Consumerism plagues society

The excess of consumption in this consumer society of ours has grown immensely over the past half century. Consumers have always wanted more for their money and as a result, companies have made it easier for consumers to make purchases without moderation in mind.

This kind of system creates a vicious cycle that has been causing damage to society along the lines of health, resources and everyday life.

While I am a red blooded American who believes in capitalism, democracy and the pursuit of happiness, I am not sure if the amount that we consume in our country is one that is actually reflecting what is best for the people. Sure, everyone in America loves apple pie, but how many think the pie of America needs to be as massive as we have made it? As we have become trapped in the vortex of desire due to the great marketing machine, we have given in to a certain degree of gluttony without respecting natural limits.

In the days of "Leave It To Beaver," and even further into the dawn of color television, the level of consumption of the average person was far lower than it is today. Over time, as businesses became more aware of what customers wanted, the rate of production and distribution increased and became more efficient. As a result of consumers indulging in what was offered, the "more is better" mentality became adopted. The station wagons have become SUVs and a can of soda is now a 24-ouncer.

The perspective of what was needed in the past has been redefined as a new perspective of what is needed today. Companies have essentially made it easier to buy products in higher total quantity which is not necessarily good for the individual. This can be seen through the rise of caloric intake from 1975 to 1995. Numbers have risen from 3,200 calories per day to 3,600 in the U.S., while in Europe and Asia the caloric intake has actually declined from 3,200 to 3,100. Comparatively, the world's daily calorie intake has actually declined from 2,750 to 2,400 in the 20 year time period, a statistic that our numbers dwarf. Since the 1970s, men and women's daily caloric intake in the United States has grown an average of 15 percent. According to the "New York Times"' website, this growth was mostly in carb intake, although surprisingly fat consumption dropped. Regardless, this figure has always been (and still remains) higher than what the government has been recommending. As a result of this rise in use of resources, the United States is in the top 30% of the world in terms of spending on health.

Furthermore, the oil usage in the U.S. is at an increasing rate of 50 quadrillion British Thermal Units's annually and is projected upwards of 65 quadrillion BTUs by 2020. Europe, on the other hand, has been at a rate of 30 quadrillion BTUs worth of oil and that rate is projected to not change until 2020. Regardless of the numbers, it does not take a rocket scientist to have noticed the bigger bags of chips, larger popcorns at the movies and the growing depths of gas tanks. As stated in the movie "Super Size Me," this growing amount of immoderation is a result of purchase options that are cheap and easy. The backlashes of these easy fixes affect the population greatly as a whole by bogging down society in the long run with problems pertaining to personal health, the environment and the economy.

Living in this marketing nightmare is remarkably unhealthy for people, as well as the environment. The difficulty is in the fact that it is much easier to purchase products that promote excess instead of moderation. The system that we have created is consumer driven and, luckily, changes can be brought about. In order for these changes to occur, people must practice consumer responsibility by making good choices. Through supporting companies promoting moderation people can use the law of supply and demand to change the options that we have at our convenience.

Sources: www.nytimes.com www.povertymap.net