Consuming Ourselves

Do You Really Need More to Feel More?

Will there ever be a point where you make one last purchase and then you're happy? Psychologist and author Oliver James offers up his theory of 'Affluenza'. James says "(A)n epidemic of mindless consumerism is sweeping the world with the compulsive pursuit of money and possessions making people richer but sadder." Seems paradoxical, and yet despite "having it all" what would drive people to the point of financial ruin and, possibly, divorce, substance abuse or suicide?

When is enough, literally, enough?

A new film "...reveals that the financial industry's best customers are the broke and the bankrupt. The most profitable niche of the industry is called "alternative" or "sub-prime"-- euphemisms for a business formerly known as loan-sharking. They target those with less than perfect credit-people...

"...(The film) explores the financial industry's influence over the President and Congress. When you are the largest contributor to a President's re-election campaign, you can not only write laws but you can eliminate one of the oldest federal rights: bankruptcy. The industry gets whatever it wants. The result? Traditional protections disappear. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer."
- From http://www.maxedoutmovie.com/

American consumers are over $2.4 trillion in debt. That's trillion, folks. And yet bank profits broke new records in 2006, largely due to those little fees paid out in the form of interest, late fees, over-the-limit fees and, of course, ATM fees. People use their own homes as cash machines (in the form of refinancing or equity loans) to supplement their credit card spending, pursuing the next purchase that will make all the long hours at work and personal alienation worth the sacrifice. Imagine the scenario of the snake eating its tail, satisfying its hunger while destroying itself. And now imagine the kind of mental state this puts people in: working more to own more, owning more but now having to work more. Rinse and repeat.