Does Marketing 'Envy' Cause Poverty?

Until 9-11, and its ensuing epiphany, I wasn't much interested in economics. Then I quickly grasped that studying the arcane art of money and power was much more entertaining than watching any Hollywood thriller ever produced. Before stating anything else further, my belief is that economics and philosophy complete one another. Although some might argue otherwise, a diatribe as to whether 'Envy' belongs to the realm of philosophy or economics doesn't serve any real purpose at this stage. The bottom line is that 'envy' is detrimental to wallets and portfolios. As a matter of fact, in the Western culture, the world 'Envy' doesn't sound as bad as 'Jealousy'. In many instances 'envy' is even perceived as flattering. It has little to do with its initial meaning, which you will see can be highly threatening.

One of the most striking examples of blatant 'envy' is the made-in China buying frenzy, especially the counterfeit market that may reach up to 1.3 trillion dollars in the world economy by 2010. As most of the glamorous brands selling 'envy' relocated in China in order to satisfy their 'envious' stockholders, their products also became a lot more affordable for the masses. Dynamics of the market being what are, the democratization of 'envy' played out as expected. Indeed it didn't take long at all to see the invasion of fake goods increasing exponentially.

The madness of the 'envious' crowds will end in tears once again. The 'live richly' mindset has much to do with the craze that pumped up the average Chinese stocks by more than 400% since late 2005 - and which shows no sign of slowing. The Chinese government cannot do a thing to rein in the so-called red-hot economy.