Successful Ways of Resisting Consumerism - Assignment Example

Successful Ways of Resisting Consumerism Introduction Every society has a set of cultural traditions, order and ideologies that determine the behavior and conduct of its people. Consumerism is one such socio-economic ideology which promotes the acquisition of commodities (both services and goods) in the largest amounts possible. It encourages the notion that when people buy more and more, they acquire more and thus get fulfilled (Veblen 50). In the contemporary society, people have been engulfed into the consumption culture because it has become a definitive factor for exactly whom they are. However, consumerism is not a desirable ideology because it negatively impacts on the society as a whole. Why Resist Consumerism Consumerism is not a good ideology. It needs to be eliminated from the midst of the people because it affects them in many ways. The major reason why consumerism should be eradicated is because it encourages the culture of wastefulness. Many people have resorted to spending a lot of money in buying different brands, models and types of similar commodities that they might be actually in need of. This happens because they have embraced the culture of ever spending whatever amount of money they have under their possession (Veblen 127). However, in the long run, they realize that they are just wasting money since they do not necessarily need most of the commodities they are lured to buy. Therefore, they are wasting money and time on what they do not require. Besides, the culture of consumerism has really affected the producers and the business community. Since there is an ever increasing demand for commodities, these entrepreneurs are compelled to spend a lot of time and resources in producing researching, marketing and producing different brands and qualities of commodities to sell to the consumers. In ft, it is because of consumerism that companies spend huge sums of money in adverting their commodities through the broadcast, print and online media (Luhrs 29). Moreover, it compels the producers to engage in the overproduction, which in itself, contributes to the wastage of energy, money and other resources which would otherwise be diverted elsewhere. If these are left to continue, life would be made to be worse that it currently is. Therefore, endless efforts should be put to fight the menace as whatever cost. How to Successfully Resist Consumerism Although many people think that consumerism is irresistible, it is indeed possible to resist it. The following are some of the ways through which this resistance can be attained: Recycle of Resources: the first way through which the culture of consumerism can be eliminated is through the adoption of the recycling and reuse of resources. Actually, this is one of the most efficient ways of conserving resources. In any place where people engage in the overuse of available resources, wastes always occur. The more wastage one gets the more they spend because they need to replace the wasted materials. This in turn encourages consumerism. However, to avoid engaging in such unnecessary expenses, the available resources can be recycled and made to be useful once more (Veblen 91). This means that a person who recycles used materials would definitely minimize their expenditures. It is for this reason that recycling is becoming a popular activity in the country. However, it should not only be reserved for the corporate or governmental bodies. Consumers should also be encouraged to adopt and embrace it in their individual capacities. Instead of disposing of used materials and rushing to buy new ones, they should just be reused. Regulation of One’s Expenditure: since consumerism is all about expenditure, it can be eliminated if people accept to change their spending habits. First, everyone should strive to be selective in the kind of shops in which they make their purchases. To avoid too much spending, one should refrain from visiting places like shopping malls or major grocery stores. Such points are quite influential and can lure them into engaging in impulse and uncontrolled purchases. Therefore, they should learn to make their purchases like community gardening stores. Unlike the shopping malls and grocery stores, such shopping joints do not encourage and influence individuals to engage in consumerism. Also, there is to be a change one’s spending habits (Vicky 69). There is no point of buying everything the market. Instead, individuals should only buy what they need at any given time. Once people manage to effect such restrictions, they would not be considered as consumerists. For example, when it comes to clothes, one does not necessarily need to acquire all the newest, trendiest fashions in the market. Honestly, it is a mere wastage of money because they can not use all of them at the same time. Regulate the Content of Media used: as a matter of fact, the habit of consumerism is highly encouraged by the media. More often than not, people do become products of the TV programs they watch, radio they listen to and the newspaper and magazines they read. Such media provide a conducive platform for encouraging consumerism because they are mainly used by the entrepreneurs to advertise their commodities and lure the buyers to purchase (Luhrs 29). This is true because such media are used for commercial adverts that have a potential of instilling the spirit of consumerism on individuals. Therefore, to be on the safer side, one needs to refrain from such erosive content and opt for anarchist shows that can sensitize them on the dangers of consumerism. Build a Solidarity Network: Since consumerism is a societal problem, it cannot be fought by individuals. At times, it can be much better if people accept to come together and fight it in unison. So, for a committed individual, consumerism can be fiercely fought if one boldly decides to be an anarchist who is ready to take an extra ordinary step to break the normal order of things in the society. After declaring war against consumerism, an anarchist should take lot of initiatives (Paul 89). Apart from forming a social group to sensitive the people on the demerits of consumerism, one should strive to read and concentrate on anarchist literature. Meaning, one should only read anarchist publications which dwell so much on the issues of concern. Some of the anarchist publications that can be of much help to such a change oriented individual include God and the State; Anarchism and other Essays and others. These books contain a lot of information that if properly comprehended, can help in eradicating the vice of on consumerism from the society. Be Firm and Principled in One’s Decisions: as already hinted. One of the reasons why tendencies like consumerism still thrive in the society is because they are glorified by people. Once a person belongs to a certain group in the society, one would definitely be swayed into believing in the ideologies of such cliques however destructive they might be. For example, the current generation X has adopted the tendency of loving anything trendy ranging from music, clothes, Smartphone and tablets, fast food, to mention, but a few. This explains why consumerism has become a common challenge to such people since they are convinced that they need to own everything even if they do not need them. Therefore, to avoid this, one needs to be principled in their decisions and stick to them. If this kind of change is attained, then consumerism can be eliminated from the society (Vicky 57). Carry out a Self-Assessment: Evidently, the end to consumerism is a personal effort. Meaning, individual contribution counts a lot as far as the fight for this vice is concerned. Therefore, to achieve any result, everyone should be ready to dedicate their time and energy to realize any desirable change that can make it possible for them to stop consumerism (Swagler 39). After deciding to be disciplined and to avoid peer pressure, impulse buying and capitalism, one needs to carry out a self-assessment so as to evaluate the extent to which such efforts are achieved. If properly done, it would be much easier to deal with consumerism because one would be able to know the achievements made so far and also ascertain the weak areas in which the necessary improvements need to be made. Conclusion Consumerism is a reality. It is deeply rooted in people regardless of their race, ethnicity, culture and age bracket. For a long time, people have been lured to believe that their fulfillment in life is mainly pegged on how much goods and services they acquire. Thus, they have resorted to buying, buying and ever buying. little do they know that this is a nonsensical conduct that can not help them whatsoever. In fact, it only leads to more and more wastage of the available resources, money, energy and time. In this regard, the solution should be the reuse and recycle of resources; regulation of expenditures; control over the media one gets exposed to; building a strong anarchist solidarity network; and the carrying out of a self-assessment to evaluate one’s efforts. These can help in the ultimate eradication the culture of consumerism from the society. Works Cited Luhrs, Janet. The Simple Living Guide New York: Broadway Books, 2009. Print. Paul, Roberts. The End of Food. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print. Swagler, Roger. "Modern Consumerism". In Brobeck, Stephen. Encyclopedia of the Consumer Movement. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio, 2007. Print. Veblen, Thorstein. The Theory of the Leisure Class: an economic study of institutions, Dover Publications, 2010. Print. Vicki, Robin et al. Your Money or Your Life. New York: Penguin Group USA, 2011. Print. Read More