Conforming Consumerism

America is all about fads. Beanie Babies, Pokemon, Tickle Me Elmo, and the most infamous of all: Furbies are just a few of the country's inexplainable latest crazes (to see more of these fads check this site out). Consumerism has taken over the United States, and its citizens are constantly comparing themselves to one another. The reason for this recent rise in spending (and subsequent lack of any savings) is due to the fact that people now compare their lives to the rich or celebrities, rather than to their neighbors as they did in the past according to Schor. People associate wealth or owning great stuff as living a good life, and they have adopted this viewpoint from the television which showcases the life of the wealthy and the cool, up to date (yet pointless) possessions in such shows as MTV's Cribs or My Super Sweet 16. These shows and regardless others portray a a warped view of reality, as these individuals live in sort of a fantasy world where they can get anything they desire- and the public in seeing this thinks they too deserve what they want. As Juliet Schor calls it this "competitive consumption" where people spend in order to keep up with the norms of the social group which they identify- the rich, has led to these unnecessary fads as people think they need to own the latest Furby just because everyone else has one.
Competitive consumerism backs up my previous points about appearance, as individuals do not want to look inferior for not owning the latest gadget. And as Schor goes on later to say that this consumerism is jeopardizing our way of life since Americans just focus on the next thing they can get, rather than being content with the way they live. And sadly, it is the poorest Americans who are hardest hit with this urge to spend as they are the group who watches TV the most and consequently most influenced by the ideas expressed. Consumerism, in other words, has become a never ending cycle in the United States, where people are never satisfied with their own life as they are constantly referencing it to another. People today are literally obsessed with obtaining the latest thing, getting their kids into the best school, or majoring in a career that will obtain them the most money in the future.

Clearly, money and possessions come first in the United States, not one's life or family. This video above highlights many themes in American consumerism with its very catchy jingles. One scene in particular sums up my entire point here: where the main character asks for 1000 dollars so he can get a llama "just because he can." And in today's society, most of the stuff we own came to be ours, because we just purely wanted it.