In the beginning of Chapter 10 in Cass Sunstein’s “Republic.com 2.0,” he talks about the consumer and citizen. On page 216 he states, “The “consumption treadmill” means that for many products, people’s purchases of more and better goods will make them spend more, and possibly much more, without really making them happier or improving their lives.” Immediately after I read this quote, professional athletes and individuals in the entertainment industry popped into my head. We have all seen episodes of “Cribs” on MTV where rich professional athletes, actors, actresses, etc. live in mansions with all the luxuries an individual can think of: pools, game rooms, movie theaters, bowling alleys, basketball courts, a golf course, a recording studio, nice cars, and motorcycles. I can go on forever listing all the nice items these celebrities possess, but do they really need all of these “toys?” Sunstein and I do not think so. Sunstein does not think these material possessions are making these people happier or improving their lives because they are awesome to have at first, but the appeal of these objects wear off after awhile which makes these celebrities buy more and more “stuff.” Sooner or later, these celebrities declare for bankruptcy and their lives are turned completely upside down.
Sunstein states earlier on page 216 that “it seems natural to believe that the more people can “customize,” or individuate, their preferred products, the better things will be.” We see this with cars on almost every episode of “Cribs.” Celebrities own multiple cars, and they customize almost all of them, but is this making them happier inside? I don’t think so. It’s nice to own those nice cars, but how often do they even drive them? Buying more cars and putting thousands of dollars into each of them so they are customized to your liking, in my opinion, is making things worse rather than better for these celebrities.
No comments:
Post a Comment