Is consumerism the result of low self-esteem?

[7Wannabe5]

@BRUTE:

A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.- Albert Camus

I happened upon this quote yesterday, while reading "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" by Janisse Ray. This memoir of a naturalist who grew up in a junkyard in rural Georgia offer a very interesting perspective on many issues we often discuss on this forum. A junkyard lifestyle and a minimalist lifestyle are in opposition to each other, but both are in opposition to consumerism.

[Farm_or]

@JP thanks for the recommended book. Another guilty pleasure! But I am somewhat proud that my book shelf is bigger than my television...

[jennypenny]

@Clarice--I didn't mean for 'patronage' to sound snobbish. I only meant that I try to use my spending for more than just consumption. I like living in a town with a weekly farmers market so I make a point of buying my produce there. I like that we have a local dairy farm (and I get to pet the cows ), so I go out of my way to buy my dairy there. Same with the local artists colony -- if I have to buy a gift for someone I buy it there. It's no different than buying a book to support an author/blogger you like or doing the patreon thing. It's a different kind of tithing that supports the people and communities than enrich my life somehow.

[suomalainen]

@suomalainen:
I agree with your sentiment. The answer depends on your definition of consumerism. Mine does not include providing basic food, water, shelter, and socially acceptable clothing for myself and others.

I was using yours, which was admittedly quite (unrealistically) broad.

If you consume it's consumerism.

But we're on the same page.

[prognastat]

@Clarice--I didn't mean for 'patronage' to sound snobbish. I only meant that I try to use my spending for more than just consumption. I like living in a town with a weekly farmers market so I make a point of buying my produce there. I like that we have a local dairy farm (and I get to pet the cows ), so I go out of my way to buy my dairy there. Same with the local artists colony -- if I have to buy a gift for someone I buy it there. It's no different than buying a book to support an author/blogger you like or doing the patreon thing. It's a different kind of tithing that supports the people and communities than enrich my life somehow.

I have similar feelings in regards to some of the things I buy. Not as huge on farmers markets etc, but I still try to buy quality books, movies and video games new if at all possible on sale rather than buying used as with the latter the company makes no money at all and if I want them to create more of the things I enjoy they need to be making money off it somehow. If the creators are misbehaving though I might be more willing to buy used or not at all.

I still wouldn't call it good consumerism, but I do want to support things I want to see more off.

[Jason]

I've been reading "Worldly Goods A New History of The Renaissance" by Lisa Jardine. It's about art history. It's not my favorite topic but I may be going to Florence so I thought I should know something.

Her thesis is that Early Renaissance art was not propelled by some idealistic notion of beauty for beauty's sake nor man's ability to express himself in some sort of divine pursuit but for people to document their acquisitions and provides the historical antecedent for modern day consumerism. The paintings are essentially oil based Instagrams. They highlight a man's furniture, his dwelling, his corgi and because of the time, his woman. Some would have a specific portrait commissioned of them wearing a turban just to show they had the resources to buy foreign goods. Consumerism was the driving force behind the art. Similar to church's purchasing relics to increase congregants.

Similarly, the origination American landscape was a result of private property owners wanting to document what they purchased not individual artists motivated to portray the beauty of the natural world. Or at least thats what an artist once told me.

New day, same sun.

[jacob]

How about this? Consumerism is the result of market competitors lowering the price of Veblen goods. So say you've successfully displayed your achievements by buying a fancy turban and having your picture taken with a paintbrush; but then some import-export company floods the market with much cheaper turbans and now there's something called polaroid instant cameras thus making your status instantly available to the masses at low low everyday prices!

Shit, now you gotta go figure out something that's not so easily importable or inventable by the riff-raff. So instead you buy a car worth $30,000 figuring that practically nobody else can afford that because that's an entire year's worth of the median salary in this country. However, you only get to enjoy your fancy car for a few decades before some banker invents consumer credit. So now that you can drive the same car for $199/month, the peasants pile onto your status symbol along with your plasma TV... not to mention flying on monkey-class gets them to exotic places just like you do on first class.

So now you have to figure out something new that sets you apart. Something that's easy for you to get but hard for the oafs. Enter the New Yorker tote bag (which as a proxy signifies that you paid either a lot of money or a lot of time for your education ... and also that you either have time to read or that you have so much cash you don't care to waste a month's car payment on something you don't read). Fill it with organic locally grown strawberries from the farmers' market (indicating that not only are you environmentally 'woke', you also know where the farmer's market is, and you can afford Whole Paycheck prices), a yoga mat (signifying that you're willing to take a much longer and less effective road towards getting in shape than just playing basketball), and some zero-shoes (because five-finger vibrams are so the noughties).

FIRE and DIY certainly fits in there. It may or may not be the next step after yoga mats and NYT subscriptions. We are, after all, rejecting the crassness of Walmart style consumerism and instead consuming stocks and bonds in order to have the freedom of the rich-class. Of course they wouldn't have to work for it (their wealth-manager does it for them) and they probably have no idea what they're worth whereas we aspiring people know it to the nearest cent. Once FIRE opens up, the rich need to find something else that's hard to buy. Like Maltese citizenship. Well, there's always Estonian e-residency for the rest of us.

[Jason]

Based on another thread I was reading here, it appears the rich are working towards their own planet, essentially making earthly life passe.

I was having a conversation yesterday how if I owned a Maserati I'd be pissed about the affordable (under 100K) ones people are now driving around. I'm guessing they will go the way of the Cadillac.

[George the original one]

I think consumerism is the result of advertising.

Uhm, no. Sometimes it is the means to an end.

For instance, I bought a new car two weeks ago. An unnecessary second car. It's sole purpose is to be a nationally competitive car for autocross and provide transportation to/from the events. It will sit unused for 4-6 months per year.

[suomalainen]

I think you answered it two ways:

How about this? Consumerism is the result of market competitors lowering the price of Veblen goods.

vs

Shit, now you gotta go figure out something that's not so easily importable or inventable by the riff-raff.
...
So now you have to figure out something new that sets you apart. Something that's easy for you to get but hard for the oafs.

I would argue your answer is really a psychological need to prove that you're better than the plebes, which is perhaps another way of suggesting that the OP had it right?

[Campitor]

Consumerism is caused by an evolutionary impetus that is harmful now that we're living in a modern age; the harm is exacerbated by current population levels. Humans are hardwired to strive towards excellence. Our biology and psychology has been tuned over the millennia to seek better mates, resources, and habitats. It's the reason we're currently at the top of the food chain. Outside of natural causes, the only thing that reliably kills humans is other humans.

The problem is that our biological drives are now divorced from the reality of our situation. We no longer need all this "stuff" to survive, thrive, or reproduce. We've arrived at the other side of the Laffer Curve in regards to the consumption/procurement of goods and services. We are the yeast in the bottle greedily consuming the sugar in the grape extract - our byproducts will be the source of our immediate demise or a constant misery until we evolve out of it or we learn to be better stewards of this planet.

[Jason]

I don't believe there is one period in recorded history where "following the money" either symbolically or in actuality is not a necessary and enlightening heuristic. Exploring the world was based on opening markets and discovering trade routes. Areas of intense religious conflict often find themselves taking place at logistically optimal locations. Before they could fully maximize the invention of the printing press, scholars saw it evolve into a consumer apparatus. It's not a modern phenomenon. It's a timeless phenomenon.