Consumer culture gradually sneaks into our life as it pleases our senses, especially our taste and sight. It caters to our cumulative sense of comfort. We are attracted by looks and sensual pleasures that routinely make us indulge in impulsive behaviors. For many shoppers, mostly women, in the US, shopping is a form of entertainment. Window-shopping – finding out the new products available in the market – is a great pastime. Buying things not needed is not uncommon. Shopping any more is not need-based but want-based. Shopping in the developed countries has become a serious form of addiction for many whom I have seen in therapy. Persons in shopping spree impulsively buy things that they do not need, do not have space to store, and do not have money to pay for. They charge what they buy on their many credit cards, and finally end up in the offices of credit counseling, and often in declaring bankruptcy. Currently this is the kind of shopping model that is being exported into the developing countries. Persons who engage in impulsive criminal activities on the spur of the moment that involve thefts or sexual crimes are also led by thrill-seeking behaviors and momentary excitements resulting from extreme, negative form of impulsive behaviors. The many models the young men and women imitate are not known for their moral values and integrity. Guinness World Records contain amazing but destructive achievements that can happen only in a consumer culture.
Economies of the developed world depend on consumer culture. Prosperity anymore depends on producing products, whether needed or not, selling, buying, and using them irrespective of improved quality of moral and social life. Recently a slump in economic production in China led to the world economic down-turn. We have recently seen that very high oil prices as well as very low prices crash financial markets. Currently oil producing countries are trying to come together to limit the production of oil to increase its price as there is more oil production than the real demand. This is the kind of senseless economy produced by the consumer culture that we are living in. At this rate the consumer culture is going to destroy us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This is a century of consumption of products. A century ago tuberculosis that destroyed humans was also known as consumption caused by tubercle bacillus bacterium. Like tuberculosis of old, our consumer culture is destroying us. Once we realize this fact we can change our strategies to slowly win our war on consumer culture, and gain control over our life and freedom.
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