Paco Dennis
SF VIP
- Location
- Mid-Missouri
Do we really need to buy more and more stuff?
"In the past thousand years of human civilization, most people owned only a few pieces of clothing, maybe a couple toys, and perhaps a few pieces of family heirlooms, cosmetics, or displayable products. Today studies show we own anywhere from 77 to 155 pieces of clothing, with an average of 148. We buy a new phone every couple of years, when our clothes have holes in them, when worn out we just throw them away, when our cars, electronics, and anything we use breaks, we throw them away, and we buy new things. Shopping is a fun activity after all, who would not love to go out and spend a bunch of money on things we do not need for that temporary rush of dopamine? Shopping makes people happy, people want new stuff, and people want more stuff. As products became more and more affordable to the average person, we have seen an explosive growth in demand for various toys, cosmetics, electronics, and necessities.
Consumerism is perhaps one of the most distinguishing symptoms of post-industrial capitalism. Many people today can proudly proclaim going to the mall and shopping is one of their favorite pastime activities. However, this privilege comes at a great cost to the climate and the environment that we may not instinctively realize. Capitalism thrives on the consumerism it helped create and the materialistic society we live in today. To slow down climate change and limit our environmental impact, today’s way of life is far from sustainable. It is not simply about switching to a more sustainable economic system, it is about decreasing our spending on things we do not need. Here, we explore how consumerism drives climate change, the psychology of consumerism, planned obsolescence, and the right to repair."
3 minute read
https://www.theclimatechangereview.com/post/consumerism-capitalism-s-climate-changing-child
"In the past thousand years of human civilization, most people owned only a few pieces of clothing, maybe a couple toys, and perhaps a few pieces of family heirlooms, cosmetics, or displayable products. Today studies show we own anywhere from 77 to 155 pieces of clothing, with an average of 148. We buy a new phone every couple of years, when our clothes have holes in them, when worn out we just throw them away, when our cars, electronics, and anything we use breaks, we throw them away, and we buy new things. Shopping is a fun activity after all, who would not love to go out and spend a bunch of money on things we do not need for that temporary rush of dopamine? Shopping makes people happy, people want new stuff, and people want more stuff. As products became more and more affordable to the average person, we have seen an explosive growth in demand for various toys, cosmetics, electronics, and necessities.
Consumerism is perhaps one of the most distinguishing symptoms of post-industrial capitalism. Many people today can proudly proclaim going to the mall and shopping is one of their favorite pastime activities. However, this privilege comes at a great cost to the climate and the environment that we may not instinctively realize. Capitalism thrives on the consumerism it helped create and the materialistic society we live in today. To slow down climate change and limit our environmental impact, today’s way of life is far from sustainable. It is not simply about switching to a more sustainable economic system, it is about decreasing our spending on things we do not need. Here, we explore how consumerism drives climate change, the psychology of consumerism, planned obsolescence, and the right to repair."
3 minute read
https://www.theclimatechangereview.com/post/consumerism-capitalism-s-climate-changing-child
