In Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albomand, materialism can be mainly portrayed as a negative thing by degrading individuals personal values and enhanced individuals unnecessary and unhealthy wants. Materialism can spreads through many American citizens in the hope of being granted The American Dream, which has changed over the years. Since the 1950s, new ideas of what “needs” to be in a house has changed many mined’s into being materialistic, giving into new trends and fads accompanied by buying new things have resulted in a lower state of happiness in the American population.
Since the 1950s the average Ameircan house today is three times larger than since then. Materialism in American has only been increasing. After WWII the idea of the American dream has been planted in our head as a small house with a white picket fence and enough money to provide for a family. House were built next to each other which allowed for close connecting communities where people would allow their kids play with neighbors and adults would have BarBQs or drinks, resulting in a happerier mindset due to the close connection individuals had with others. But since the 1950s Americans wanted more. More money, bigger house, more clothing to fill the closet space and more things to fill the new empty house. Then the average house size was 983 square feet, while today homes are built with around 2,600 square feet. That’s three times greater! Morrie states that ‘you don’t get satisfaction from those things” rather “offering others what you have to give’ (126 Tuesdays With Morrie), is what gives individuals the most amount of satisfaction. Capitalism also allowed architects to build and design whatever they want, and in most towns there are hardly any order, resulting in a chaotic environment to a viewer’s eye. To recap, we have large homes that are unattractive and create more of a stressed environment. So how do we fix this and what will be the positive effects? They say the average middle class individual is almost just as happy as an upper class rich individual even tho there is a giant gap. If an architect were to design a small house that would focus on the main basic needs and wants of a person, a house would be cheaper due to the less cost of material, allowing lower class civilians to afford middle class houses to support a family. Also if the house are compact, but not claustrophobic, people will find it easier to make friends with locals but also, it would help solve “overpopulation” in America. Because overpopulation isn’t an actual thing in america its just how we the people use the space, either well build a house to fill a lot or we can but closer to fifteen to twenty houses on adblock beside four to twelve. Include plant in the local environment and all in all people will be more accepting of their town and less visually stressed, resualign in a higher happenies content.
Another thing matterialis does to most Americans is that if forces to buy new things that we as a society really don’t need. It’s funny how most people would rather invest in a walk in closet in a new house rather than solar panels which would reduce, or can have the potential to eliminate electrical cost entirely for a home. Do the the large build homes, we search for more items to fill the empty shelves and cabinets. Due to the large floor plans we are in need for larger furniture to make the rooms pleasing to the eye and with large furnished only means we need more pillows and blankets to fill this empty pockets. Leaving most Amarican with less money in their pockets, stressing about gaining more money, and with more money we by new homes or cars, repeating the cycle of materialism. Materials are everywhere but the most visible place to see many useless options are grocery stores. There are iles dedicated from toilet paper and bleach to types of bagged salad and milk. It is bewildering why don’t they just sell the most bought product or atleast the top three products of the one item. With so much variety of the same thing, it’s overwhelming. Now it’s not like how eggs, milk and bread are always in the back of the store because there the most common food items, intended for you to look around the materials and buy more. From fads to trends that stores want us to buy in, ‘the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves” (42 Tuesdays With Morrie). But, if some people are strong enough to say the culture is dumb or just doesn’t work like fidget-spinners,originaly for kids wit ADHD but resalting in a mass epidemic of students notfocussing on anything eles, or other dumb things on the internet like challenges.
