Is America a consumption oriented culture? Yes. To be fair, I've only lived in Washington so maybe other states are better. I wouldn't know. I do know that the consensus is that America is a consumption oriented culture. The question it seems to me is simply: is that is a good or bad thing?

Putting aside the question of the harm that many people appear to believe modern American culture inflicts on their soul, I want to focus on the question of the physical impact of our culture.

First a question, what do you really need to survive? What isn't a luxury, a consumption good, but a necessity? Food, water, medical care, transportation, shelter, clothing, education. It should be noted that many Americans struggle with paying just for these necessities. But for those with excess money, in a non-consumption oriented culture, what would they do with that excess money? Give it away? Some would, as Bill Gates and others do even in our culture, but many people see money as a way of keeping score, they don't give it away.

It's easy to watch Cribs' or one of the hundreds of specials on the excesses of the rich and famous and criticize their selfishness. I do it. It makes me feel quite good, but, and it's a big but, consider the fact that everything they buy, everything they consume has to be made somewhere. Consider a common celebrity purchase, tons of cars. The materials have to be mined; the miners have to be paid; the materials have to be turned into parts; the assembly workers have to be paid; the parts have to be assembled into a car; the auto workers have to be paid; the car has to be shipped out; the movers have to be paid; the car has to be sold; the salesman has to be paid. The celebrity is, to a certain extent employing a vast number of people. Permitting them to give the necessities to their children.

Is that their goal? How should I know? Does it matter? That's the end result.

Learn more about this author, Evan Carden.
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