Can you tame your inner consumer?

Hey guys,

I guess I didn’t make a clear enough distinction between Erin’s article (which I enjoyed) and a general trend (that I don’t enjoy). It’s the trend that the bulk of my comment was aimed at – those two lines in this article reminded me of it, so I took the opportunity to detour a little.

Here’s why I objected specifically to this article: I don’t think Erin exhibited “contempt” or “judgment” here (to use two of the 3 terms I dropped before), but as for the “cartoonish stereotypes” – I always have, and always will, have a problem with broad statements about western greed and consumerism, especially when juxtaposed with equally broad statements about “the other” (be it Africa, Asia, or whatever) and its simpler, morally superior civilization. I think we all need to be very careful to avoid those sorts of generalizations, for a whole array of reasons. Anytime I see a one-sided and negative depiction of “the west” I tend to object. That was my only issue with Erin’s article, and since it was a passing reference it’s a relatively small quibble.

To continue the broader discussion!

Ian wrote: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that we are bombarded every day at almost every turn with mental pressure to buy, buy, buy.”

True. But what bothers me is the assumption that we have no power or free will to resist, to make choices. I don’t mean just the power to choose not to buy (although that exists, too) – I mean the choice *to* buy. When I buy a new pair of shoes or a DVD box set, it’s not because I have a compulsive need to cave in and buy something, anything. I’m not “wanting things just because they were there” – I’m making a decision that whatever the object is means something to me, for whatever reason, and that it’s worth what I’m going to be paying for it. I’m not just a credit-card-swiping drone when I shop – and that’s what I mean when I talk about my friends and family. Yes, they might work 9-5 cubicle jobs, watch several hours of TV each week, own cars and homes in the suburbs, and go clothes shopping on a semi-regular basis – but they also read the newspaper, recycle, coach children’s sports, vote Green, and whatever else. They make choices every day – they aren’t just slaves to a system. Most of them even *like* their jobs and their houses.

I guess my point is, until we acknowledge that we are all making choices, rather than writing people off as “vapid” automatons, it’s going to be very difficult to get a dialogue going about starting to make different choices.

Great discussion, thanks Eva and Jenn for the thoughts, and I encourage everyone to check out this forum discussion on economic slowdown:

Economic Crisis

The global economy is not a simple beast, and generalizations are always fraught, but personally I have no problem making a value judgment about the type of consumerism prevalent in “The West” – and, increasingly, among the elite of the East and the South and everywhere else under the sun.

Throw-away consumerism is a massive problem – owning 50 pairs of shoes or flying to Las Vegas for a round of golf is harmful, the moral equivalent of pissing in the communal reservoir.

The crucial caveat is that shoe shoppers and desert golfers are not immoral, or bad people. It is their actions that are harmful. As a writer, one of my missions is to drive that point home, and advocate a simple, sustainable, healthy, empathetic lifestyle.

The point isn’t to offend people – which never helps with change – it’s to start a discussion, and work to build a critical mass of people who decide clean water is more important than a new TV – or (gasp!) a week-long honeymoon in Bali.

-TP

Tim and Daniel, I’m pretty fried and probably not up to the task of continuing this great discussion right now, but wanted to check in since I won’t be able to reply again until sometime Saturday.

I think on the “offending people” thing I may have laid down a red herring. I don’t mean we shouldn’t say these things because someone might get their feelings hurt (at least, not just that) – I just mean I think we should always (myself included! guilty at times, I’m sure) take a moment to apply our statements to individuals, and see if they stick. Yes, people get offended because they’re thin-skinned or defensive – but sometimes they also get offended because you (the proverbial you, not any of you yous in particular) are wrong about them, or at least only partially right. And that response – if you imagine that individual being incensed by your statement – can be a warning to you that your argument lacks nuance.

Daniel, you’re completely right on all your points. (And I’m guilty on the Full House re-runs…) But think of Wainanga’s classic, “How To Write About Africa”. I might just as well say, yeah, okay, but there ARE plenty of swollen-bellied children with flies on their eyes! Or whatever other stereotypes he takes down in there. I could turn this around and say, “If I belly up to the bar and say “Africa’s a mess,” of course it’s a generalization! Let it go!”

I don’t raise these objections purely to defend Western society (although I think it gets no credit these days for its many, many positives). I would raise them for any culture being stereotyped so cavalierly (assuming I know enough about it to recognize that it’s happening), because I don’t think things need to be simplified to that extent in order for us to have a productive discussion. There’s always room for nuance.

Ok. This is turning into more than a check-in. Not even sure if I’m making sense. I’ll stop now.

Hey people!
Wow, this was my first BNT article and I have to say I am very honoured that people felt strongly enough to comment on it! Sweet!

What is interesting about all this is how the “generalizations” about Western culture came about in this article. When I first wrote it, I didn’t include anything about WHY I came down with this sudden shopaholic-style problem, because it seemed complex to me, perhaps too complex to get into in the article. However, Ian provoked me by asking me to include something on that subject, a bit that would answer the questions related to the reason behind my somewhat compulsive buying. What motivates people to consume, in the end? Why do we buy things outside of what we actually need?

So I thought more about the factors that contribute to our buying habits as westerners, which are many and complex. The idea of “deserving” the stuff that we buy kept popping back up as I went through the reasons. I truly believe that a great many of us believe that the money we have earned makes us DESERVING of what we buy with it. Don’t YOU think that the money you’ve earned is yours to do with it what you please? And haven’t you ever had someone rationalize to you, when you splurged and bought that great new jacket, new stereo, whatever: “Well, we all deserve a little treat once in awhile.” Or whatever version of that you want. My whole trip to Africa, for example — yes I did volunteer, but it went because it was MY personal dream, and I felt wholly deserving of spending those thousands of dollars that I saved up on a 5-month trip to Africa. Why do we think this way?
it truly is “if you have the money, you deserve to buy it.” I don’t like this part of western culture, partly because we don’t think critically about it often enough.

Of course not everybody thinks this way. But it’s certainly a deeply entrenched, almost subconscious theme in our society. The contrast would be a culture that views things more communally — some African cultures are examples — where what’s mine is yours, what’s his is theirs, and you’ll “loan” your cousin all the money you have without even asking why he needs it. This system is not without its pros and cons, just like the western one has pros and cons as well.

I try not to think ever of the world as an “us/them” kind of place. However, it’s a diverse world, and acknowledging that means recognizing that yes there are distinct cultures within the human race that have discrete worldviews, customs, habits, survival techniques. I really do think that in the west we buy way too much stuff that we don’t need just because it’s there. And I really believe that our “entitlement” mindset towards what we buy is very real and flawed in terms of living sustainably. So these are the aspects of my article that I find troubling — that these generalizations CAN be accurately made.

Anyway thanks for reading my article.

Just to throw a few more spices into the pot…
Is travel not just another form of consumerism?
It is easy, as regular – or permanent – travellers to distance ourselves from the cliché of the 9-5 office worker and their stereotypical consumer behaviour (whether this person exists or not has been discussed above – I´m not going to go into this on this post!).
I am including myself in this category, as someone who has lived abroad and travelled for five years. I purchase very little for two reasons: One, because I prefer to spend my money on long or short haul trips, and two, because each time I move on, all my belongings have to be transported along with me.
But haven´t i just applied the same consumer behaviour to travelling?
I surely don´t NEED to travel as much as I do. It inspires my writing and paintings, but is not (currently) essential for my work.
As with many people, I feel the “necessity” to travel, good old itchy feet. But that urge is probably the same that someone else feels while salivating over a pair of $250 wedges. Worse – I regularly used to feed my shopping urges in Charity shops and second hand bookshops. Sadly, second-hand flights are not yet available…
I adore the traveller lifestyle I lead, but it has only been possible for the masses for a decade or two, at most. Are my purchases any more excusable simply because they are non-material?

Elizabeth, I think you´re right that the concept of “deserving” or “earning” or taking for granted is the bigger issue behind all this. I started shopping at those charity shops out of necessity as a student, and fortunately found that they rather suited my tastes! (despite being mortified when my mum took me to charity shops as a child though) I had two jobs while I studied, as well as a student loan. Of course I resented those who were supported entirely by their families… but equally, my parents would have done the same had they been better off.

Now, happily, I find that my resoucefulness is one of my most useful skills, having turned my hand to everything from translation to illustration and face-painting to make ends meet. And knowing you´ve worked so hard for every penny makes the trip – or the shoes, or the jacket – that bit more special.

One of my friends was stunned that I could afford to travel for 3 months… the truth is, my entire trip probably cost the same as her two week luxury holiday to Cancún.

Volunteering was one way I saved money, as well as being able to give something back… the travel equivalent of the charity shop?! Either way, I, like many others have always recognised travel to be something I am lucky to be able to do, and not an entitlement. Hopefully this makes us more respectful travellers or consumers, even of the end result is the same?