America is not addicted to oil, it is addicted to everything. We want everything, we want it now, and by God, we want a lot of it! The level of consumption in America is, in short, grotesque. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think a primary culprit is the fact that we have been fed a steady diet of advertisement and illusion for the past half century. Additionally, our adoption of capitalism coupled with an overly active credit policy has led to a complete lack of rational though pattern being applied to consumption.

Most people are shocked when they discover that ad executives all of the country have been creating strategies for targeting younger and younger consumers. The idea that children are an untapped source of business is new, risky, and extremely lucrative. It is calculated that the average child has been exposed to over a million advertisements by their 10th birthday. Assuming this it true, then it makes sense that our nation is increasingly made up of shameless consumers: American childhood is boot camp for the mall.

Another disturbing aspect of consumption in America is the illusion that there is no reason to curb our consumption. We can thank subsidies for keeping gas, water, food, and most consumer goods inexpensive. This illusion of plenty has led to increased consumption even as resources grow scarcer and industries become more efficient. This is entirely contrary to the forces of market economics which generally drive prices up as depletion makes materials scarce.

Capitalism is not by nature a negative thing. At best, in encourages healthy market competition and increases efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, when the playing field is the globe, all bets are off. A developing country with cheap labor and nonexistent environmental standards will be able to undersell American producers every time. The result? An enormous trade deficit and a steady stream of inexpensive goods flowing in from overseas. Ultimately, an extension of the illusion that we are the richest country on earth and that there is more than enough to go around.

"Buy now, pay later" might as well be the motto for the United States. The average number of credit cards per capita is higher in the US than anywhere else in the world. Americans are also generally considered more optimistic than most other nationalities. Coincidence? I think not. What was once a society that saved their pennies and spent wisely has become a society that seeks instant gratification. Now, we assume that we will have the money to pay off that pesky card later, after we get paid. I mean, who can wait until the end of the week to go shopping, really?

So, perhaps we are headed for a fall. The looming credit crisis is always a potential threat, and any number of environmental catastrophes are always lurking on the horizon. The culture that has created this problem will not be able to solve it by using the same ideologies that created it. In spite of my pragmatic tone, I still believe that this country is home to some of the greatest minds on the planet. We will be able to mitigate disaster if we learn to adopt a new way of approaching consumption: not as our birthright, but rather as a gift. If continue to buy now, we will definitely have to pay later, and with interest.

Learn more about this author, Francesca Hernandez.
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