“Consumers Aren’t Spending Even In a Booming Job Market”

[F4lconF16]

40. You make a very good point about advertising.

It's utterly relentless in today's world. We are inundated with constant pressure to consume. I would go a step further and say that it's all advertising, not just TV ads, though that market is huge. One good thing is that millenials and younger generations are no longer watching as much TV (though the internet is debateably worse).

Frugality is not a virtue to most people anymore. You sound like you live a modest, fulfilling life. I am very happy for you, because you've managed to avoid the materialism and excessive consumption that is nigh on mandatory in a capitalistic, private-property based system. It's a tough thing to avoid. I'm better than most at recognizing materialism in myself and weeding it out of my life, but it's immensely challenging. I often find myself considering purchasing things that I know I don't need. Thankfully my awareness is high enough that I am doing well enough financially, but I've known families that are going through some really tough times because of habitual spending.

Our family does spend a lot of money on our Christmas celebration. However, the presents that we get for each other are often things we've been putting off getting. For instance, I needed new underwear last year, and my mom found some nice pairs for really, really cheap. She gave them to me rather than me buying them myself, I It makes for a fun day, sitting around the tree and opening presents for hours.

I think we are going to continue down this road for a while longer before it's entirely unsustainable. Millenials and youth are being constantly propagandized into becoming consumers rather than beings. They are for the most part unaware of it, and the ramifications are striking. We buy new technology as soon as it comes out. We are uneducated and unrestrained financially. What I wonder is how this will affect us in 50 years.