Why are we such a nation of consumers ?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Why are we such a nation of consumers ?

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:21:31 AM EDT

Sitting here vegging on TV and watching ad after ad of "buy this cheap shit"…Than I log onto here and see the "what would you buy yourself with 10k" thread and it got me to thinking, why the hell are we such a nation of consumers?

It seems like we thrive on cheap foreign made shit to make our lives more tolerable. Granted I am as guilty of this as anyone, but as I look around at all the shit I've bought over the years that is now either not working, or does not get used, I can't help but think of how much cash I'd have in the bank had I not bought any of that in the first place.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:22:40 AM EDT

[#1]

Cause we are first world.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:24:31 AM EDT

[#2]

Lots of discretionary income.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:25:57 AM EDT

[#3]

It's the slavery we've bought into.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:27:28 AM EDT

[#4]

Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:27:50 AM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
Cause we are first world.

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Posted: 12/14/2013 4:28:26 AM EDT

[#6]

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:28:55 AM EDT

[#7]

I like stuff.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:34:18 AM EDT

[#8]

Put as simply as possible: Advertising works.

Whether it's consumer goods or politicians, the people who count know that advertising will affect the decisions of more than 90% of the population.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:38:55 AM EDT

[#9]

Because we can. We've seem to have lost lost a lot of what we used to have and "things" are all that is left. Thats why our poor are rich compared to the rest of the world.

It get particularly disturbing this time of year. One reason i no longer get worked up over stupid things like using the term holiday tree and placed banning santa and the colors red and green.

Those things are not "Christmas" (although some individuals may be indeed celebrating Christmas), we may as well be dancing around a fatted calf. The ads and commercials are particularly bizarre.

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Posted: 12/14/2013 4:39:34 AM EDT

[#10]

Get Both!

It's our way….

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:43:33 AM EDT

[#11]

In America our economic engine is fueled by consumer spending. Advertisers lead people to believe that happiness is just a purchase away from attainment. The pleasure is short lived, so consumers move onto the next thing to start the process again. There are many things more precious than anything that can be bought. The pity is that many will never look in the right places.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:45:48 AM EDT

[#12]

When I was 17, I worked for an Indian service station owner. One time he told me he thought Americans were crazy because we spent so much money on packaging. He said that in India, you could buy the same items....but that the cost was a small fraction of what it is here because everything has to be so elaborately packaged to catch the consumer's eye.

"You are a society that likes the bright, shiny stuff......and you throw all that packaging away."

I simply responded:

Yeah.....but I have a BIG trash can.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:48:35 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?&id=PSAVERT&scale=Left&range=Max&cosd=1959-01-01&coed=2013-10-01&line_color=%230000ff&link_values=false&line_style=Solid&mark_type=NONE&mw=4&lw=1&ost=-99999&oet=99999&mma=0&fml=a&fq=Monthly&fam=avg&fgst=lin&transformation=lin&vintage_date=2013-12-14&revision_date=2013-12-14

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Jesus Christ!!

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:49:22 AM EDT

[#14]

Make sense?

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:55:29 AM EDT

[#15]

Why not?

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:56:54 AM EDT

[#16]

Have no fear it's coming to an end.

Posted: 12/14/2013 4:58:03 AM EDT

[#17]

Yay, capitalism!

Posted: 12/14/2013 5:05:58 AM EDT

[#18]

Guess I shouldn't have bought that JD 828D Snow Blower yesterday.

[of course it was used, looked brand new, was used just a couple of times and cost about 40-45% of what a new one costs]

Actually saving [not talking about investing/401K ect] is almost stupid nowadays because of the low interest rates one gets and the inflation rates [1% my ass].

I have a pretty healthy emergency fund and sometimes wonder if it's worth it due to the pitiful interest rates.

Posted: 12/14/2013 5:07:20 AM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
Cause we are first world.

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Yup.

And first world problems are such a bitch.

Posted: 12/14/2013 5:08:08 AM EDT

[#20]

Because we stopped being a nation producers sometime after WWII.

When our consumer spending at Christmas time has become the number one economic indicator used to judge our economic heath...yeah we are screwed!

Posted: 12/14/2013 5:46:28 AM EDT

[#21]

Keeping up with the Jonses is a way of life for far too many lemmings. Programmed since birth by the idiot box (TV) to want more and more shiny objects, and they are continually bombarded with ads pimping the latest new gadget.

Get what serves your actual needs, and forget about trying to impress anyone. Bank the difference for retirement.

Posted: 12/14/2013 6:02:41 AM EDT

[#22]

Buying useless shit serves a distraction from the fact that we are all soon dead and forgotten after having led meaningless and wasted lives.

Posted: 12/14/2013 6:04:53 AM EDT

[#23]

Because the corporations are enslaving us.

Down with capitalism!!!!!

Hillary 2016

Posted: 12/14/2013 6:06:20 AM EDT

[#24]

good question, I almost felt guilty for avoiding so many black friday deals even though I know I don't need shit

my only consistent vice is buying ammo and that adds up quick

Posted: 12/14/2013 6:16:52 AM EDT

[#25]

Spending every penny you earn is the only thing keeping the economy going.

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Posted: 12/14/2013 6:38:24 AM EDT

[#26]

Ask any visitor from outside the US what they think about the "Buy your loved one a Lexus for Christmas" ads.
Buy someone a frigging luxury car for Christmas?

Posted: 12/14/2013 6:41:32 AM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Sitting here vegging on TV and watching ad after ad of "buy this cheap shit"…Than I log onto here and see the "what would you buy yourself with 10k" thread and it got me to thinking, why the hell are we such a nation of consumers?

View Quote

It is how our nations leaders refer to us anymore. Not as citizens but consumers