The Consumption Monster
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Consumption consumes us all.
Consumption is what drives our economies. Consumption is why we see companies bringing out ‘bigger and better’ or ‘sleeker and slimmer’ products every other day.
It is also why people queue up and almost camp outside an Apple store in the US one day prior to the release of the latest tablet.
It is why we’re always looking at getting that latest mobile phone, a blackberry, an i-phone maybe? Or galaxy note?
It is why a family of four, these days, may possess 3 cars, or who knows, maybe more!
It is why despite having seven PS3 games already, my younger brother would still crib for an eighth, which would cost about two and a half grands or more. And then also have his eyes set on the PS Vita.
My brother amuses me. He comes back from school everyday, not to sit and spend some time with his family, but to go onto facebook and chat with his friends who he just said bye to in school, or talk to other people whose identities he guards like some national defence secret. The television set would remain switched on, and he would fall asleep while he’s doing whatever he’s doing. It troubles me how much electricity a 14 year old can consume.
Is it people, however, who must be blamed for this tendency?
According to Karl Marx, no. He said that people are not inherently consumers. The main culprit is the system of Capitalism. As he stated in his “Introduction to a Critique of Political Economy”:
“Production produces consumption: first by providing the material of consumption; second by determining the mode of consumption; and finally by creating in the consumer a need for the objects which it first presents as products”.
I am not completely anti-capitalism. It has to be given credit for the increase in the number of choices it has given us. But at what cost? I, for one, do not appreciate its ruthlessness and exploitative-predator-like tendencies. Increased number of choices must mean that they are producing much more at a much faster rate. This instead must mean that they are utilising natural resources at an equally higher rate. However, increased and continued utilisation of natural resources with utter disregard for its ecological consequences will lead us to a self destructive vortex. It is said that if the whole world starts consuming at the rate at which US consumes earth’s resources, we would need 4 more earths to satisfy everyone’s wants. FOUR. Reminds you of that Mahatma Gandhi quote about the earth not having enough for man’s greed, doesn’t it?
Annie Leonard in her hit documentary ‘Story of Stuff’ will tell you that obsolescence is in fact designed into products. There is planned obsolescence, which means that product makers intentionally design their products in a way that consumers will have to buy a completely new model in order to upgrade, and not be able to replace a part of it. Then there is perceived obsolescence. Advertising and marketing of products is done in a way that will make you believe that you’re perhaps still living in the stone age when it comes to the latest gadgets, fashion and accessories. After World War II, to revive the US economy, Victor LeBeau, a retail analyst of that period had the following to suggest:
“Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”
Really? If we make consumption our way of life, soon there will be nothing left to consume. Without even beginning to explain the recklessness with which we dispose off our consumption, we will then be looking at wars, violence, incorrigible levels of carbon in the atmosphere and widespread diseases as our future. Even if we agree with Marx, that capitalist regime is the one to blame, we must realise the power that rests in our hands and in the decisions we make. Consumer is, after all, the king.
The solution can be as simple as consuming only as per our requirements and not giving in to unnecessary wants and desires. It is upto us to convince ourselves and to convince our families and peers to reduce our consumption, reduce wastage and therefore contribute towards reducing exploitation of our earth’s resources. We must realise that we’re living off a limited inventory of resources, and it is our responsibility to nurture and take care of them.
I’m going to try and drill that sense into my brother, and I hope that you will think before making your next purchase. Don’t let the consumption monster consume you.
Nuvodita Singh
B. A. (H) Economics, 3rd Year
Consumption is what drives our economies. Consumption is why we see companies bringing out ‘bigger and better’ or ‘sleeker and slimmer’ products every other day.
It is also why people queue up and almost camp outside an Apple store in the US one day prior to the release of the latest tablet.
It is why we’re always looking at getting that latest mobile phone, a blackberry, an i-phone maybe? Or galaxy note?
It is why a family of four, these days, may possess 3 cars, or who knows, maybe more!
It is why despite having seven PS3 games already, my younger brother would still crib for an eighth, which would cost about two and a half grands or more. And then also have his eyes set on the PS Vita.
My brother amuses me. He comes back from school everyday, not to sit and spend some time with his family, but to go onto facebook and chat with his friends who he just said bye to in school, or talk to other people whose identities he guards like some national defence secret. The television set would remain switched on, and he would fall asleep while he’s doing whatever he’s doing. It troubles me how much electricity a 14 year old can consume.
Is it people, however, who must be blamed for this tendency?
According to Karl Marx, no. He said that people are not inherently consumers. The main culprit is the system of Capitalism. As he stated in his “Introduction to a Critique of Political Economy”:
“Production produces consumption: first by providing the material of consumption; second by determining the mode of consumption; and finally by creating in the consumer a need for the objects which it first presents as products”.
I am not completely anti-capitalism. It has to be given credit for the increase in the number of choices it has given us. But at what cost? I, for one, do not appreciate its ruthlessness and exploitative-predator-like tendencies. Increased number of choices must mean that they are producing much more at a much faster rate. This instead must mean that they are utilising natural resources at an equally higher rate. However, increased and continued utilisation of natural resources with utter disregard for its ecological consequences will lead us to a self destructive vortex. It is said that if the whole world starts consuming at the rate at which US consumes earth’s resources, we would need 4 more earths to satisfy everyone’s wants. FOUR. Reminds you of that Mahatma Gandhi quote about the earth not having enough for man’s greed, doesn’t it?
Annie Leonard in her hit documentary ‘Story of Stuff’ will tell you that obsolescence is in fact designed into products. There is planned obsolescence, which means that product makers intentionally design their products in a way that consumers will have to buy a completely new model in order to upgrade, and not be able to replace a part of it. Then there is perceived obsolescence. Advertising and marketing of products is done in a way that will make you believe that you’re perhaps still living in the stone age when it comes to the latest gadgets, fashion and accessories. After World War II, to revive the US economy, Victor LeBeau, a retail analyst of that period had the following to suggest:
“Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”
Really? If we make consumption our way of life, soon there will be nothing left to consume. Without even beginning to explain the recklessness with which we dispose off our consumption, we will then be looking at wars, violence, incorrigible levels of carbon in the atmosphere and widespread diseases as our future. Even if we agree with Marx, that capitalist regime is the one to blame, we must realise the power that rests in our hands and in the decisions we make. Consumer is, after all, the king.
The solution can be as simple as consuming only as per our requirements and not giving in to unnecessary wants and desires. It is upto us to convince ourselves and to convince our families and peers to reduce our consumption, reduce wastage and therefore contribute towards reducing exploitation of our earth’s resources. We must realise that we’re living off a limited inventory of resources, and it is our responsibility to nurture and take care of them.
I’m going to try and drill that sense into my brother, and I hope that you will think before making your next purchase. Don’t let the consumption monster consume you.
Nuvodita Singh
B. A. (H) Economics, 3rd Year