A commodified world

When I was twelve, I was told about ‘rampant consumerism’. Perhaps the chat was prompted by Black Monday, when the Dow Jones dropped by almost a quarter. Perhaps by acquaintances, buying yet another new car. Perhaps by my childish fixations: the eternal wait for the next transforming robot or comic.

It had something to do with greed or vanity. It seemed synonymous with ‘Americanism’. And it was definitely getting worse. One thing was obvious: consumerism was bad. Thirty years later, and the phrase is still popular. Yet its vehemence is matched by its vagueness. What exactly is consumerism, and why is it wrong?

Consumption itself is necessary. As animals, we consume to live. The cycles of to-and-fro with, “What could one ask of she who does not listen?”