Crappy Essay for School

Michelle Miller 9A
Of Frugality (consumerism, materialism, over consumption)

In today’s society, where is the line crossed between need and human right, in opposition to blatant greediness and superfluity (in regard to material possessions?) Most resistance to covetousness or materialism originates from religion and societal activists. Most religions, Buddhism as an example, believe material possession interferes with a person’s piety, and that it leads to an unholy lifestyle. Also, activists believe that materialism leads to acts of war, poverty, and crime.
There is a theory referred to as “Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs,” which basically claims that you cannot fulfill higher needs in a hierarchy until you satisfy lower needs, such as breathing, food, water, employment, self-esteem, and lack of prejudice. This is similar to the theory of Post-Materialism, which describes the freedom of societies and people from materialistic needs. Both of these stating you cannot gain happiness from possessions, or consumerism. Consumerism literally defined as “The theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial. 3. Attachment to materialistic values or possessions: deplored the rampant consumerism of contemporary society.” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language) The generation of today is often referred to as a consumer culture, with media often linking with social control and cultural domination. While this being said, libertarians would argue that consumerism leads to elitism, and that nobody has the right to decide what and how much material possession is necessary for any person but that person themselves, and that consumerism itself in human nature.
Another downside to consumerism is eventual consumer debit, or outstanding consumer credit. Although all debt is considered to be not a good thing, some argue that debt is necessary for the growth of economy. The difference between these is more pf a personal value thing, as opposed to fact, although when credit is plentiful and easy to obtain, the increase in demand causes an increase, creating more job opportunities, better economy, and so on. Although this is true in the United States, credit debt is virtually unheard of in places such as China and Japan, mostly because their economy is not as “strong,” as the United States, although you could argue that China/Japans economy is in a sense stronger, looking at the gross federal debt of the US.
While not only material goods are over consumed, the over consumption of energy is also a problem which is a concept related to over population, and the diminishing amounts of fossil fuels that are widely used even with the information on it’s relativity to global warming well know. This problem is especially predominant in the USA, for while China has 4.7 times more of a population than the US, it still consumes only half the energy consumed by the USA.
The United States is the number one contributor to Global Warming (destruction of earth,) and has the highest Nation gross Debt in the Universe. One has to think this has something to do with the government’s quality of life and over consumption of material goods, fossil fuels, and obsession with Money. The consumerism and extreme support given to media and materialism in America makes it the number one cause of most frugality based happenings, and an ultimate consumer society.