We live in a consumer society
We live in a consumer society
Introduction
When I first thought about my themes for
project week, I was absolutely sure, that I 'd choose english. Suddenly I saw topic „We live in a consumer society“ and I knew that it would be
mine. It's known that I'm kinda anti-consuming person. I'm vegetarian, I support underground music and lifestyle. I think it's important for people,
to have deeper knowledge about consume, about their consuming lifestyles. People have to open their minds and search and don't take everything that
it's said to them. We have to think about everything we do in your lives. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, man or woman, everyone have a
choice to choose which side he would prefer. Have you ever thought about your shopping? Do you support your local traders, or big hypermarkets by
buying their products? Do you read composition of food you are buying? Do the advertisements have big influence on you? So please, try to be open
minded, during my presentation and make your opinion by your mind no by your TV or masmedia. I'm going to share my opinions and knowledge that I
acquired during making this essay about consuming society.
1 What is consume and consumer society?
Dictionary says
that consume is a verb, which means: to destroy or expend by use, to spend (money, time, etc.) wastefully. So if we live in a consumer society, it
means that we spend our time wasting on unimportant things?
From this definition we can clearly see, that consume isn't helping
society to prosper. No one can deny that we live in a consumer society. What the consumer society acutally is? Let's use dictionary again. A consumer
society rests on consuming material goods as a paramount feature of it's balance and values. Main principe of consumer society is to buy more than
you need, more than you could use. Marketing professionals have a job to do: they want to influence consumers toward purchasing their
organization’s product. To do their jobs, they have to have a good idea about what makes people want to buy and consume. Most often, their focus is
on why a consumer would choose a particular brand of a product, at a particular time and place. Social science research, primarily from psychology
and sociology, forms the basis for the standard marketing view of consumer behavior. And as we can see, they are really sucessfull.
And
someone don't act like true consumer, society makes him feel like he's out. People who try to live in non-consume way are often judged as some kind
of hippies or unsocial jerks. Is that right? Sure it isn't! Have you ever thought about that? Did you ever bought a new gadget, which broke after 2
years or even earlier? For example mobile phones. Consumer society makes you buy a new one because your old phone is broken. But why? In 21st century
we are able to make long lasting gadgets. But we don't. What's more, we support this kind of living. Are we just ill mannered, or too lazy to
change? One day will nature strike back and show us how blind we were.
2 Change
How we can change the consume
way of the world? We can act non-consuming. Vegetarianism or veganism, ecology, recyclation, there are a lots of alternatives. But the main thing
is, not to live just for today, but for your kids and their kids.
2.1 Veganism and vegetarianism
Close your eyes
for a moment and imagine that people aren't on the top of the food chain. Try imagine that on the top are for example pigs. And pigs are killing
people, because they eat them. People live in the farms, in cruel condition, fed by unhealthy food which contains steroids, because pigs want you to
grow faster. For whole your life you haven't seen anything else just walls of your farm, you can't go wherever you want, you can't breathe fresh
air, see the sun... And all your friends, and you too, will die because pigs are so greedy and consuming for their needs.
How would you
feel about that? Vegetarianism and veganism is about respecting the other species. About independence from the system, that dictates you to do what
everyone does. It's not a style, it's a way of life.
Non consuming way of life. It's for whole life, not for the period, it's not fashion
style. If more people would became vegans or vegetarian, less innocent animals would suffer under butcher's knife. If more people start to be open
minded consuming society won't control masses. Would you eat meat if you'd know how it was killed? At least we could try, to change the way the
animals are killed. We call yourself humans, but we kill worse than beasts. And that isn't necessary! One quote by William Shakespeare says: Man
without his word is no better than a beast. In this case I'd like to change it a little. Human without his word and opinions is no better than a
beast.
2.2 Ecology
Firstly, what is ecology? Let's use dictionary again. Ecology (from Greek: οἶκος,
"house"; -λογία, "study of") is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other
and their natural environment. Do people from consumer society respect other species and enviroment? No. We mined more than a half of oil resources
and these resources were created for hundreds years. And we have alternative to cars which use oil. Electric car are designed or cars which function
on principe of solar energy. But why we don't use them? Because people who hold this world and make decisions don't want change. It makes money, and
that's important. Now, I'm going to explain to you biggest ecological problems of the world.
2.2.1 Climate Change
Global warming has been concerning scientists for years. From the melting polar ice to unpredictable weather and ruined ecosystems. What we ought
to do? Why it's happening? Why do so many people still think climate change isn’t real? These are just some of the issues worth exploring. The good
news is that despite the urgency of the crisis, there are new technological developments as well as meaningful lifestyle changes you can make to
help. You can start to use less energetic gadgets, don't use freons, it's all abou knowing, that people could change the world if they really want.
Despite the power and money of 1% of the world.
2.2.2 Energy
Clean energy vs. dirty energy. Renewable energy. We
are addicted to the electricity and we need more and more energy to feed your gadgets. Notebooks, mobile phones, servers. Water power stations are
ruining the ecosystems in rivers, and makes harder for fish to migrate. Power stations which are based on combustion of coal makes even more
dirtier. But when finally someone tries to establish new wind power station, people don't want it. Why? It's too loud. Everyone should try to be
energetical independent. Buy solar panels, try to provide more wind power stations.
2.2.3 Wasting
The world has
largely gotten accustomed to a throwaway lifestyle. Waterways are pre-fulled with trash and modernized nations ship their leftovers to the third
world. Fashion, fast food, cheap electronics are just some of the problems. Water bottles are the defining symbol of this critical issue.
Fortunately, people are becoming aware of the consequences so that they started to think. More and more people recycle and think about their
trash.
2.2.4 Water
Pure water is becoming endemic. Our global reserves of drinkable water are a fraction of 1%
and 1 in 5 humans does not have access to safe water. Have you ever thought about that? We are one of the countries which flush with drinkable
water. And people in developing countries fight everyday for a bottle of safe water. But we can't influence this. But there are many things that we
can do. For example it starts with turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth.
2.2.5 Food
I've been
talking about this theme in topic vegetariasm and veganism. But It's also an ecological problem, because we know that the planet can’t afford the
Western way of eating. It would take 5 earths to support that lifestyle! We consume too much and give earth too little. What about hunting – is
that good for the environment? We are in 21st century and there are still people dying because of starvation. On the other hand thousands of people
are dying because of overweight.
2.2.6. Land Management
From desertification to polar ice melting to erosion and
deforestation, existing land management choices are not serving the planet or its inhabitants very well. There is very little land left that is
undeveloped, either with structures or roads. And there is virtually no land left that is not subject to light or noise pollution. Big countries
like USA or China have to change their opinions for deforestation, and they have to do it right now.
2.2.7 Ecosystems and
Endangered Species
Good news is that some species have made a comeback. The bad news is that many more species are now under threat,
including indicator species and unique species. (When an indicator species becomes endangered, this means an entire ecosystem faces collapse.) The
consequences can have global impact. For example cheetahs, dugongs, leopards are on the list of endangered species. And that's because we decrease
them their habitats because we need more space for industries or mining. Is that right?
2.2.8 The Science of Public Health
Issues
Our tomatoes have fish DNA? Superweeds are taking over corn fields? Wild animals are sprouting extra limbs? Autism is on the
rise? From genetic manipulation and cloning to public health issues and food and drug contamination, we have to aks for more informations. Do cell
phones really cause cancer? How much of our groundwater is contaminated? Is smog getting worse or better? How much acid rain is there? Why can’t I
drink out of streams? We must ask and insist on answers for our questions. We must open the Pandora's boxes of our goverments and finally see the
truth.
Conclusion
I've tried to show you, the meaning and disadvantages of living in consumer
society. There's no doubt that we need change. But not only us are the one who need the change. Animals whose habitats are getting smaller and
smaller, our Earth which seems really tired of our misuse of her resources. We are so greedy and not open minded that we just stick to rigit
opinions and the don't think about their impacts on enviroment. I hope my work shown you some examples how to live in different way. And I hope that
you'll try to start to live this way too. If not, nevermind, it's just your choice and your life.
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