Is it possible to avoid falling into consumerism? It seems quite impossible to try to acquire not falling into consumerism when today everything is being advertised as new and better than the one before. Consumerism has become such a great epidemic in society. Everywhere you go items are being advertised to convince you to buy these products. Some families tend to fall into it while other families avoid the idea of it. In the story The Ables vs. the Binges it is shown how two families live their daily lives and how consumerism affects them.
The Ables are a perfect example of a family that makes a careful decision on what they consume. On the other hand, the Binges family is chaotic when it comes to self-preservation. The Ables family truly has a higher standard than the Binges family. They are healthier, happier and wiser with their use of money than the Binges. People should research on how consumerism is affecting their lives and how one should be wiser when buying and consuming products. When one is careful with making decisions, they tend to buy organic food from farms and such things that will benefit their health in the long term.
Just like the Able’s family does, they think about the big picture. When one buys organic goods it does good for oneself and from where it came from. Eating junk food just like the Binges family does causes pleasure at the moment. Junk food is advertised cheap and easy to reel costumers in. Unfortunely, organic food is more expensive then factory food and is made easier for people living the busy life to access. That’s why living a busy life and having such easy access makes fast food the perfect source to eat from.
What people don’t realize is that the food substances in fast food places such as McDonalds, are full of chemicals and fats that aren’t good for your body. Avoiding consumerism can make you want to choose wiser, making better choices that can help you in the long run. Everyone wants to have a life full of happiness but in order to do that one must be wise in their decisions. The Able’s family is a very conservative family. They are very caring for the community and people in their town. They make sure to buy things of quality that last longer while taking proper care of them.
Since they are very organized and careful with their expenses, they save more and spend less. The Binges on the other hand are out of control. They buy everything that comes out new, from fashion to new cars without any research done. They are a very materialistic family who cares about appearances. They are very impulsive people who do things day by day without planning. Their living full of debt making them work more to pay for everything they buy new. It shows that they aren’t satisfied with anything they have if they must buy something they already obtain just in an older version.
The Ables family shows the opposite, they are very self-preserved. Having little to no worries. Even though the Able’s family seems to be the one better off in the long run, the Binges family has a better materialistic life. They are always in with the new and out with the old. They seem to have such great pleasure buying all these cool new things that everyone wants. They get to show off their new cars and TVs. They get to eat out at all the places that they see are being advertised. They also always seem to look their best.
Their life seems to be more exciting and busy compared to the Able’s. Their impulsive behavior makes them seem spontaneous and very care free. The Able’s always seem to be picky about the things they buy and that can get them very frustrating. They Ables family seem to be odd. They don’t fall in society’s norm. But who says that a bad thing? The Ables seem to be wise when it comes to spending their money. They are very careful with the way they spend it. They spend it wisely on items that are durable. It’s more about quality than quantity even when it comes to food.
When something fails to benefit them in the way they intend it to they return it to the store. Even the way they purchase items is very wise to avoid extra charges from using a credit card. Researching is another one of their methods to save money since it shows the pros and cons of the certain item they want to buy. This family shows that there are ways to save money when you think there is no other way than consumerism. The Binges family method, on the other hand, of buying new items and throwing them away or keeping them with no use shows how easy it is to spend money.
People nowadays buy products just because that’s the new thing being advertised. They don’t check on the product if it’s really worth what they claim it to be. In the economy today, The Able’s careful decision making will be more sufficient in their economic status for the long run. Finally, the Able’s family has a higher standard of living than the Binges family. The Able’s family is healthier, happier and wiser by avoiding consumerism. The Able’s family shows us to see things in the long run.
Having temporary happiness goes away in an instant. It is better to restrict oneself of things that are being advertised because just how it’s said in the article “Advertising is a sign that the item probably is of lesser quality. ”(Verdant 152) It is important to see the difference between two families and how they react differently to consumerism. It shows how avoiding it can be the better choice to living a better life. This is important because you can change the way you live and strive for a healthier, happier lifestyle.
Why is consumerism ongoing in this country? People need to realize that everything that is shown and advertised to us is to brainwash us to buy their products so they could keep producing and making money no matter if it is beneficial to society. We need to take a stand and see what is truly right and wrong for us. Even though the Able’s family seems to be a more passive family than what I’m use to, I’d say they are on the right path to have a peaceful, happy, life from making different choices than the majority.
Works Cited
Verdant, John. “Consuming Passions.” Signs of life in the USA, 7th ed. + research and documentation in the. S.l.: Bedford Books St Martin’s, 2012. 152. Print.
