Without doubt, the world's current stronghold for consumerism is America and it is one of the country's strongest and most popular exports. Many countries and societies consider consumerism a threat to their basic way of life. But what does it mean? What exactly is consumerism? Why do some people think it's a bad thing? Consumerism has its roots in social status, but in its modern version is more akin to the buying and selling of culture, with the bulk in leisure and recreation. As straightforward as the term may seem there is unending debate as to exactly what consumerism is and whether it is a good or bad thing. Below is a brief summary of consumerism including some of my own feelings and opinions on the matter. First is a definition of the word. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, consumerism is:

1 : the promotion of the consumer's interests
2 : the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods.

There is no universally accepted origin for consumerism. Some slate its beginnings in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, while others put it in 18th century England. Still others say it pre-dates recorded history. In a feudal system, people of status would illustrate their well being through feasts and entertainment, the news of which would then distribute outward by word of mouth amongst the lesser classes. Nobles would often give gifts or hold a ball for persons they wished to be compared to, illustrating their status through the conspicuous consumption of valuable goods. These goods could take many forms, including food, intoxicating beverages, narcotics or other luxuries. Sometimes this was simply a display of having more than you could consume yourself, other times it was to use your invited guests as pawns in a complicated social game of one-upmanship and courted favorship. This strategy was an effective way of making use of one's social competitors to further one's own cause, and was an accepted medium for flaunting the excess of a house. Eventually, as the industrial age established its dominance and wage labor became prolific, the different classes, to establish their position amongst their peers, adapted these concepts. Having a bigger house, a better car, quality foods, nicer clothes and more leisure time are all tools in the more recent era. You see many quantitative and qualitative terms in the topic of consumerism. Consumerism is most effective when individuals subscribe to the lifestyle of excess.

So how is consumerism like buying and selling culture? When you talk about consumerism, it is only a matter of time before the word advertising is used. Advertising and marketing play important roles in the functioning of a consumerist state. First, marketing determines if there is a demand or need for a product. Then, using advertising and other methods, it tries to create or accentuate one. Advertising attempts to convince you that a manufacturer's product is something you need. It also tries to make you believe that one product is better than a similar one made by a competitor. Advertising relies on a reference point or something that you can relate to or identify with. It also illustrates a way of life to you. Successful people with good lives drive brand X cars, eat at restaurant Y and wear clothes made by manufacturer Z. Fast food, professional corporate-endorsed sports, name-brand clothes, malls and personal automobiles are just a few examples of culture for sale. This is often American culture, but not always. Small, key-chain-size electronic video pets and strange, stuffed-animal creatures that speak their own names over and over are just two illustrations of a "culture for sale" concept and what it's like to be on the receiving end. These two are aimed at children, but it's not hard to find other markets that have been affected. When you examine this practice, it's not difficult to see why some are fearful for their native cultures. When the ancient Romans conquered a people they took technology and pieces from their cultures and societies, but mostly they used their own technology, society and culture as replacement. While this is not exactly the same as buying culture, the result can be quite similar, except the conqueror does not stab you; he has a smile on his face and he shakes your hand.

Recently, the exploit of the so-called counterculture has been the tool of consumerism. Consumerism is conformity, and cultural "rebels" create their own subcultures to set themselves apart as non-conformists. Of course, once these subcultures become popular they are assimilated or imitated by the mainstream and then serve the machine that their founders so strongly oppose. It is common to see these counterculture songs, images or styles in mainstream product advertisements. The product becomes "cool" by association. The abstract of "cool" is a perfect example of functional consumerism, and it fits in nicely with the other consumer motivations as an intangible cultural drive.

Because of the mindset it fosters, many consider consumerism a threat to society. These people feel that advertisers (or their friends, society or themselves) convince others they need or must have things. Sometimes these needs are legitimate necessities but often they are for things that are frivolous or wasteful. Some trendy trinket, name-brand piece of plastic or popular toy that serves no real function and will spend its time in storage or a landfill somewhere after it is no longer stylish or popular. Popular items of poor craftsmanship made by workers from somewhere else being paid slave wages can be very damaging to the local economy and its workforce. This can be extended beyond physical items to include services and conveniences, not to mention the conversion of people themselves into consumer goods through cosmetic surgery to make them more marketable. Opponents of consumerism cite environmental pollution, spiritual impoverishment, neighborhood and societal decay, misuse of consumer credit and increased debt as direct correlations. Buying things for the sake of buying and amassing things just to have them, whether they have utility or not, is a process lacking in logic. Furthermore, purchasing the newest chic clothes and hip gear is one thing, but modifying your body to fit in with a cultural norm that is decided by an advertiser is absurd and leans towards cultural insanity, in my opinion.

Should life be just the sum of all the objects you have managed to collect, as suggested by inane bumper stickers? Does it make sense to buy a bigger house and put more of an impact on the environment because you need more space to store your collections? Should you have cosmetic surgery so that you are more compatible with marketed consumer images? In this age of absence of community, buying trendy, flashy or disposable goods and working more hours to purchase what is essentially useless, one has to wonder. Competition of positional purchases and conspicuous consumption to impress your neighbors and peers really does not make a lot of sense. Some people believe that marketing and advertising should be responsible for helping people decide what they need. They feel they should promote a healthier and environmentally conscious lifestyle, and urge people to live within their means.

On the other side of the coin, proponents of consumerism state that mass production has brought a level of convenience and comfort that had previously belonged only to the wealthy. In addition, especially for women in the 20th century, affordable appliances and household items have reduced the labor of housework. It is also suggested that consumerism has united political protest across previously divided lines of people through the desire for a consumer-oriented standard of living. It is clear that consumerism has brought with it some boons and is not totally without merit, but you have to wonder if these minor benefits are worth the staggering negatives.

For most of the working class, day-to-day life is a repeating cycle of work, eat and sleep which entertainment and various activities fragment. Your purchase, use and elimination of products (not to mention the creation of massive amounts of waste material) are the basis for the economy. Children in the United States are raised to want things, to use things and then to throw them away. For the television generations, childhood consists of various visual stimuli punctuated by steady and predictable product highlighting. To punctuate this absurdity is an example of the mindless machine: The Tampa Bay area has been under water restrictions due to a lack of precipitation and a plummeting supply of drinking water. On television, a manufacturer is shamelessly peddling a plastic water slide that lies out on the ground and ends in a small pool of water, with more water lavishly splashing and shooting in all directions. To m, this says that selling products is more important than water or any other environmental concerns.

I am not advocating bleak or stoic lives, nor am I trying to imply that I am an expert on this topic. People need things; it is part of human existence. At the very least, I don't think there is any harm in asking yourself if you need a new, improved and enhanced product when the old one you have at home works just fine. It may not change society but it might help you on a personal level to change the focus of your life and work for something more than shiny baubles.

Piper ( piper@toosquare.com)