American
materialism and stuff goes bonkers
Laura Wilkinson
America is no longer the land of the free; it’s land of the bling. You
name it, we want it: new plasma televisions, Christian Dior sunglasses, Xboxes,
Citizen Jeans, MAC makeup or the latest iPod. We love stuff. It’s amazing
how much stuff we can accumulate in the cramped residence halls.
The United States is united through materialism. And, of course, this isn’t
anything new. We slowly have attached more and more holidays to spending.
First Christmas, then the day after Thanksgiving and now even Halloween is a
rush for new candy, decorations and costumes. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
was invented by Montgomery Ward’s marketing department. President Franklin
Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier to extend Christmas shopping another
week. Seriously. We don’t joke around when it comes to buying crap.
However, more and more we have come to equate what we have to who we are. We
are what we eat. We are what we wear. Just think of those online quizzes that
you can take to see what kind of car you are.
Think about it. Products allow you to express yourself through them and, in turn,
define your identity. Some do this more blatantly than others. When you buy Abercrombie
and Fitch, not only are you connecting your persona with them, you are helping
them advertise.
You cute little walking billboard, you. How much did you get paid to wear that
again? Oh, right. You paid them.
What about those of us who cannot afford some of those classy brands but still
want bragging rights? We’ve got the imitation brands. How many people have
I seen with faux Louis Vuitton bags? And the buyer knows the knockoff product
she is buying is probably nowhere near the quality of the original, but hey,
the price is right. Pretending to have the product is more important than just
not having it.
And why shouldn’t it be? We are judgmental Judys. What you look like, the
kind of car you drive and how you present yourself is crucial. These factors
affect how others treat us.
Americans do not want to fail. Failure sucks. So we replicate what we see as
a success, which generally is what marketing companies tell us. We’re puppets,
I say.
Here’s an idea: next time you are watching television or flipping through
the latest issue of Maxim, check out the advertisements. De Beers attempts to
woo you with classical music, passionate “couples” and a romance
defined by a diamond, which just happens to be their product. It seems if your
lover gives you that hot, multiple-carat diamond, he or she must really love
you. And conversely, if they don’t give it to you, well, it’s not
looking good.
Think about the slogans. What do they really mean? McDonald’s is “I’m
Loving It.” Loving what? Being overweight and not being able to see your
own genitals? Or maybe “I’m Loving It” is McDonald’s
sharing its sentiments about bulging profit from using chemicals instead of natural,
organic ingredients.
As students, we have a lot of choices in our future. Financial choices will become
more and more important as we get older and start flying solo. Mom and dad are
going to put up a fence around that money tree (if they haven’t already)
after graduation. We as consumers need to learn how to not consume. I am one
of the many who could use a lesson on how to balance the ol’ checkbook
and save that sweet scrillah.
It is perfectly fine to buy things you want. Get those new subwoofers if you
really want them, but before you do, why don’t you think about why you
want them and who is producing the product (i.e. a unionized company or Thai
teenage girls making 60 cents an hour in a sweatshop). Buying a product has long-term
effects: health, environment or even safety issues. We need to start being smarter
than the marketing companies that are targeting us and ask these questions.
Money doesn’t make you happy. More money, more problems. Just be a smart
consumer, friend.
Don’t let those marketing companies tell you to put more value on the product
they are pushing rather than yourself, your relationships and the impact you
can have on your community.
This column originally ran in The Daily Reveille at Louisiana State University.
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