Consumerism Rant

[bbar97]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, I chose the one that seemed the most relevant.

So I just want to point out/rant about some aspects of consumerism. Some of these are pretty big pet peeves of mine and I was curious if others have the same opinion.

First, deceptive product advertising. A lot of people (especially sidewalkers) don't think about things like this, but things like the fact that juices are sold as "100% juice" when really water is added to them bother me. (Just a simple example) Or, when products say "real x flavoring" Does that mean that x is actually used in flavoring it, or just that it tastes like its real?
Also, car commercials are atrocious. "YOU CAN GET ANY NICER NEWER CAR FOR ONLY XXX DOWN!" Like seriously? Is america really at the point where the actual price of the car doesn't matter, only the montly payments? No wonder we have so much debt.
The whole idea of credit card debt? There are very few situations in which you should ever have standing credit card debt. Thats like reverse investing. Even before I started reading unscripted I was bothered by this stuff. Does anyone know why more people don't realize spending more than you make isn't the way to live? I just don't get it.

 

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[socaldude]

The debt industry is one of the most lucrative industries in our economy.

It means you can have something you cannot afford by lying to yourself that you can afford to make the monthly payment.(Instant gratification or an event)

We live in a world were its better to LOOK hip and successful than to actually be.

I stopped being materialistic when I realized the most important things CANNOT be seen. And I really didn't want to base my self-esteem on something external cause cars get old and "stuff" get replaced every damn year.

I guess its cause people think they won't be accepted or admired without anything luxury in their ownership but as you get wiser you will see that people judge you more based on who you are as a person. Again back to the idea that the best ownership you can have is internal qualities.

Your number one goal in pursuit of freedom should be to overhaul your mind so you can think and act in a manner that most business people can't. Not finance a 3 series BMW while working at walmart.

 

[meridian_blue]

A lot of these problems really stem from two issues. The first is that people, consciously or subconsciously still believe that happiness can be bought through things. The second is a lack of proper financial education.

As for the first, a lot of advertising is really just appealing to people's most base tribal instincts. 'Increase your physical/sexual attractiveness through this product!' or 'You will reach the top of your tribal hierarchy by displaying this luxury car!'. Subconsciously, this is why people buy these products and even though advertisers don't explicitly express these mottos it's ultimately what they are selling, and the core reason people buy.

As for financial education, you really need to look at the system. Even well-educated people are tied to SCRIPTED, Slowlane beliefs. The situation is even worse for uneducated people. People don't realize how damning credit card debt can be, or can't extrapolate from "Lease for $500 a month!" into "This is a massive loan with an atrocious interest rate that will impact my future".

It is a difficult system we live in...