Affluenza Paper
Often times I go shopping with my mother and when I see something I want, my mother always asks me, "do you really need it or do you want it?" She'll even say this over a candy bar sometimes. Most of the time I know I don't need it, but yet I still find myself buying numerous items that I realize a day later I didn't really need after all. I'm not sure what draws me to buy the things that I buy, is it because it's the latest trend? Am I just obsessed with shoes? Do I want to be noticed buy people? Do the commercials have a huge impact on my spending status? There are countless reasons why people buy the things they buy. I think the two main reasons why people buy these items are because they're keeping up with what the media says is "in" and also, in my own opinion, our society has been conditioned into wanting new and better things almost everyday. Somehow, people have been hypnotized or they've been conditioned to want to buy things, especially when they have no money to spend. This is where credit cards come in handy to most people today. If you don't have extra spending money, credit cards provide a loan so you can do your shopping easier, but you have to pay the bill later, when you really
I believe Affluenza directly affects the American family. I feel the media almost targets the family as their number one consumers to commercials. It appears Affluenza affects everyone all at once. "We now spend nearly $6 trillion a year, more than $21,000 per person, most of it on consumer goods, which account for two-thirds of the recent growth in the U.S. economy. For example, we spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches ($80 billion) than on higher education ($65 billion)." How can we possibly spend that much more money on materialistic items than we do on our education? Isn't education the most important value a person can possess? The items we spend this money on are usually in our "Garage Sale" pile at the end of the month. Our education lasts a lifetime and it's amazing how quickly that concept has gone down the drain. To me my education is costly, but it's very well worth it if I want to make something of myself someday. Education is also affected by Affluenza. More teens are dropping out of high school because they think their job at McDonalds is going to allow them to survive for the rest of their lives. They don't see the big picture of graduating, going off to college and receiving an even better job on the Stock Market or something related to it. Even after high school, most teens just stay home and work summer jobs and get paid minimum wage. The media also tells today's teens they don't need college because they can work on the internet from home selling make-up products, or vacuums. In a way the media gives teens the easy way out because they say college is too expensive. In conclusion, I would like to say that the epidemic of Affluenza has a firm grasp on the American family. The way we spend now is going to have an even bigger affect on our future children. Our children learn from our mistakes, but
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Approximate Word count = 1249
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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