Consumerism: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Consumerism: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Why are we as a country convinced that the more money and material possessions we have the happier we’d be? Working at Target I have a front row view to the overconsumption we don’t even realize we do. The amount of food we buy just to be thrown away, the amount of furniture we try to make room for and the amount of on sale items we couldn’t pass up. Target Corporation is only set up for one reason, for consumption. The line between need and want grows thinner every day. I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to buying impetuously. The floral cocktail skirt I’ve had my eye on for weeks finally goes on sale what am I supposed to do? The funny thing is when I buy that skirt I feel only slightly happy and then the happiness fades. I end up wearing the same …show more content…
We begin to lose track of what was important to us. As we buy more and more happiness becomes fleeting. Working longer hours makes us tired and bitter. You’re never able to spend quality time with your friends or family. When I was growing up, my mom was always working so she could “provide” for us. We always seemed to have enough money though. What she never really did provide was support. When we had problems with our homework, she wasn’t there to help. She ended up depressed and anxious, which rubbed off on my sister and I. Consumerism just like depression in this case was taught. A northwestern study said, “People who place high value on wealth, status, and material possessions may actually be the most depressed and anti-social among us. In other words, those most prone to trying to buy happiness in the form of stuff are probably more likely to experience an emotion quite the opposite.” The people we see in commercials with their brand new cars are always smiling and beautiful and they look absolutely happy, but at the end of the day money can cause more worries than