Affluenza

There is a sickness on the loose, and it is spreading across the whole of Westernized society. Unlike other pathogens, this one infects virtually everyone, and once you’ve got it, you can go your entire life without knowing you had it. I am speaking of Affluenza "the disease of consumerism." Since mid-twentieth century, Affluenza has spread like wildfire throughout the Western world, leaving nothing in its wake but empty, lonely, unhappy people. In the United States, and elsewhere; there is this belief held by many (and validated through their actions) that life is just one big shopping spree. Fueled by thoughts of “I want,” “I need,” and “enough is never enough,” people are filling their lives at an alarming rate with “things” and then claiming later that their existence feels empty. It’s part of living in a consumerist culture. Prompted to “buy now - pay later” we are fast becoming a materialistic, greedy, and self-absorbed culture.

To put this into perspective; in 1958 only 4% of American households had dishwashers. That percentage has since increased to 50%. Similarly, in 1958 only 1% of the population had a television set, and that has risen to an astounding 97%. We fly 25 times more often than we used to just 30 years ago, and there are some of us who fly just to shop! Shopping malls have become the center of the community, and there are currently more malls in the U.S. than high schools. Studies have revealed that 70% of the American populous visits a shopping center at least once a week, and spends a weekly average of 6 hours shopping. This is due in part to the psychosis that we need more to feel good about ourselves.

Our entire orientation is based on comparison to others. Some theorize that because of this, we suffer feelings of inadequacy if our neighbor has the newest latest material good, and we don’t. Advertisers have keyed into this, and they prey on our misgivings of self-worth. We are bombarded with ads and commercials all designed to cause us to feel that we are not lovable without “stuff.” Especially prevalent among the youth (who on average have been witness to over 1 million commercials by the age of 20!), this is exemplified by adolescents who seek to boost their self-esteem through clothes, and ultimately are left without a sense of identity to prepare them for life as an adult, and in the end, they often perpetuate this shallow behavior for decades.

We are in constant competition with each other to have the best of the best, even when we can’t afford it. So we increase our consumption by working more and saving less, until we experience what is known as “possession overload.” Life becomes taken up, by taking care of “things” instead of people. The more we have, the more we must keep track of. Relationships suffer as we slowly become owned by our “stuff.” People become disposable. If you don’t give me pleasure, I’ll just get rid of you for someone newer, better. But those who fall victim to this treatment are not limited to people we know, or who are in our immediate circles. Volunteerism is on a huge decline, because people just don’t have the time anymore; it’s all spent working to pay off their ridiculously large debts.

It is important to point out that prior to the twentieth century; the word “consumption” had a very negative connotation. It was used to describe the act of exhausting something completely, burning out, or an ending. Yet this has been twisted in the modern age to suit the needs of a free market economy that wants you to believe that “consuming” every last dime in your pocket, in the pursuit of artificial happiness, is the meaning of life. However money and “things” will never bring us lasting happiness. They never have, and they never will. We need to change our ways, and we need to do so now. The United States for example, represents only 4.55% of the world’s overall population, and we consume 25% of the Earth’s resources, and if we continue down this path, there will be nothing left to consume.