Consumerism. Digital image. Pixabay. PeteLinforth, Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. <https://pixabay.com/p-1644801/?no_redirect>.
What Creates The Consumerist Mindset?
Consumerism is predicated on an obsession with acquisition among Americans. After mass production fulfilled people's basic needs more easily, consumption has become a form of entertainment and a symbol of social class. Interestingly, this mindset has carried with it a very real set of dangers: "People will do most anything to acquire the means to consume — working slavish hours, behaving rapaciously in their business pursuits, and even bending the rules in order to maximize their earnings." Consumerism has not made us more content, either. Studies show that many members of capitalist societies, despite how much they earn and consume, still feel deprived. This is because there will always be someone or something that people view as better or more successful. This drive to be the best and to maximize earnings increases the 'need' of material goods.
"Consumer Culture." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2016,
worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/310299. Accessed 17 Nov. 2016.
Etzioni, Amitai. "The Crisis of American Consumerism." Huffington Post, 4 Sept.
2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/amitai-etzioni/
the-crisis-of-american-co_b_1855390.html.
worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/310299. Accessed 17 Nov. 2016.
Etzioni, Amitai. "The Crisis of American Consumerism." Huffington Post, 4 Sept.
2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/amitai-etzioni/
the-crisis-of-american-co_b_1855390.html.
How Has The Notion Changed Over Time
Consumerism hasn't always had the connotation it does today. The ancients, from Plato to St. Augustine and the Christian fathers to Italian Renaissance writers, spoke negatively about the notion of acquiring material goods. They all condemned material desire as evil since it corrupted the human soul, destroyed republics, and overthrew social order. Originally, consumption meant using up, wasting away, and finishing. However, the idea started to shift between the 15th and 18th century as nations underwent an expansion in the world of goods. Ming China experienced an age of porcelain cups, lacquerware, and books. Similarly, Renaissance Italy saw its people filling up their homes with more clothing, furniture, tableware, and even paintings and instruments. During this shift, William Stanley Jevons published his Theory of Political Economy in 1871. Instead of assigning a value to goods as a function of their cost, he argued that value was created by the consumer, not the producer.
Trentmann, Frank. "How Humans Became 'Consumers': A History." The Atlantic, 28
Nov. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/
how-humans-became-consumers/508700/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.
Trentmann, Frank. "How Humans Became 'Consumers': A History." The Atlantic, 28
Nov. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/
how-humans-became-consumers/508700/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.
![Picture](/uploads/9/3/2/0/93202712/published/unknown_9.jpeg?1485791045)
Shown is a picture of Ming porcelain tea cups, which were early example of fine goods that people would like to have in their possession. During the Ming Dynasty, fine China became popular with people because of their fine quality.
Porcelain Tea Cups. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Commons, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porcelain_tea_cups_from_the_reign_of_the_Tianqi_Emperor.jpg>.
![Picture](/uploads/9/3/2/0/93202712/published/unknown-1_2.jpeg?1485791060)
Pictured is a portrait of an Italian woman during the Renaissance.
During this time period, portraits showed the popular fashion,
which would influence others to wear the same.
Portrait of a Lady. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Commons, 6 July 2012. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Follower_of_Francesco_Salviati_del_Rossi_Portrait_of_a_Lady.jpg>.
Patriotism and Consumerism
![Picture](/uploads/9/3/2/0/93202712/published/detail-of-american-flag-11279635008nzan_1.jpg?250)
During the Great Depression, the public was was encouraged to buy American made products in order to increase and help better the economy in this time of turmoil. Today, in a time where foreign manufacturing is dominated by China and other powerhouse Asian countries, American-made products are usually more expensive and seen as higher quality. Due to this mindset, many companies make profits off of citizens trying to show patriotism and unification with the American economy by buying their products.
Kratochvil, Petr. Detail Of American Flag. Digital image. Public Domain Pictures. Bobek Limited, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. <http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=7787&picture=detail-of-american-flag>.
Examples of Ads throughout History
Companies used different methods to express their ideas and brands with consumerism and marketing.
![Picture](/uploads/9/3/2/0/93202712/editor/hoover-model-29-ad_1.jpg?250)
To the left is an ad from Hoover showing their newest vacuum improvements and encouraging the American public to buy their product.
Debut Ad for the Hoover Model 29, the First Hoover Cleaner Made in Red. Digital image.Wikipedia Commons. BY-SA 3.0, 6 Aug. 2011. Web. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hoover_Company#/media/File:Hoover_model_29_ad.jpg>.