 "Materialism"
or "consumerism" is the passion for obtaining "things" that, while they
may enhance lives, are not essential for living: expensive clothing, electronics,
entertainment, and so on. Adults began to get caught up in this pattern of behavior
in the early fifties and it has grown more and more ingrained in our society ever
since.
Largely as a result of unparalleled prosperity in the United
States during the decade of the nineties, our fixation with buying, according
to many experts, is now threatening the well being of many of our children.
Businesses and industries throughout Wisconsin are in critical need of relatively
inexpensive labor. Teenagers, with their natural high energy levels and enthusiasm
are an ideal and abundant source for that labor.
In turn, the lust today's
teens have for "things" and "possessions" leads them to cherish jobs for as many
hours per week as they can possibly manage. This provides them with the money
they need to buy what's important to them.
And what is important to the
great majority?
"Generally they're not saving money for college,"
says former State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Herbert Grover. "Statistics clearly
back that up. They're supporting a materialist life style."
Why do
they want what they want? Because of the influence of their parents' lives, because
in their peer groups they are "defined by what you own," and, in no small part,
because of the enormous influence of today's marketing and advertising aimed directly
at them. Since they will account for the expenditure of nearly 160 billion dollars
in the year 2000, there is good reason for sellers of goods to enthusiastically
pursue teen business.
Of course, in response to such courtship, kids
tend to want more and then need to work more to get more money to buy more things.
Ed Lump, Executive VP/CEO of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, sees
that as a positive influence in kids' lives. "I think that materialism can be
a positive force. It does give people, individuals, the desire to achieve good
things, to do better, to be able to afford the material things that they would
like."
A job, though, can have an effect on school. Former Green
Bay Superintendent of Schools Lyle Martens has been working with students since
1986. "There were a significant number of kids coming to school and sleeping in
class. We found out they were working to buy things not of need but of want. They
were buying radios and all this kind of stuff instead of working to save money
for college or for some other use."
Lauren Schuster, 18, a good student
who is heavily involved in extracurricular activities as well as work, says she
is saving money for college. "Working is not so much of an option as a necessity
in this day and age, and I think most students my age would agree with that. Thirty
thousand dollars a year for college education is not cheap and my parents cannot
afford that. It's something that I need to provide for myself and I need to start
doing that while I'm in high school."
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Materialism
The
term "materialism" is not a product of today's society. As a philosophical concept,
it dates back to the 6th Century BC. In that context it is a theory that physical
matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind,
and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena. It denies
the existence of spirits, souls, and gods, and it insists that all activities
are based on physical properties. It further suggests that physical well being
and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life.
Today, the term "materialism" still suggests that "physical well being and
worldly possessions" are to be greatly valued in life, if not valued above all
else.
The term "consumerism," used today almost interchangeably with
"materialism," is a much more recent theory based on the concept that a progressively
greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial. Its common connotation
is an attachment to materialistic values or possessions. |
