Materialism is the desire of some individuals to acquire and consume excessive amounts of
material goods.
Conspicuous consumption is a similar concept except the goal is to show off one’s wealth
in an overt way.
Materialism and conspicuous consumption often go hand in hand.
That is, somebody who likes buying lots of expensive goods often enjoys publicly displaying
those goods.
Chinese Consumerism
A few decades ago, Chinese were extremely frugal.
Very few people owned cars as most rode bicycles.
It wasn’t unheard of people being attacked if they went around showing off their wealth.
Fast forward to today and now China has overtaken the U.S. as the world’s largest car market.
Private school girls no longer want normal shoes, but the latest designer ones.
I know this for a fact, because one of my wife’s relations is desperately seeking
the newest, most expensive shoes one can buy.
It’s not just her.
All her classmates are stomping around in the latest Gucci or Buscemi shoes.
At around $1500 a pair, one must wonder who needs such an obviously overpriced item.
It is theorised that China’s one-child policy (which recently became a two-child policy)
has had a huge negative impact on the attitudes of young Chinese.
Many children have been raised in families that have spoilt them rotten.
While I was working over in Beijing as a private kindergarten teacher, one of my student’s
parents invited me over to their home a few times.
I soon realised how much they were spoiling their three year old son.
Any toy he wanted, they bought.
Any food he wanted to eat, they provided.
And it wasn’t just them.
The boy’s extended family did the same.
He literally had a single room almost filled with toys.
I could tell the parents felt a little bit embarrassed by it, but they still allowed
it to happen.
Obviously any child who is raised in an environment where everyone around them is doing everything
possible to satisfy their every desire – then that child is going to think that they are
king shit.
I saw it at the kindergarten.
Kids treated other kids with contempt.
I also saw the parents every morning dressed up in their latest designer gear trying to
show off to the other parents.
It was a sad state of affairs.
Reasons for Materialism and Displays of Wealth
Capitalism.
Obviously our whole economic system relies on people buying stuff they don’t need.
This is achieved in a number of ways, from extensive advertising and marketing campaigns
as was seen with diamonds and jewellery, to underhand tactics such as planned obsolescence.
It’s terrible for the environment, but as long as we keep our current form of capitalism,
greedy companies will continue to convince use to buy shit we don’t need.
Social Status.
Some of us see owning stuff as a way to increase our social status.
In places like China, fine wines are bought purely to impress business associates.
The government even had to crack down on extravagant displays of wealth by forcing government workers
not to buy top of the line Baijiu (Chinese white liquor).
Some of us think that buying a Lexus is going to impress other people.
I think it makes you look like a dick.
Self-worth.
For whatever reason, some people think that they have to prove to others that they are
a success by showing them how much they own.
This is one of the reasons I quit using Facebook, at least my personal account.
It started to get on my nerves that every second person was putting up a picture of
their new car or house, basically saying “Look at me!
I have a new car!
Do you feel envious of me?”.
Aggressive Ostentation.
This is a theory by the American journalist Dick Meyer who stated that “aggressive ostentation”
is a form of antisocial behaviour that occurs as a result of people feeling like they have
become anonymous within their societies.
In the past, the blacksmith of a village was well-known and respected, but now most people
feel like they are nobodies in their communities.
By buying and displaying lots of material goods, they get attention (even if it’s
not of the good kind).
Happiness.
Although most of us probably know that happiness gained from buying stuff is fleeting, many
people still do it in the vain hope that they will become happy.
It’s an illusion that was probably introduced to us by the large advertising companies.
Just look at any Coca-cola ad.
Happy faces and pretty people all around!
Downside of Materialism
Income Inequality.
High levels of conspicuous consumption almost certainly indicates a larger social problem
of income inequality.
Obviously not every child in China is prancing around in Buscemi shoes – probably only
the top 0.4%.
Any society that allows such inequality will eventually fail or suffer a major restructuring.
If the majority of people of a society are poor, and they are constantly seeing rich
people ponce about in their latest designer gear, then eventually they’re going to get
angry and take revenge.
It’s happened hundreds of times throughout history.
Don’t doubt the will of a person who has nothing.
Zero-sum Game.
When a person buys something to try to increase their social status, they in turn reduce the
social status of other people around them.
Other people then have to go out and purchase more things in order to keep up, consequently
forcing the original person to go out and purchase more in order to stay on top.
It’s much like an arm’s race where countries have to keep on increasing their military
budgets in order to keep up with their neighbours.
It actually doesn’t benefit anyone and is bad for society.
Low Self-esteem.
The people I’ve met who I would classify as suffering from materialism, almost certainly
have low self-esteem.
I don’t blame them.
It’s almost definitely a result of their upbringing.
Parents have got to instil the right values into their children.
If we are constantly buying our children everything they desire at the drop of a hat, they will
never learn some of life’s most important lessons like patience, hard work and earning
what you get.
We should be striving for a society that teaches our children to help one another.
Instead of teaching them that material wealth is good, we should be showing them how to
share and care for one another.
What’s the point of owning a Rolls-Royce if its only going to distance you from the
rest of society?
Materialism and conspicuous consumption doesn’t benefit society.
It only creates a generation of greedy, self-centred individuals who care little for the normal
person.
We should all be fighting against this new norm.
I’d like to finish with a few quotes:
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.
– John Lennon
Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we
don’t need.
The things you own end up owning you.
It’s only after you lose everything that you’re free to do anything.
– Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
The world says: “You have needs — satisfy them.
You have as much right as the rich and the mighty.
Don’t hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more.”
This is the worldly doctrine of today.
And they believe that this is freedom.
The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov