Global Political and Social Awareness - Consumerism

Our society is marked with consumerism. It is essentially the backbone of capitalism. Both consumerism and capitalism go hand-in-hand in keeping the economy afloat and strong. The more you buy, the better the business does. Strong buying power is the key to consumerism. Without it, the economic performance of a nation will stagnate and recede. But there are a lot of disadvantages to excess consumerism in Western society that can widespread implications to us and everything around us. Let us explore them.

The Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th century laid the foundation for consumerism. For the first time in human history, everyday products were manufactured for the mass population. Suddenly, more people found themselves in the position to acquire items that were so distant to them economically for centuries. The lines between rich and poor started to fade. Wages went up gradually which also meant a noticeable increase in buying power. This did not happen overnight of course. Its effects were felt at a gradual pace. I believe the face of true consumerism appeared in the 1920s. After the end of the First World War, economies in the Western nations (with the exclusion of Germany due to exorbitant inflation as a result of the war) saw an incredible rise in economic output. Technological advances, and the expansion of powerful corporations in retail, manufacturing, and production of products helped create a gigantic boom. Many large retailers and manufacturers began advertising in droves about the necessities of new products. They attracted consumers to buy their creations due to their optic appeal and mechanical features. For example, the latest appliance had the "newest features" that enabled more luxury and practicality. Another example is its introduction to the newest colors and accessories that "outdated" the previous model. Such trivial additions could win over the buyer because people are obsessed with the latest trends. It is a psychological affect. People always wanted items that made them "better" than their neighbors, family members, and friends. They want to feel important and special. This crazy sense of competition was exploited by companies who wanted to make bigger profits. They also found themselves in a serious competitive standoff with other companies that did the same thing. If you did not emulate the same formula, you risk falling behind and going out of business. This is a nightmare scenario for any business and they would do anything to prevent it from happening.

Car companies after the Second World War experienced the same craze. Car designs exploded after the end of the war which saw stunning new features, applications, features and accessories. Coupled with an awe-inspiring economic boom and sense of wild adventure, you will have the ingredients to a prosperous lifestyle that the human race had never seen before. With more money in consumer's pockets, they went out to look for the next greatest thing. The 1950s saw the next chapter in car design. Intense competition forced companies to come up with new ideas to win over the next buyer, such as larger fins, more chrome, more audacious designs that seemed to have originated from science fiction novels. Also engines became more powerful. Radios were an asset at a time of rock and roll. Each car maker wanted to bend the envelope more to win over the buyer. If they did, they were victorious and it was worth celebrating. To the buyer, if the car did not have the latest exciting features, it was not worth buying. It was old and outdated. In the household, more cutting-edge appliances made debuts that made living at home more carefree. Also here, companies did whatever they could to get rid of the old and introduce the next generation of cooking hardware, cleaning, and washing. They focused again on the optical appeal and attraction of their products to their consumers. It had this and that! You must have it! It will make your life in the kitchen and at home so much easier! Naturally, the buyers loved it and wanted it without thinking. Everyone wanted the latest fashion. These were ideas that people fifty years prior could only dream of. Of course, company profits soared and people were paid better, but what exactly did this cause?

In essence, this caused a society bent on wasting. Preservation and maintenance were stuck in the dugout. Since nearly everyone wanted the next best thing, the predecessor models found a new sad home in the trash and eventually at the landfill. No one wanted something that could not keep up with the times. Old suddenly meant bad, and bad things do not deserve the love and care that it needs to sustain themselves. As a result, more garbage was created which became serious hazards to the environment. Recycling was not common back then which made the situation worse. Furthermore, companies lost the incentive and motivation to build quality products. They attached them with ridiculous warranties that made their products completely undesirable to the consumer which also forced them to dump them. Less quality meant less durability and longevity. The product breaks and the consumer had little interest to have it repaired. Unbeknownst to the consumer, these moves proved to be financially inefficient. Consumers constantly purchase new things only for them to break. They continued to buy products over and over again which left them with less money in their wallets, purses, and accounts. This is money they will never get back. All they did was toss wads of cash out the window so someone else could take them. Terrible! It was another form of waste that was not understood.

These trends continue to this day unfortunately. Many household appliances don't last long and many consumers behave the same way. My father is different. He always taught us to take care of our belongings. Have them repaired and maintained so they could last as long as possible. Fortunately, some products are still build well that they last much longer than we thought. For example, we use a microwave that is thirty-six years old. It is big, cumbersome, and heavy but it runs like a dream! We also have an egg-cooker that is just as old and it works great. I have a car that is twenty-three years old and it also runs fine. I have a great friend who knows everything about cars. He owns and has owned a collection of awesome Alfa-Romeos, Saabs and German imports and each of them are and were in spectacular condition. He can tear them down to the chassis and rebuild them. Talk about an investment! Cars are hardly ever considered good investments, but if you buy an old one and fix it up, you can sell it for a profit. In my friend's case, he keeps and cherishes them. That is inspirational! If we had more people like him, I think the world would be in a better place. We would have less garbage, less environmental damage and waste, and more money in our pockets. Also, massive companies would have less control over our lives because we could dictate what we could buy and when to buy it. We would be more accomplished and have a better grasp of our destinies. Who would not want that?