Excessive materialism in these times?

Question

Do you think that Americans are still to obsessed with materialism?

Do you blame the media and celebrities for displaying wealth in such a way that it sets up people--especially those under the age of 35-- to have the wrong expectation?

I am 35 and live in Michigan, one of the most depressed states in the country. Yet, I see how people are still caught up in material gain to the point that they put on a pretense and judge others for not "measuring up". I also see how many of these celebrities flaunt their lifestyle. This is particularly true on certain stations that cater to the MTV crowd. I'm not saying that a person should not be proud to be a success, but to flaunt it when so many do not have is insensitive.

What do you think?

Answer 1

I agree with the answer above, while ultimately it is our decision in terms of wht we aspire to and believe will create happiness, society/media/religion and particularly family all have influence.  

Answer 2

How counterintuitive.  I live in California, in Silicon Valley where there is still much wealth.  There are people looking for work, but it's not generally that they can't get any jobs, they just can't get a job with the scope they previously had.  Yet, with gas prices perceived to be high, people are cutting back and conserving.  It is fashionable to bike to work, and no one looks down on someone who brings a home lunch rather than buy lunch at the cafeteria or a restaurant.  But it's sort of still an engineer culture, we were never big on style in the first place.

It's very different from what I see online in Y!A.

Answer 3

Its a sad thing that so many of us are convinced that material assets are the means to be happy. Its an illusion but so few recognize this, when we do not want what we haven't got then we have an idea about what happiness is.

Answer 4

Our excessive materialism is an outcome of our adherence to the American Dream - materialism and self-interest are both deeply embedded in our cultural norms. Pop culture has certainly supported these norms, which is a pity.

Answer 5

Having material things isn't bad, but when you base a person's value on what they have, then there is a problem. The "crabs in a barrel" syndrome is common with lower and middle class people. Its sad, but not surprising that it's the upper class that instigates this mindset.

Peace

Answer 6

You can blame the celebrities, you can blame the media for glamorizing material wealth and those who have it... but at the end of the day American people can ultimately blame themselves for buying into all that bulls**t... If it wasn't for the sheep watching the television shows and reading the magazines that portray these celebs as being something to aspire to then these publications wouldn't exist... and hence the celebs wouldn't have the same amount of fame.... AND hence there would be no level of material success to measure up against or aspire to attain.... this is only one side of the argument but yeah......   makes you think

Answer 7

A society without aspirations will lack the profit motive and therefore will lack the urgency necessary to sustain life...

Answer 8

its annoying

and extremely prominent

and hard to avoid

i think working hard and getting by is the best feeling

but our society is based on being the best

egoegoegoegoego

Answer 9

It's an intrinsic part of human nature to always look for the better. Materialistic actions is the easiest way to reach "the better" (as opposed to selfless actions and the such). 'Tis just the way people are...

Answer 10

Yes, it is excessive... No doubt, celebrities send false expectations to younger crowds about being  rich... Karl Marx.. who focused on class structure, noticed that the view of the lower class was always guided by false hopes of success... Even, Comte...the father of sociology... noticed the false goals presented in society were led by the bourgeoisie.... Now we find that the Newly Rich tend to  brag on their finances due to their excitement about achieving the american dream...  but it seems the american dream is built around a materialistic a view... so we ourselves are execessive ....

Answer 11

Of course most Americans are obsessed with materialism. But you can't blame the media for flaunting excessive wealth - it's entertainment, business. The only people to blame are those who watch it. I see struggling families driving three cars and talking on blackberries, and sometimes I wonder what the deal is. A part of it may be the world we live in, but I watch TV sometimes; I see diamond-plated everything and I don't consider myself materialistic.

If I was successful, I would be proud enough to flaunt it. Yes - and may God strike me with lightning for saying so, but it's the truth. But it's important to see that it's the common people perpetuating the media machine to pump out shows about rich people, and not the rich people making shows. If people didn't watch reality TV shows, they wouldn't exist anymore.

Answer 12

Oh it's sad.