Draft For Paper 2 Creative Writing Examples

Like the old adage says, money does not buy happiness, nor does materialism or consumerism. Consumerism/materialism is not only a personal problem, but an environmental one. In our contemporary society, we have countless shopping malls/centers where individuals use extra time spending their cash than ever before, explaining why the number of Americans filing for bankruptcy is ever increasing. The co-authors of Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic discuss in detail the concept of consumerism or materialism, taking an opposing stance on the subject of consumerism. This book is split into 30 chapters, categorized into 3 sections, placing consumerism in the context of a disease: Section 1 talks about Affluenza symptoms, section 2 describes its causes, and section 3 talks about treatment. The book defines Affluenza as “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dodged pursuit of more” (2). This pursuit of more good results in the problem of over-consumption. The book describes America’s “addiction to stuff” and the toll it is taking on their families, communities, personal health, and the world. According to the book, Affluenza is most common in the United States, but it is spreading worldwide as the American lifestyle of overwork and over-consumption is replicated. This paper analyses the concept of crazed consumerism or materialism that leads to the problem of over-consumption in our society, based around the concepts found in Affluenza, including the increasing availability of credit cards, competition for acquiring more among consumers, and consumers’ insatiable need for more stuff. Moreover, one of the major effects of over-consumption (making consumers bankrupt) is discussed in this paper.
As stated above, the increasing availability of credit cards in our modern society is one of the main causes of over-consumption. The ease of acquiring goods among consumers has greatly contributed to American materialism. With credit cards, shopping is very easy, since people do not need to carry large amounts of cash to shopping malls, as it could get stolen or misplaced. Thus, the rising availability of credit cards in society leads to crazed consumerism among Americans, and citizens from other countries. The authors in Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic verify that Americans prefer credit cards than cash when shopping: “One of the first things we do when people come here is cut up their credit cardThe whole availability and ease of credit cards makes it hard for people to remember that they are dealing with real money” (19). Thus, by consumers having all of their income available to them in indiscrete amounts, they end up buying more stuff and this result to the problem of overconsumption. Moreover, the book discusses the continuing decrease in savings rates among Americans: “when the film Affluenza was produced, Americans were saving just under 4 percent of their incomes, half the German rate and only a quarter that of JapanBut today our national savings rate hovers near zero and in some months falls below that line” (21). This means that people spend all their earnings in consumption, and therefore do not save their money. The ease of shopping as a result of the availability of credit cards contributes heavily to this trend. The majority of my family members and friends possess these cards, so they use them in their day to day shopping; I have also experienced them complaining about purchasing stuff they did not need when using these cards. They also complain that at the end of the month, they have to pay their bills with these credits cards and it decreases the amount they save from their paycheck.
The other cause of over-consumption is competition among consumers. The level of competition among neighbors to maintain a certain standard of living is increasing at an alarming rate. For example, the authors note that, “On America’s streets of dreams, the competition is fierce. McMansionsDouble McMansionsDeluxe McMansionspopping up like mushrooms in a frenzy of home wars” (25). This competition brings about the problem of overconsumption, as consumers purchase more stuff than they need. The co-authors also talk about the concept of “keeping up with Joneses,” personifying the fierce competition among consumers. The book notes that, “In one magazine ad from the ’50s, readers are encouraged to ‘keep up with Joneses’ by driving what that family is driving: a Chevy” (29). This competition directly leads to the overconsumption problem, as people scramble to get things they do not need so they can not have the illusion of ‘falling behind’ compared to others. I have personally experienced a friend of mine trying to compete with our neighbors for stuff. After spending his cash on expensive things, he ended up over consuming and eventually became bankrupt. This person ended up with piles of debt, and he ended up being sued in court. His possessions were auctioned to pay some debts, but this did not solve the problem. At the end, he was declared bankrupt and went through hard times, to the point where he started to have mental problems. After going through debt counseling, the man realized that he was the one who contributed to his fate by trying to compete with others in a vicious cycle of materialism.
The other cause of the problem of over-consumption in our contemporary society is our insatiable need for stuff. People are not satisfied with what their earnings can afford to buy. They end up overworking to get extra cash to fulfill their desire for things. After working for long hours and getting additional cash, individuals fill the shopping centers/malls to buy what they want; this results in overconsumption. This urge to acquire more stuff has made it impossible for consumers to stop over-consuming: “We have a lot more stuff and much higher material expectations than previous generations did” (24). In addition to this, this need for “stuff” makes Americans spend much of their money on consumer goods that are not necessary, a phenomenon that contributes to the problem of over-consumption. The co-authors in Affluenza note that, “Since WWII, Americans have been engaged in a spending binge unprecedented in history. We now spend nearly two-thirds of $11 trillion economy on consumer goods. For example, we spend more on shoes, jewelry and watches ($100 billion) than on higher education ($99 billion)” (13). Many individuals that I have seen suffering from the over-consumption problem are people who are always dissatisfied with the little they have, and their pursuit for more stuff makes over-consume.
The over-consumption problem has various major effects. Crazed Consumerism is a phenomenon that makes individuals become poor managers of their money. This makes many individuals misuse their cash on stuff that they do not need; at the end, they become bankrupt. There has been an increasing number of individuals who are declared bankrupt in the United States, a disturbing end result of this crazed consumerism. Affluenza discusses the concept of bankruptcy, demonstrating that it is one of the effects of consuming more than what is needed: “In each of the past eight years, more Americans have declared personal bankruptcy than graduated from college.” (4) In a very real sense, this showcases the pervasive problem of overconsumption in our society. Furthermore, the authors note that the current rates of bankruptcy exceed those that were experienced during the Great Depression, solidifying the fact that overconsumption has become a major problem in our society: “Each year, in fact, more than a million and a half people-up from 313,000 in 1980, and including one of every 70 Americans file for personal bankruptcyEvery 15 seconds, an American goes bankrupt” (20). I have seen these things in my own life, as my good friend became bankrupt and was forced into debt counseling as a result of his overconsumption.
The problem of overconsumption can be solved, but it must be done by the people involved taking action and changing their own habits. One possible solution for this problem is the people of consumerist and materialist societies adopting simpler and more frugal lifestyles. Through doing this, we will be satisfied with what we can afford, and as a result the urge for wanting more will diminish. Affluenza explores various suggestions, which can help to eradicate this problem, giving advice to lead simpler lives through study circles, voluntary simplicity movements, and websites, among other resources (186). Personally, I have made some simpler lifestyle changes: I have been practicing to adopt non over-consuming behavior by purchasing only what I need. I have started to see the difference in my own attitudes, as I find myself being more satisfied with what I have, and saving a lot more money.
In conclusion, the various causes that lead to consumerism or materialism can be avoided, as we are responsible for them. What we need to do is to learn how to avoid these causes; once we do, consumerism and materialism will be a thing of the past. The adoption of simpler, more frugal lifestyles is the key to solving this problem and avoiding the worst possible outcomes, like bankruptcy or debt counseling.