The Siren Call of Consumerism

I am right now reading an excellent book by a woman named Julie Schor. It's called Born to Buy and it is a seering exposure of the evils of consumerism that now run rampant in American society. Parents would benefit greatly from it, as would anyone who sometimes feels a bit guilty or wasteful in regards to spending too much money on unnecessary goods. I certainly fall in that category, and I'm certainly benefiting from this book. That's not to say that I agree with every point Schor makes, or even with Schor's basic worldview. I don't think I do. But there are often pearls to be found in secular literature.

Schor's basic point is this: companies, pursuing profits at any cost, are targeting children and creating in them a desire for "cool" products that they do not need. Schor chronicles numerous examples of this trend and supplements her points with statistics and interviews. The resulting read is enlightening and fascinating. It is also condemning. I was raised in a home that actively fought the consumerist mentality, and for that I am now very glad. Yet even with strong parental leadership, I still developed a love for Nike products. This love was due to Nike's success in positioning itself as the purveyor of cool. Nike thus became a part of my identity. I scoffed at cheaper brands and clothed myself in Nike product after product. I didn't realize it then, but I was buying wholesale the myth of consumerism, that I was a cooler, better, happier person because of the goods I purchased.

If you live and breathe, then I think you know what I'm talking about. I've observed people close to me "needing" to buy certain brands that sell single items of clothing at 150 dollars. These people, like me with my expensive Nike fixation, were allowing worldly culture to dictate their beliefs and principles. They were casting an identity for themselves that was based on brands and goods, not on belief in God. For those of us who subscribe, wittingly or unwittingly, to this mindset, shopping becomes a recreation, the mall becomes a Mecca, and goods become our release. We buy what we do not need to satisfy desires that we should not have. Instead of building relationships, enjoying nature, or serving the needy, we build our wardrobe, enjoy our goods, and serve ourselves. As I look at such behavior patterns, I'm honestly ashamed of myself. I have been duped by the world, I now realize. I truly have thought that J. Crew and Brooks Brothers makes me who I am. I have looked down on those who reject such thinking. In the process, I've played the fool, albeit the fool who thinks he's wise.