Overmaterialistic Obsession

Materialistic Obsession

Material things are given way too much importance in our country today. The United States as a whole is a consumer country which means that buying things is good but that doesn't mean that you need to buy everything. The country's obsession with buying material things has lead to thousands of people getting into debt. I feel like materialism has also altered our moral and family values. Some people tend to judge others based on material things instead of on their character.

In our society, material things tend to matter more than they should which is a contrast to smaller countries. Even though we are one of the richest countries in the world we don't have as strong family and moral values as some third world countries do. We tend to not value and appreciate the things we have because we are always looking for the new next best thing to get.

Our fixation on material items has been caused by many things such as our economy and the media. Our country is a consumer society. The government wants us to spend our money and buy more things to boost the economy. Advertisements and commercials from corporations are a major reason for our materialistic ways. They push us to buy things that we don't necessarily need. They also encourage children to ask their parents to buy them the latest toy and push young adults to get the latest cool thing.

Our desire for material things means that it has become impossible for people to go without them. Asking a teenager to not use their iPod, cellphone or computer for a week would be like torture. Even for an adult, not being able to use their cell phone or computer for a week would be unbearable because as a society we are so use to using technology. It is impossible to not be judged by your pears and others by what you wear, what type of car you drive, what type of shoes you wear and so on. Our society is so materialistic nowadays that people care and judge you ,whether they admit or not, on material things.

If asked, I believe that the majority of Americans would say or at least have to admit that we are a materialistic society. Americans would probably be split on whether thats a bad or good thing. There are decent arguments for both. Some may say that there's nothing wrong with our society being materialistic while others could say that it is given more importance than it should have. My research question: What effects does materialism have on values and society in the United States?