Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
tcsenter: Good post. Your right. We value luxury over necessety. We all do it. I believe its called high commodity potential and low commodity potential.
Material goods are at the high potential, while other things (that can't be signified by its monetary value..but may be more important) are at low potentials.
Simple analogy would be cd players to actual guitar music. It takes to much time to learn the guitar and play music yourself (which sounsd much richer and fulfilling, so we go out and buy a music cd hwihc is easier and gives us that music instantly..even tho we dont have teh benefit of making it ourselves).
Sorry for the ramble.
We all do it to varying degrees, but generally speaking, Americans have taken it to an absurd level. However, as Europe and other 'older' societies become more affluent, they are seeing the same trend (consumerism and materialism). Someone once said that affluence will be the next fascism...
Persistant and progressive affluence seems to have an intoxicating effect on people. Generation after generation of "good times" seems to cause people to lose a healthy bit of cautionary perspective and become more disposed to foolish "no worries" thinking. We think we have some kind of God-given right to be better-off than our parents while only working half as long, half as hard, and playing twice as much, and we sure as hell try to live like we are...on credit.
I was one of them in my early 20's, damned near charged myself into oblivion. I didn't understand my parents when they gave me lectures against "living in the moment". What are they talking about? I didn't understand it because I had never been where they were (Great Depression Era poverty).
They meant, that $400 you spent on a Kenwood receiver would in 30 years be worth $3,207.67 @ 7% interest compounded quarterly.
30 years? Say what? But I want gratification
now - today!
Of course, they didn't mean "work all day, put all your money in the bank, never have any fun, retire with a lot of money, then die the next day", but at 16 years of age, that's what I thought they were telling me. Because parents, you know, when you're 16, are oppressive people who derive their only happiness in life from seeing that you don't have any fun. lol!
But what surprises me is, this mentality is no longer exclusive to youthful short-sightedness and impetuousness. Its become pervasive throughout our culture. Look no further than the bitter reaction among
affluent retirees to the Medicare Drug Benefit which largely will benefit low-income seniors. The mentality was "what's in it for me?"
An article entitled "Florida Elderly Feel Let Down By Drug Benefit" by New York Times reporter Robert Pear captured some of this sentiment among retirees vacationing in Palm Beach and Hollywood, Florida. Most of these people owned
two homes, one for summer and a Florida condo for winter, and the attitude was like....'We had to limit travel in our $200,000 motor home to only 30 days per year instead of our usual 90 days because our prescription drug costs are so high. This drug plan will do nothing to help us.'
Something is wrong when retired people who can afford
two homes think they deserve a Medicare drug benefit so their prescription drug costs don't
cut-in to their lifestyle. Yet, that summarizes perfectly the American mentality on health care.
$7,500 for a plasma TV? What a great deal, show me the nearest showroom!
$120 for a doctor's office exam? Jesus H. Christ what is this world coming to, health care costs are out of control!
This is not an issue of ability, but
willingness, to afford health care.
Facebook
Twitter