When I go out into public I see it everwhere. Mass media has turned our society into a class of people who are no longer content. We watch rich people on TV making millions of dollars driving fancy new cars, living in huge houses, partying every night, getting laid left and right and so many other things rich celebrity types do. I’m afraid this has affected our society in such a way that everyone wants to live this way, even if they can’t.
I see it in my life everyday. People buying designer clothes, driving new cars, buying big houses, all the latest gadgets and sleeping around. It’s like our entire society today thinks they’re rich celebrities.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to live the high life, have we lost scope of things? One of the issues with our economy right now is that for the past thirty years we’ve become a credit society. We use credit to live beyond our means. Do teenagers really need $70 jeans? Do you really need that BMW? What about that 4000 sq foot house for a family of four?
Beyond that, how about that perfect body? You know the ones celebrities have because they can afford a personal trainer and 4 hours a day at the gym, as if it’s their job. Well it sort of is when they’re getting in shape for a movie role. But can the rest of us with day jobs really expect that.
I was walking around the mall today looking for a pair of shorts and the cheapest I think I found was $40. Many other stores were charging $60. WTF! For a pair of shorts? For some reason people think this is acceptable. Rather then complain about it they buy into it because it makes them feel like they are part of the high life.
I left the mall and went to Old Navy where I spent $15 for a pair. Even then I was thinking it was a little much. maybe I’m just cheap when it comes to clothes even though I’ll drop three grand on a camera. But in my defense a $3000 usually does more then a $200 camera, whereas a $60 pair of shorts doesn’t seem to have any benefit over a $15 pair of shorts.
I just get the impression that pop culture and mass media have given our society, especially kids and teenagers the impression that they should grow up to be rich celebrities. And even if they don’t grow up to be rich celebrities they should still act that way.
We put too much focus on celebrities and the high life.
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This post was originally written on June 14th. Marked as private until now.
I agree. I cringe when I have to buy new clothes. So expensive when they probably aren’t made very well to begin with. I stare at my friends when they brag about buying the new expensive whatever it is…when the one they had or that there was a cheaper version of it somewhere else.
It also pushes my buttons when they spend so much money because it’s right there. Instead of shopping around or finding it cheaper or it happens to be something they saw a celeb with and they had to have it. >.>
I completely agree. I have two cousins, twins, who wear gucci, drive cadilacs, rent a 3 bedroom condo and use one of those rooms for a closet, and go to Vegas at LEAST 6 times a year. They party there with Paris Hilton, date drug dealers with Porche’s, and got breast implants. They take 2 hours to get ready every morning and won’t leave the house without makeup and hair extensions.
Despite the fact that their entire life style disgusts me, the part the annoys me most is that they expect me to be jealous of them. I think they assume everyone wants to be them and are upset when people don’t worship them.
I’m short, have natural coloured hair, wear glasses, have basically NO boobs to speak of, drive a ’98 neon, and live with my parents. I’m pretty content. Sure, I’d love to be able to afford my own condo, but that’s about all I need. I don’t understand why anyone would spend that much money on a ‘lifestyle’, when you can just learn to be grateful for what you have and be happy. It’s mind boggling.
When I see something I don’t have that I want, I work all the harder so that I can earn the money and the right to purchase said good or service.
I agree completely. While it is perfectly acceptable to splurge once in a while (hello $3000 camera :P ), shorts most definitely should not cost more than $20. Living the high life seems like it has its perks, but I’ll accept the whole “mo money, mo problems” theory. I’m perfectly happy living within my means :)