Consumerism The Trap Of Materialism - 1704 Words

â€Å"The Trap of Materialism† Out of all of the different causes that people live for today, consumerism is the only one spread completely around the globe and into almost every culture. Throughout the thousands of years that humans have been on this planet the universal idea of success has been altered greatly. Today, the most common vision of a successful life is the ability to consume the greatest amount of stuff by obtaining the most amount of money possible. If you are unable to afford a house and own a car then you may be considered unsuccessful. This idea of prosperity, sometimes referred to as the American Dream, is advertised as the absolute life goal however, it is responsible for destroying the very planet that grants us the†¦show more content†¦As civilization developed life became easier and the possession of material goods became more common. However, the availability was not yet at large. For the next thousands of years only the selected wealthy a nd powerful had the luxury of owning unnecessary but socially defining goods for example, jewelery and clothing. This culture carried on until material goods became more and more available and acceptable. During the seventeenth century increased trade routes caused a new middle class made up of traders and businessmen. These entrepreneurs took advantage of their new wealth and made it acceptable to be materialistic and flaunt new belongings in front of others. Relative wealth is the significance of somebody s income based off of the comparison to the people around them. Being or seeming more wealthy than the people surrounding you has been proven by Carson Chow, a senior investigator in the Laboratory of Biological Modeling, to make you more happy than having absolute wealth, which is affluence based on a poverty level or fixed standard. â€Å"Happiness is linked more to relative wealth than absolute wealth† (Chow 1). Relative wealth allows corporations and businesses t o easily read into the minds of their consumers and force them to purchase more without the consumers even realizing. Experts use psychology, propaganda, and planned obsolescence to make people feel that they need to buy more of theirShow MoreRelatedMaterialism vs Happiness in America Essay1206 Words   |  5 Pagesnot even realize the trap society has lured them into. The procurement of material wealth has become an obsession in modern Western culture. The culture has become obsessed with acquiring vast amounts of wealth and anything associated with â€Å"being wealthy†. This need for material objects has intensified overtime. The progression of materialism in the western world has caused a decrease in the happiness and overall well-being of the people that reside in the society. Materialism as defined by Merriam-WebsterRead MoreAnalysis of the Poem Enter without So Much As Knocking by ruce Dawe615 Words   |  3 PagesCollected Poems 1954-1992. ‘Enter Without So Much As Knocking’ shows how consumerism has a negative effect on society. The poem portrays the life of a typical man who is living in the suburbs. It begins with the birth of a child. As the baby begins to observe the world he has been brought into, he sees instructions, signs and expectation. Dawe stresses the point of the first thing that the baby heard, a voice of consumerism on television opposed to a loving and comfortable family. The baby has beenRead MoreComparison: Consumerism and Christianity2171 Words   |  9 Pagesstanding in line for Black Friday deals? Black Friday is often viewed as the epitome of consumerism, but it is actually an example of an extreme, not the typical every day sort of consumerism. In all actuality there are many aspects of consumerism, some beneficial and some harmful to the populace. As humans were created to consume, consumerism and Christianity are compatible, but only in so far as consumerism does not become a fully materialistic pursuit. This is clearly demonstrated largelyRead More Freeganism: An Eco-friendliness Way of Living Essay examples1142 Words   |  5 PagesHutchins, a passionate supporter of this form of life, depicts it as dumpster diving to use resources that would go to waste, voluntary work that includes sharing human resources, such as time and skills, and finding ways to limit consumption and materialism in our own lives and those of others. A variety of reasons people choose to participate in the freegan lifestyle are more diverse than one would think. Uninformed bystanders may initially imagine the homeless scavenging bins to survive, butRead MoreDeath of a Salesman - Materialism Alienation1696 Words   |  7 PagesModern Tragedies deal with modern issues such as materialism, consumerism, procrastination and alienation. To what extent does Death of a Salesman show evidence of at least two of these issues, and how does Miller present them? Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ is a modern tragedy; one that incorporates both the tragic genre presented in theatres for centuries as well as essences of the modern world we live in. Materialism is a modern phenomenon, something which possibly began due to the AmericanRead MoreReclaiming the American Dream Through Community Service1250 Words   |  5 Pagesthe superfluities of life. These superfluities of life distract from achieving the true American Dream. I believe that the true American Dream has to reflect the three founding tenants: â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† The fact that consumerism makes up the majority of our lives shows that we need to change our attitude of the American Dream, thus, we should follow Thoreau’s revolutionary advice in â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† Firstly, the American Dream has turned into a contradiction. UponRead MoreThe World Is Too Much With Us And The Unknown Citizen2049 Words   |  9 Pagesirresponsibility, and if the object of the poem, the common man should be scorned or pitied. That the common man who is busy conforming to the norms of the state and the society has lost connection with his natural surroundings evokes sympathy for him. Materialism has subsumed his capacity to think to an extent that he cannot even decide whether he is free to do as he wishes – can he say no to enlisting for war? Or can he hold an opinion that did not coincide with the larger public? The tone of the authorsRead MoreMyrtle Wilson as the Wasteland Figure in the Great Gatsby1597 Words   |  7 Pagesout what he sees as the faults of modern society. Myrtle is materialistic, superficial, and stuck living in the physical wasteland referred to as the valley of ashes. Fitzgerald uses her to portray the social wasteland, particulaly the growing materialism and superficiality of modern society. He makes a huge statement about the repression of the impoverished by the upper-class in the modern wasteland through Myrtle. She not only lives in the geographical wasteland, but she also embodies the moralRead Moreâ€Å"Marketing, Consumerism, Materialism and Ethics: the Modern Marketing Conundrum†4276 Words   |  18 Pagesinto existence. Companies had to market their products in an ethical and responsible manner. This created more pressure on the companies. To tackle this problem the companies had to resort to aggressive marketing strategies. Companies knew that materia lism is considered very important in a market like India because all people want physical possession of the products that they buy. So they resorted to unethical marketing. Yet they are successful in their businesses. Making profit at the expense ofRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects On The Environment Essay1966 Words   |  8 Pagesexcessive demand for consumer products has created most of the present ecological imbalances. Consumer products go through a multitude of steps that are required for them to turn into the final product we see in our everyday life. This push towards consumerism entails a push to an exponential increase in the practices that lead to the creation of the pollutants that are contributing to global warming in such adverse ways. These shortcomings will become a much bigger issue than most people imagine it

Social Networking Sites Improve Children s Communication

Social networking sites are web-based platforms used by many individuals to interact with friends and family over the Internet, as well as to build social relations with people who share similar interests. Each user has an individual account represented by a profile that allows them to share personal interests such as pictures, music, videos, hobbies, activities and events within their individual networks. Most networking sites are free of cost and only require basic information such as full name, date of birth and an email, in order to create an account, through which the user can have access to millions of other profiles and their shared data. The personal information used to create an account is not verified and could be effortlessly made-up, making it easy for predators to create profiles with bogus information and, allowing them to pose as someone else. Many parents consider that these social networking sites enhance their children’s communication skills and social connec tions, while serving as a form of entertaining portal that allows young people to express themselves. Social networking sites have become a contemporary medium of connection highly appealing to teenagers. However, the lack of secured member identity confirmation on these sites poses a risk especially to teenagers that are easily impressionable and naive. This gives predators the upper hand when it comes to having all the tools to facilitate them taking advantage of their targets. The dangers this way ofShow MoreRelatedSocial Media And Its Effects On Society1359 Words   |  6 PagesPeople may say social media is good for you but is it really? Everyday, everywhere I always see people on social media calling people bad names, not being able to communicate face to face with each other. Social media, social media, social media†¦ oh what is has done to the world, so many students grades have dropped, criminals PROMOTE crimes. Ultimately, what is at stake here is social media will o ne day take over the world. People’s safety will be in danger, crimes will increase, people will getRead MoreEssay on Social Networking Sites: Beneficial to Society1451 Words   |  6 PagesSocial networking sites are great for society, promoting increased communication and connection between hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. While some people do argue that the dangers of online networking far outweigh the benefits, it is clear that this is not the case; rather it is the other way around. Online social networking can be broadly defined as any website or other type of online communication that allows people to interact with each other. Blogging, or keeping an onlineRead MoreTHE IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKS Essay835 Words   |  4 Pagesindicates that social networks sites are here to stay. Social network sites need to convey a sense of responsibility. Based on the increasing level of social sites engaging in ecommerce, communication and socialization, the need of privacy protection is passed on to individuals. What this research paper has demonstrated is that there are implications users need to be aware of before signing up and placing their profile on these social network sites. Social Network sites for human communication are risingRead MoreDevelopment of Social Networks and Their Impact on Society949 Words   |  4 PagesThe contribution of Informatics to the development of social networks and their impact on society. With the progression of technologies that are able to overcome the obstacles of time and space (e.g., airplanes, cars, the Internet), one would think that these tools would be used to gain an understanding of other cultures, meet people all over the world, maintain and strengthen familial relationships, communicate effectively with others, and help people to become more socially strong. However,Read MoreHow Technology Has Its Impacts On Family Life1585 Words   |  7 Pagesnoteworthy change in family unit web usage and the Media. Investing in family energy has changed with the over use of the web. Internet and media have become a powerful tool, where people are not only using it for entertainment, but also using it for communication and education (Sarbe, Graesh Alvik, 2011). Though Media framework including Radio, Television, daily papers, motion pictures impact individuals mentally to a bigger degree, it has turned into a fundamental innovative instrument in normalRead MoreTechnology Can Be Both Beneficial And Harmful In Many Different1704 Words   |  7 Pagesother hand the rise of the internet is strengthening our ability to scan information rapidly and efficiently. Companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google associated with social media, are making societies feel the growing need for new and improved technology, although social media is creating a distracting environment that keeps people s mental ability from to learning and growing, it also has been built as useful tool that enables anyone to access information and gain knowledge at any time right fromRead MoreThe Impact Of New Social Media Technology On Young People1491 Words   |  6 PagesThe Impact of new social media technologies on young people OBSTRACT How the new social media technologies’ impacting on young people in today’s society? The study will examine the positive and negative impact of new media technologies on young people. It will explores on how new media technologies such as computer games, video games, face book, television, twitter, mobile phones, you tube, internet, television, whatsApp, Viber, Snap chat, and other modern technology are playing major role onRead MoreCyberbullying : Overstated But Not Overrated Essay987 Words   |  4 PagesCyberbullying: Overstated but not Overrated Bullying is the buzzword of education in the early 21st century. It s new, it s hot, it s everywhere from CNN to church homilies. Cyberbullying is considered an especially sexy topic, and is blasted across just about every television channel, social networking site, message board, and education manual. It is so overstated that its mention has become like the white noise of a refrigerator humming in the background of our existence. With as much saturationRead MoreSocial Media And Its Effect On Communication1269 Words   |  6 PagesSocial media and social networking seems to be play an imperative part in individuals lives around the world. Not only is it part of your everyday life, but it is also about of the workforce world as well. Many can debate whether social media is crippling or in fact improving our communication skills. Perhaps sitting behind a computer communicating with our family and friends seems to be getting easier. However, what happen to the days where one would hav e to pick up the phone and reach out to theirRead MoreThe Internet Can Make People Smarter And Their Lives Easier1561 Words   |  7 Pageshand-eye coordination motor skills are being learned while using the mouse. It can also improve social skills in teens, help children become better learners, make society healthier, and improve cognition in humans. The internet makes our lives easier with a click of a button and can improve physical, as well as mental attributes. While the internet has its downsides, the motor skills gained, the practice of communication, the knowledge gained about health, and the improved cognition have a greater upside

When I Met My Bestfriend...Ashley free essay sample

One day at Westwood Elementary School in a second grade class, I was sitting in the back of the room in Mrs. Ulrich’s classroom just doing my phonics classwork. I was 8 years, had long hair, was light-skinned and was 4ft 10in tall. It was about 9:35 a.m. and my teacher got called to the office. She came back with a girl by the name of Ashley†¦Ashley Gordon. She was 9 years old and had two ponytails in her hair. She was dark-skinned and had brown eyes. My teacher had asked, â€Å"Could someone help out Ashley?† Nobody raised his or her hand so then Mrs. Ulrich said, â€Å"Zyonua, why don’t you help out Ashley. You are one of my respectable kids in this class, and it would be an honor if you show Ashley around.† Since I was a really nice person, I said, â€Å"Ok Mrs. Ulrich, I’ll do it. We will write a custom essay sample on When I Met My BestfriendAshley or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † I said. After my teacher called me, I had got done with my phonics work and it was time for lunch, so I helped show her where most places were in the school. I showed her where the classrooms on the second floor were and where the pre-school room was and where the lunchroom was. After lunch we talked and got to know a lot about each other. I found out she had came from the school Hyde Park. I told her, â€Å"I have been here since kindergarten.† And then she responded back by saying, â€Å"So that’s only two year here. But it’s still cool.† The next year in third grade, we both were in a teacher’s class named Mrs.Dupriest. She really loved us both. She used to ask us to help out with a lot of things like putting thing up on the walls and putting things up in and around the classroom. After me and Ashley would do this, our teacher would reward us with bubble gum and me and Ashley both love bubble gum. One day I asked Ashley, â€Å"Do you want to be my best friends?† She responded by saying, â€Å"Yeah! Let’s be best friends forever!† We both have been best friends ever since second grade. After three years, we were both in fifth together. Our teachers’ names were Mrs. Rosser and Mrs. Retic. They both were really cool teachers. I remember when Ashley had told me, â€Å"Mrs. Retic looks so evil, she never smile at all. She always lookin’ at somebody so evil and she always yellin’ at somebody. And her eye look crazy as hell!† After Ashley told me that and started cracking up because the way she said it was so funny. Then I told her, â€Å" Girl you crazy. But I aint even gonna lie, that yellin gotta stop for real. And that eye just scare the crap outta me.† Then she started laughing and said, â€Å"Aw hecky na. You crazy Zy!† After the first two months of school, Ashley just disappeared out of nowhere and didn’t come back. I had found out she went to Cheviot Elementar y. Ashley and me didn’t see each other for three years, until the first day of school when I came to Cheviot Elementary School for my eighth grade year. Now that we are both able to see each other, we are so happy. The End

The Equality Of Women In ChaucerS Wife Of Bath Essays -

The Equality Of Women In Chaucer'S Wife Of Bath The Equality of Women in Chaucer's Wife of Bath There have been many different interpretations of what Geoffrey Chaucer stood for, but one of the most argued is that of the equality of women. As seen in several of Chaucer's works, this is especially exhibited in the Canterbury Tales. Although some scholars debate that he was only writing down what he saw in his present society, others insist that he was very much an advocate for the equality of women. With his character the Wife of Bath, Chaucer is able to show how Renaissance women lived under the submission of men before and during marriage, where they stood after marriage, and how that they dreamed for the equality of women. The women that lived during the Renaissance Period were principally submissive under men. According to Margaret Hallissy, Whatever her estate, woman needs rules. She needs them because she is fallen, fallen through Eve, whose punishment was to be subordinate to her husband, as are all her daughters to their husbands in their turn, to the end of time (9).This statement shows the attitude toward women during the Renaissance time period. Women were to do what they were told and if they did not then the man could punish them just as God punishes man. The Wife of Bath talks about this happening in her fifth marriage when she tears out pages from her husband's book. She said that he struck her so hard on the side of the head that she lost the hearing in that ear (Chaucer, 213). Chaucer also displayed the subjugation of women even before this when the Wife of Bath was talking about her first marriage which took place at the age of twelve years old. She did not have a choice in the matter of marriage. She was married at the age of twelve because that was what she was told to do by her father. She left home and became a wife. The only equality that women had in this time was in sexuality within the marriage. At this time, the Church controlled sex because too much sex was seen as sinful and when they were disinterested in sex it was good because this was close to the purity in virginity (Hallissy, 12). This is how the Wife of Bath claims to control her five husbands, but she does not wholly have freedom or dominion over her husbands. The men still continue to have control over the women of the time, no matter what their status is. Chaucer is able to use the status of the Wife of Bath as a widow because they had a little more independence. There are many statements made that show her feelings of entrapment within the society even though she was still aloud to attend to her dead husbands' lands and to her business of weaving. The widows during this time were thought to show the grief and anguish for their husbands because that was to be their life's devotion. As noted, the Wife of Bath was married five times which would automatically go against the clergy's bidding of her. This is when Chaucer really begins to bring in the want of equality. The Wife begins to quote scripture to support her remarriages. She also refers to other texts like Valerius and Theophrastus and Jovinian, which are antifeminist texts, in a way that was backward in order to suit her own uses of the works. A master of parody, Alisoun turns Jerome's words back on themselves, says Mary Carruthers (26). The wife is seen as nagging or gossiping and most of the statements will be dismissed, but it seems Chaucer wanted to use her as the voice of the movement for equality. We don't love a man who carefully watches where we go; we want to be at large, and Forbid us a thing and we desire it are both texts that show what the women of the time were longing for (197,205). Elaine Hansen feels that at this time the women are questioning why they are in this submissive role and whether or not it is really consti-tuted by the Bible (31). The women of Chaucer's time are crying out for an equalization between the sexes and through the Wife of Bath, Chaucer shows his sympathy. The Wife of Bath's tale in the book is what the women of the Renaissance,