it is true you should decide not to be a victim if you don’t want to be one.
Tip # 3 – Change one bad habit or start a good one.
It is easier if you do things one at a time. Pick a habit that reflects your consumerist attitude and that is pretty easy to kick so that you can get a sense of fulfillment. This way you will feel like you can do it and be encouraged to continue being less and less of a consumerist each day. A few example of bad habits you might want to kick include:
drinking bottled water – It goes without saying that this is only for people who live in areas with clean tap water. Will save you lots of money and will also lessen all those waste from the plastic bottles you use and throw away each day.
take out food – Dine in the restaurant or bring a packed meal with you. This will lessen the packaging thrown away. Packed meals/snacks are also great for the budget.
newspapers – What? Newspapers are not bad but if you login to your computer every single day you might as well read the news on the internet. Less waste and no need to pay for the news. Lots of varied resources too.
It’s little things like these that count. More tips for you next time!
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
The environmental impact consumerism brings is clear and is definitely not pretty. Since a consumerist culture makes people want more and more the level of consumption grows exponentially. Add to that the exponential growth in population and it brings us to where we are now – a planet on the brink of disaster.
Two of the environmental issues brought about or at the very least contributed to by consumerism include:
Depletion of natural resources – The consumption of the resources to create products is just so rapid that it just isn’t sustainable.
Massive amounts of waste material – From the production phase to the consumption phase waste is produced resulting in all kinds of pollution (air, land, water, and even noise pollution). It is not only the big factories spewing noxious gases that are guilty of this but every individual who take out purchases from their packaging, discard old things, etc.
Even though resources will be used and waste material will naturally be produced even in a non-cosumerist society, consumerism can still be blamed simply because the amount that would other wise be used and produced can be sustainable apart from the consumerist culture.
Clearly consumerism’s negative effects to the environment has a global effect and leads (and has lead) to more serious issues than just getting into credit card debt.
With all the bleak scenarios I have painted I will be tackling ways on how to beat consumerism in your own personal life and thus help counter or, at the very least, avoid its negative effects.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
Feeling pleasure over material things is not a bad thing and in fact natural, however if your personal happiness depends a lot on the acquisition and use of material things then you belong to the ever growing number of victims of consumerism.
According to National Geographic consumerism has been existent and is pretty pervasive among Americans and Western Europeans for decades now and sadly they do not have a monopoly on it since developing countries are rapidly catching up with the “trend”. The problem with this is that it has a lot of far reaching negative effects ranging widely from the personal lives of the consumer trickling down to the environment. Just to illustrate the impact that consumerism brings let me list down a few of the personal problems it contributes to.
1. Overspending – Specially a big problem for shopaholics. Note though that thanks to the advent of credit cards even the average person (non-shopaholics) makes purchases that are not in their budget and that they have to scramble to pay for.
2. Debt – Obviously a result of overspending.
3. Self-esteem issues – More and more people are falling prey to having their self-esteem tied to brand names and other expensive status symbols.
4. False perception – Number three is actually linked to this false perception problem because people’s self-esteems are affected since they tend to believe that the more expensive the better something is. Just recently the Tyra Banks Show did a segment on “Label Mania” which showed how “label-obsessed” people felt better about themselves wearing ordinary off-the-rack clothes simply because they thought they were wearing an expensive designer label clothing.
As you can see overcoming the pull of consumerism is important because not only will it help your self perception but also because it will help save your wallets!
On my next posts I will list some of the environmental impacts of consumerism and also give some tips on how to beat it but still ensure that you live a fulfilling life surrounded by beautiful things you love – both material and not.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
The credit crunch and the general state of the economy are making things hard for many people these days. Homeowners may not have to pay their rent but they do have mortgages to worry about – among other expenses. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the queen of talk shows has created a challenge for families all over the United States. Called Your Family’s “Live with Less” Challenge, it is aimed to help wasteful families to re-evaluate their lifestyle and, hopefully, make some changes for the better.
Here is an excerpt of Oprah’s letter, which she presents to the participating families at the beginning of the challenge.
For one week, you’re going to give up the bottled water habit. Get a water filter—time to get to know your tap.
No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!
For entertainment, you’ll have to rely on each other. For one week, I’m asking you to give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.
That thermostat is going way down…to 69 degrees. If you get cold, put on a sweater.
Give your washing machine a break—try to wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.
When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you’re done using an appliance, unplug it. Don’t forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.
I think that though we may not all be able to participate “officially” in the challenge, we may very well learn lessons from it. Why not take a step back and re-evaluate your own lifestyle?
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
All these problems that we are facing right now can be blamed on many things. In fact, everyone has his own version of the root of the problems. I tend to agree with what Oskari Juurikkala says in a commentary, though. According to him, free markets and rampant capitalism are not the real cause of the global economic crisis. Instead, he asserts:
There are at least three distinct but related reasons for the crisis: the culture of greed and consumerism, irresponsible monetary policy, and misregulated financial derivatives. Are they rooted in free-market principles? Let’s see.
A central function of law is to educate citizens in virtue. Not all vices should be prohibited, and as in the education of children, the right mixture of rules and sanctions depends on the moral qualities of the people. In Wall Street, the culture of greed and the presence of strong financial incentives to engage in dubious practices should be countered by stronger sanctions. The failure of existing codes to prohibit and punish blatant acts of injustice has been fostering a law of the jungle.
Various reforms are needed, but they do not consist in heavier taxes and more industry regulation. Big government will only make it more difficult for economies to adapt to the crisis situation. We must tackle the problem at its roots by defending basic principles of justice and honesty.
Though I would have to say that capitalism does have its role in what is going on, it is not inherently evil and should not be blamed solely. The commentary is right – our core values and principles have to change. Otherwise, the problem will never really be solved.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
Sometimes it takes really inane things to force us to see things the way they really are. Take the movie Idiocracy, for example. This movie was released a couple of years ago but I didn’t hear of it till last week, when a French friend of mine told me about it. The movie is all about a “career military desk jockey of average intelligence is cocooned in an experimental hibernation machine for 500 years. (By accident, of course. It’s the military we’re talking about here.) When he awakens, he finds himself in a world populated and run by complete idiots — the result of 500 years of reverse natural selection, where the stupid people fornicate the most, and the smart people stop having children. (Sound familiar, anyone?) The result of it all? A tabloid quality, corporate-controlled world of idiot consumers whose thought processes are limited to the three-word phrases pounded into their heads by relentless advertising campaigns. Phrases like, “Money is good” or “Plants need electrolytes.” (Thanks to Mike Adams for this summary.)
So how is this movie related to consumerism? Well, practically everything about it focuses on the topic! When Bauers (the main character) wakes up 500 years in the future, he realizes just how idiotic the world has become. Corporations have come to control the world, with the aim of feeding those with “consumeristic” tendencies. The result? A world of idiots.
The movie may be funny to the verge of being stupid but it does highlight the stark truth – that we may very well be headed towards this kind of world. If we do not do something about our ways of life right now, we might as well expect the worst for the next generations.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
One of the most important things that homeowners pay attention to is how energy efficient their homes are. The fact is that sometimes, we overlook this aspect. As long as the house is comfortable and looks nice, the energy efficiency factor is sometimes set aside. If you think this way, you may be making one of the biggest mistakes as a homeowner. Why don’t we take a look at some signs that your house may be an energy guzzler?
Shoddy insulation
Shoddy insulation is bad enough. Missing insulation is even worse. Without proper insulation installed, your energy consumption will certainly skyrocket. You might even have to pay almost double of what you should. Check your insulation and save your money.
Heating and/or cooling
We talked about revamping your air conditioning system in the previous post. The fact is that older air conditioning units will eat up so much electricity. Now you may not be aware of it if you have been using your air con for many years but believe me, try using a new unit and you will realize just how much you can save.
Paint color
What color do you have on your roof right now? If it is dark, then you might want to consider repainting it. Dark color attracts heat more and this will cause you to have to pay more for cooling during the summer. This is also true for the exterior paint for the walls of the house.
You might want to check these factors out and see if you can improve the efficiency of your home.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
There is no better time than now to reexamine ourselves and the way we live. It seems that over the years, so many changes have occurred. Some of them we are aware of, some of them we are not aware of. In terms of consumerism, I believe that a lot of changes have not been positive and that we might not have been conscious of these changes. To revert to a better position, however, we really need to make a conscious effort.
With everything that is happening in the world – wars, famine, and economic turmoil, isn’t it about time to examine our values and our lives in general? I ran across a very thought-provoking e-book on Natural News today and I think that it is a good starting point. Titled “Seven Words that Can Change the World,” the book details how we can look at our way of thinking and perhaps change for the better.
It was written by Joseph Simonetta, who once ran for Congress but didn’t make it. The book first takes a look at the problem and different aspects are examined – religion, business, education, means without goals, and so on. He then presents a solution, which considers context, perspective, and time frames.
There is so much to be learned from this book in terms of consumerism. To sum it all up, he quotes Edward R. Morrow in his preface: “The obscure we see eventually, the completely apparent takes a little longer.”
Perhaps we can use this book to help open our eyes to the obvious.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
This is the best time to be more conscious of the environment in our daily lives. I think it is a great thing that there are more and more choices in the market when it comes to environment-friendly products. However, sometimes, consumerism still creeps in.
I recently read the term “green consumerism” from another article. It talked about how going green is a good thing but it does not mean that you have to purchase everything just because they are good for the environment. Imagine this scenario. You are at the mall to buy a few things that you need for the house. You know what you need so you go about getting those things. Suddenly you chance upon an item that is “good for the environment.” Let’s say a magazine rack made of recycled materials. It looks good. It looks durable. The price is so-so. You want to get it – after all, it is good for the environment.
The problem is that you already have 2 magazine racks in use at home – not to mention a couple more in storage. Do you really need that extra magazine rack just because it’s “green?” Do you get what I mean?
I suppose the bottom line is your purchasing habit – whether you are buying green or not, ask yourself if you need that item. At the end of the day, if you evaluate your buying habits and make a change towards using less – whether it is green or not – then you can make an impact on the environment AND on your pockets.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
Every year, I see these articles about the most expensive places to live in. I do not know why I feel the need to read more about this topic. Do I want to know if I live in one of the most expensive places? Do I want to know which places are expensive so I wouldn’t even consider buying a house there? I don’t really know but these articles sure make for an interesting read.
This week, I read an article at Yahoo, detailing some of the most expensive cities in the country today. Unsurprisingly, New York City is at the top of the list. How much do you pay for rent in The Big Apple? A whopping $4,500 a month for a 2-bedroom luxury apartment. Oh, and that does not come with any furniture, mind you.
Next on the list is another “unsurprise” – Los Angeles. Though rent and other costs are to blame for the label, one other reason for the high cost of living in this city is the commute that many residents have to go through. Add to this the ever increasing price of gas and you will understand why it is number 2.
So how did they determine which cities got into the list? The Yahoo article states:
To determine the U.S. cities where the cost of living is highest, the London office of Mercer, an American human resources consulting company, measured the prices of the same basket of goods in 253 of the world’s cities. The basket is composed of over 200 products, representative of executive spending patterns and including everything from rent for a luxury apartment to the cost of a fast-food hamburger.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!
This consumerist culture tells us that we can not be happy without our creature comforts. It tells us that we simply can not do without a newer car, or phone, or whatever new gadget that just came out. It tells us that we do not look acceptable without the latest clothes for the season. It tells us that we have to buy and buy in order to have a fulfilling life.
