Many people would support the assertion that social networking sites and other media like health and beauty magazines have produced a culture where people think that happiness and success can be found in material objects, like gadgets and clothes. In other words, materialism is now more alive than ever, and people don’t even try to hide nor deny it. People love shopping so much that an item bought gives a consumer instant gratification. This feeling is intensified as one gets to buy more clothes at more affordable prices. This behavior produces a kind of people that always wants more for less, without regard to actual need. Much worse, this leads to people not being able to balance their finances well.
Marc Bain, a fashion expert, has recently spoken about the fact that many people love to buy a lot of cheap clothes. More often than not, people don’t even realize they’re already going over their budget, and they’re already contributing to the destruction of the environment. Bain advises consumers to set a fixed budget for buying clothes. This way, a person could really think about what he or she is buying. Given a fixed budget, one can consider other things like the quality of items, necessity for said items, and a lot more than just quantity. Moreover, when a consumer thinks long and hard about his or her purchases, the unnecessary trash from hoarding clothes one might not even ever use will be curbed; thereby, helping keep the the environment clean.
Vocabulary:
assertion – a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief
materialism – the belief that having money and possessions is the most important thing in life
gratification – pleasure, especially when gained from the satisfaction of a desire
more often than not – usually; most of the time
hoard – a large amount of something that someone has saved and hidden
curb – to control or limit something that is not wanted
True or False:
- Materialism is now more alive than ever.
- An item bought can give one instant gratification.
- Gratification is not intensified when one gets to buy more objects at a lower cost.
- Marc Bain advises consumers to increase their budget for shopping.
- Buying a lot of cheap clothes could destroy the environment.
Express your opinion:
- Do you think people always need the things they buy when they go shopping? Why or why not?
- Have you ever bought something and then never really used it? What was it and why didn’t you use it?
- They say that shopping can become an addiction. Do you agree with this statement? Discuss.
- Which do you enjoy more, shopping for yourself or shopping for other people? Explain.
- Does your country’s tax system affect your shopping behavior? How?
Defend your argument:
- “Shopping is cheaper than therapy.” – Unknown
- “If shopping doesn’t make you happy, then you’re in the wrong shop.” – Mimosa Rose
- “Recreational shopping is the shortest distance between two point: YOU and BROKE.” – Victoria Moran