Feb 01, · Consumerism is one of the economic policies, which emphasize the importance of consumption for the development of the human civilization. Consumerism is a delicate issue. I will try to start my analysis from the side of economy. The development of every firm depends on the rates of production and sale Nov 05, · Consumerism is defined as the preoccupate ion of society with the acquisition of consumer goods, in layman’s terms consumerism is simply the love of acquiring material goods. It is the desire to acquire. Like with anything, the ideology of consumerism has its pros and it Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins Consumerism is a description of society’s lifestyle in which many people embrace to achieve their goals by acquiring goods that they clearly do not need (Stearns, 7). The idea that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumers’ needs and wants can be defined as a consumer sovereignty (Goodwin, Nelson, Ackerman, Weisskopf, 2)
Persuasive essay on consumerism
For my paper I chose to write about consumerism. It is a huge topic where many issues have to be discussed to present it adequately. From the Marxist critique and various economic models to change in psychology and physiology of a modern human. It is hardly possible to even slightly touch each of those issues in 8 pages. So I concentrated my effort on the background of consumerism, its causes and reality.
I tried to present several views on consumption and consumerism essay to get a full picture, consumerism essay. My two main arguments about consumerism's destructive effects are the exhaustion of Earth's consumerism essay and a threat to human rights. Consumerism seems to have gotten into every aspect of modern life.
Even those areas of life that were not previously affected by the marketplace, consumerism essay, have consumerism essay adapt to the new reality, where consumer is in control. Consumerism is a phenomenon that was always immanent in the relatively developed societies, where consumerism essay purchased goods and consumed resources excessive to their needs. However, consumerism essay was a major change after the Industrial Revolution, consumerism essay, when the scarcity of resources was overcome and a huge variety of goods in unlimited amounts became available to a wide range of people.
The Industrial Revolution and several other factors created capitalism - a new type of economy that resulted in a rapid growth of a middle class in developed countries. Middle class started to have money not only to cover their basic needs but also more, consumerism essay. But who do we call a consumer? To consume means to use things up, either by eating them, wearing them or playing with them and otherwise using them to satisfy one's desires and needs, consumerism essay.
Since in the capitalist society uses money is the mediator between desire and satisfaction, to be a consumer normally means appropriating things destined to be consumed: buying them, paying for them and barring others from using them without permission, consumerism essay. And to consume also means to destroy. To buy and to own has become Western society's essential urge. As the information technologies developed, the power of mass media grew, consumerism essay.
To support a profit-based capitalist economy the ruling class, which owned the means of production had to convince the middle and lower classes to buy and generate profit.
And here's when mass media stepped in. Advertising - as the main engine of sales process, consumerism essay, has played a huge role in consumerism's spreading and development. Newspapers, consumerism essay, Consumerism essay commercials and billboards screamed about new ketchups, cars and cottages, convincing us to buy consumerism essay buy and buy.
The mass media also made modern consumerism borderless and international. With satellite TV channels and Internet you can sell consumerism essay to anyone in the world. International consumerism is a result of globalization, which reduces the number of borders in our world.
It is done so by the establishment of transnational corporations, development of transportation, industrial, consumerism essay, information and communication technologies.
Miller as cited in Miles 2 explained people's relationship to production as the factor behind consumerism. A series of trends which have led to an overwhelming concentration on the area of production as the key generative arena for the emergence of the consumerism essay social relations in contemporary societies, and a comparative neglect of consumption, together with a concomitant failure to observe the actual changes which have taken place over the last century in the balance between these two forms of interactions with goods.
as a set of social, cultural and economic practices, together with the associated ideology of consumerism, [it] has served to legitimate capitalism in the eyes of millions of ordinary people. In Western developed societies culture is profoundly connected to and dependant upon consumption. Without consumer goods modern developed societies culture would loose key instruments for the reproduction, representation, and manipulation of their culture?
Without consumer goods, certain acts of self-definition and collective definition in this culture would be impossible. People started to have more money - and they consumerism essay to consume more. What is the real problem behind that? Rip Cronk in his essay Consumerism and the New Capitalism contended that the traditional Western society's values are degenerating under the influences of consumerism.
For the public at consumerism essay, the integrating and transformative experiences of culture have been replaced by the collective viewing experience and by participation in consumer trends, consumerism essay. The American consumerism essay has been inundated by an unending parade of commodities and fabricated television spectacles that keeps it preoccupied with the ideals and values of consumerism Cronk.
Indeed, as consumerism is based on constant purchasing of new consumerism essay and services, with little attention to their consumerism essay need, durability or environmental consequences of manufacture and disposal, as it is driven by advertising which creates a desire to follow trends results consumerism essay materialism as a major life philosophy. Consumerism replaces normal common sense desire to have life's necessities with artificial and insatiable search for things and money to buy them with.
An intended consequence which is promoted by those who profit from consumerism is the acceleration of discarding of the old, either because of durability or a change in fashion.
Landfills are full of cheap discarded products that fail early and cannot be repaired. Products are made psychologically obsolete long before they actually become worn out. As reported by National Geographic News, almost 1. And the disturbing fact is that this number grows. What for years was considered a pain of the Western countries is now spreading in the third world - half of global consumers live consumerism essay developing countries, including million in China and million in India - and they are markets with the most potential for expansion Mayell.
China is a great example of changing realities, consumerism essay. Only 25 years ago there were almost no private cars and cities were crowded with bicycles.
By5 million cars moved people and goods; the number was expected to reach 24 million by the end of year. Some argue that consumerism cannot delete or destroy society.
Many believe that consumerism will benefit the economy. As we see, it will indeed keep the game going but let's look at what cost. The spending on imports results in a need to compensate export earnings.
This need generates eagerness to embrace potential export markets with no regards to what the human rights or environmental records of these countries may be. Sweatshops with ridiculous wages and horrible working conditions with huge injury rates, uncontrolled air, water and soil pollution - these are the consumerism essay of consumerism, consumerism essay.
Consumerism appears to be consumerism essay sick in terms of human rights. Those people eat 2 times a day - mostly corn bread and sometimes coffee made of spoiled beans that can't be sold. Where do the money go you may ask? To the transnational company's chief financial officer, who is in an urgent need of a new yacht.
And it's not only in the third world. The more consumerism spreads, the weaker consumerism essay the incentive to manufacture long-lasting, quality products, consumerism essay, and the more it is likely that cheaply made products will instead be imported from the lowest-wage, environmentally unregulated overseas manufacturer that mobile capital, ever seeking the highest return, can find.
In the US. The nationwide loss of manufacturing jobs leads to a corresponding growth in unemployment and the number of welfare recipients, less personal wealth, a shrinking tax base, fewer consumerism essay services, consumerism essay, and greater public and private debt, hopelessness for job seekers and a growing negative balance of trade.
Americans can't afford to buy the house consumerism essay door but guess who has lots of dollars to spend here because of the money that we're exporting to buy their cheap junk.? By facilitating the sale of whatever is advertised and sold, without examination by the purchaser of quality, origin, environmental degradation or traditions of manufacture, Consumerism fuels the destruction of the productive economy verdant.
Consumers' rights impinge on the rights of other humans living in the Global Community. The consumerism essay to choice is the consumer right that refers to the right to have a range and variety of goods and services at competitive, consumerism essay, fair prices and variable, satisfactory quality. In order to assure choice in the developed country markets, governments have implemented trade laws to facilitate cross border transactions and transnational corporations TNCs have set up business off shore so they can lessen the cost of the production process.
The goods that are available in the developed country markets are provided by slave labor, child labor, sweatshops or in countries that allow the TNCs to forego adhering to pollution or ecological consumerism essay and human rights in pursuit of profit.
Labor rights are abused in efforts to earn more profits. So what is the solution? Can we do anything to change the consumerist society? Yes, we can and more than that - we have to. What the anti-consumerists propose is - to own less and to enjoy what you own more. Basically, many things we buy we don't need.
And therefore, thoughtful consuming will finally get us to the point of rational usage of natural resources. In order to change, we will have to get rid of a throw-away mentality.
And it does work, even if you think that you alone will hardly make any difference. Mayell, H. Shah, consumerism essay, A. September 03, consumerism essay Global Issues. Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All, consumerism essay. December 12, Outline Consumerism and modern society. What does consumerism essay mean to consume? Consumption and consumerism. Western mentality. Environmental consequences.
Consumerism and human rights. How can consumerism's negative effects be reduced? Miller as cited in Miles 2 explained people's relationship to production as the factor behind consumerism A series of trends which have led to consumerism essay overwhelming concentration on the consumerism essay of production as the key generative arena for the emergence of the dominant social relations in contemporary societies, and a comparative neglect of consumption, together with a concomitant failure to observe the actual changes which have taken place over the last century in the balance between these two forms of interactions with goods, consumerism essay.
Bocock as cited in Miles 4when speaking about consumption said that as a set of social, cultural and economic practices, together with the associated ideology of consumerism, [it] has served to legitimate capitalism in the eyes of millions of ordinary people. McCracken as cited in Miles 3 thought that In Western developed societies culture is profoundly connected to and dependant upon consumption.
In the US, The nationwide loss of manufacturing jobs leads to a corresponding growth in unemployment and the number of welfare recipients, consumerism essay personal wealth, a shrinking tax base, fewer public services, consumerism essay, and greater public and private debt, consumerism essay, hopelessness for job seekers and a growing negative balance of trade. net Consumers' rights impinge on the rights of other humans living in the Global Community.
References Cronk, R. Consumerism and the New Capitalism. Consumerism: As a Way of Life.
Consumerism and Essay
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Consumerism is an organised movement of citizens and government to strengthen the rights and power of buyers in relation to sellers. It is the ideology and a concept which has came to stay in business literature. The consumer is exposed to many hazardous-physical, environmental and exploitation due to unfair trade blogger.comted Reading Time: 7 mins Feb 01, · Consumerism is one of the economic policies, which emphasize the importance of consumption for the development of the human civilization. Consumerism is a delicate issue. I will try to start my analysis from the side of economy. The development of every firm depends on the rates of production and sale The word “consumerism” means a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. Also, it is the consumerists movement, consumer protection or consumer activism, which seeks to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards
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