A Materialistic Society?

[purechris]

thanks faust

looks like I added a few new books to my reading list

[em 692]

i like this idea of "new" luxury...

thanks for the article, faust.

[satori]

consuming does not lead to permanent happiness, focus on the diamond inside of you!

[LoveMyBoots]

Before I was a lot more practicable with my money and had more of it to spend. But nowadays I feel bad when I buy something since I'm always questioning whether I really need it or will really use it. Whenever I spend too much money when I know I could have spent less, I tend to sulk over it for a while. Especially when I get/spend big purchases, my parents always use the arguement that I am never satisfied with anything I buy.

A former teacher of mine said something that reminded me of this thread.
My parents just brought an iMac G5 recently this summer, which is the computer he wanted. And I told him I was frustrated over the fact that Apple just rereleased my computer with new features and most importantly a new processor. Supposely it's said to be 2x faster than my version. He saw it as complaining and to pretty much sum it up, I'm the epitome of teenage materialism. I just wanted the most for my money- the new version is cheaper too.

[milkeyedmender]

lovemyboots, i'm in exactly the same position. i want the new imac darnit!

by the way, i'd jsut like to say i hate the way people idolise people like bono and bob geldof for their good deeds, sure they were the faces of big initiatives, but not the brains behind them. they're good people, not great people.

[Lena]

Originally Posted by faust

A very interesting IHT article on luxury goods, from www.iht.com

America's take on "new" luxury
By Katie Weisman International Herald Tribune
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2005


..................Yet Myers sees another scenario less lucrative for luxury makers: leasing.
"One big thing we're seeing with luxury is that consumers don't see the need to own anything anymore," he says. The attitude is: "Why do I need to buy a Porsche when I can lease it for $300 a month?"
"The consumers watch what's going on at the Academy Awards with all the borrowed dresses and jewelry. It's not real," Myers continues. "They ask: If the stars can do it at that level, then I can do it at my own level. Why should I make this investment?"

yes, i find leasing much more 'forward' than owning

excellent article, thanks for sharing faust

[Phaeton]

Originally Posted by purechris

thanks faust

looks like I added a few new books to my reading list

I can't comment on the last two books mentioned, but I recently looked through "Trading Up: The New American Luxury" by Michael Silverstein. I didn't read the whole thing because more than half of it seemed to focus on various success stories of companies who have found how to market themselves as "new luxuries" (off the top of my head these are corps. like Callaway golf, Viking ranges, Victoria's Secret, a California winemaker...) He devotes a chapter to each of these stories and I can't say they interested me much. Although if someone is in marketing or trying to give their own business an image of luxury then this might be helpful.

The first couple chapters were good though. They mostly deal with the mindset of middle-class American consumers and the pattern of buying cheap functional items at places like Costco, Walmart, and Target, so that emotionally important items (cars, kitchens, clothes, and recreation) can be splurged on or "traded up."

Having said this, IMO a better read is "The Overspent American" by Juliet Schor which mainly deals with the issue of why so many Americans are working long hours and making large amounts of money, yet still are not satisfied and feel that they can't afford everything they need. And she points out in the book, "it's not just the poor half that feel this way..."

One other book I've read lately which kind of relates to this discussion is "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz which makes a very strong argument that after a certain point, more choice does not give us freedom or ease, but instead makes our lives exceedingly difficult. This one deals a lot with the psychology of making decisions and dissects the personality types who tend to find themselves satisfied with their choices versus those who usually agonize and feel regret.

[Lena]

excellent recommendations Phaeton, adding up to my to-read list..

i got 'why customers do what they do' by Marshal Cohen, (NPD group)
on McGrawHill but i havent had the time to go through this yet..

[chako012]

Good point Phaeton, choice beyond a certain choice has demonstrated to be more detrimental then beneficial. I myself have found myself walking out of stored that present too much "choice".

This "choice" however has also made people more fickle due to the fact that they can find something similar somewhere else. The growing affluence of society has also mean that people are taking what they have for granted as they can always acquire another one with the right amount of money. This attitude has been reflected in our relationships as out outlook in life ahs become more fickle, we take things for granted.

I blame consumerism...!

[laboheme]

*bump* ...

I hope it's alright to post this link here....this video segment is sort of on-topic, I think.

especially @ about 5:40


Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMMCtWHw4Cs

source credit: Oprah.com

This topic has been rattling around in my head a lot lately.

[gius]

that's a whole interesting topic in the video itself although just a short mention of consumerism
interesting ideas
thanks laboheme

[afterhours]

excellent video laboheme, thanks for posting

[MUXU]

oh nice video!

this reminds me of something i was arguing with a friend recently.
i said, most people or me in specific would buy an expensive designer item for general 3 reasons. 30% design, 30% quality and 30% vanity (which includes, the fame of the brand, the context of this particular collection or piece, the exclusivity etc.)

the video reminds me of different philosophies and how some attack other philosophy.
do we really NEED a philosophy to tell us how or what our society is? and how should our world or ourself be governed? it's like that, identifying with a certain 'form'.

btw, eckhart tolle reminds me of the philosopher from 'Vivre Sa Vie' scene 11, in terms of look i mean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co-c5gPWfiM

[Couture_Tribe]

this is a facinating topic, I just read through every page, why didn't I find this thread earlier??

[Bambam]

This is such a great topic.

While certainly fashion is sometimes an artistic expression, it is more often (subconsciously) a symbol of status or place in society.

I actually wrote a 10-page essay on the history and fashion, and one major theme was the idea of conspicuous consumption and leisure. By wearing expensive clothing, you express not only your "value" (how much money you make, how much money you are able to spend on novelty items), but you also are sending a message that by wearing the expensive, flimsy items that you have the luxury of leisure - you can't garden in an expensive outfit.

Very interesting topic, I am glad that I came across this.