People that only talk about consumerism

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What's the deal?

Hey,

I heard they have a new Motorola Razr phone, I can't wait to buy it!!

can you elaborate?

i' drawing a blank here lol

People that only talk about their material possessions, and the desire to accumulate more material possessions through: a) winning the lottery. b) holding out for a payrise. c) getting that big loan, which they know is going to cripple them paying back. d) going back to college to study at a higher level, for the sole purpose of earning more money with which to acquire material possessions.

The world is only physical so it seems rather natural to me.

I know tell me about it (yawn). Consumerism is boring, I merely only address it when I actually need to buy something, and that's usually food.

I thought this was going to be a rant about the study of consumerism-one of my interests. I get in a lot of trouble when I complain about people paying too much $$ for things that aren't very good for them. People answer, "But someone wants it so it must be worth something".

It really is silly. I don't see the point. These are people who have been roped into the compulsive buying patterns that the media wants them to do (this isn't a conspiracy theory, it's fact--why wouldn't businesses want customers?). I can't stand women who use the term "retail therapy" when they go on spending sprees because they're depressed. I've always thought that material possessions don't amount to a hill of beans. I prefer intellectual enrichment, mind expansion, and love.

Never met anyone like this. Or, if I did, I guess they made NO impression on me.

My husband has always theorized that they are taught this way from the time they are in school, when they are taught to conform and do what others do exactly so they will mindlessly buy what they think others like. He says that capitalism eventually runs out of consumers so it must artificially create them to keep going. So that's what he thinks these people are doing - mindlessly buying things to keep an artificial economy going.

I like that theory. It was one of the first things I liked about him.

If you think about education from that perspective, it's no wonder we don't handle it well!

What's really gratuitous is the state-sponsored marketing that's actually going on in public schools right now. It's quite insane. For one thing, during my last years of high school they had these carts full of junk food that they'd strategically plant in the hallways with the most traffic, and open up concession stands during the passing periods. Buy cheetos! Fruitazza! Aggressively marketed soft drink of the month! Kids were bouncing off the walls, throwing s**t everywhere, the kids who ran the stupid shops were late to class... People don't seem to realize how potent sugar is on an empty stomach. I complained to the faculty a few times and always got shrugged off. Actually, in all the times I've harped about it during and since then, I've never once had someone say "Wow, you're right!" But whatever. Let them see how things turn out in fifteen years, I say.

But you are missing the point. If the kids are bouncing off the walls, they have an excuse to diagnose ADD or ADHD and drug them.

That is the parents' fault. They have the power to put a halt to that.