Consumerism is a social and economic thought that advocates consumption as the main source of human happiness and social progress. Consumerism encourages people to continually purchase and use goods and services to satisfy their needs and desires. Proponents of consumerism argue that this promotes economic growth, creates jobs, improves living standards, and increases individual and social freedom and choice.
However, consumerism also has many drawbacks and hidden dangers. First of all, consumerism has led to the over-exploitation and waste of resources, destroyed the environment and ecological balance, and aggravated problems such as global warming and climate change. Secondly, consumerism creates a false sense of happiness, making people pursue material things endlessly, neglecting spiritual and psychological health, and falling into a state of emptiness and anxiety. Third, consumerism has deepened social inequality and differentiation, making the rich richer and the poor poorer, and the middle class is also facing downward pressure.
So, how did consumerism form and develop? Who is the driving force behind consumerism? The answer is capitalists and politicians. Capitalists refer to entrepreneurs, businessmen, financiers, etc. who control production resources and markets. Politicians refer to government officials, party leaders, ideological representatives, etc. who control political power and laws. Capitalists and politicians have a common goal: to maintain their own interests and power. In order to achieve this goal, they designed a consumption trap to make most people fall into the habit of consumption, and through means such as inflation and money printing, they made money less and less valuable, forcing people to continue to make and spend money. .
How are consumption traps designed? Mainly include the following aspects:
• Create demand: Capitalists continue to stimulate people’s senses and emotions through advertising, media, fashion, pop culture, etc., creating a variety of needs and desires, making people feel that they need more goods and services to improve themselves Your own identity, status, image, taste, etc.
• Reduction in quality: Capitalists reduce the quality and value of goods and services by reducing costs, using inferior materials, adopting inefficient processes, and designing products with defects or limited lifespans, forcing people to frequently replace and update their products. Consumer goods have formed a rapid consumption model.
• Provision of credit: Capitalists provide a variety of credit services by issuing credit cards, loans, installment payments, mortgages, leases, etc., allowing people to consume beyond their income levels, thereby generating huge debts and interest, Putting people into a state of debt slavery.
• Create inflation: Politicians create a sustained inflation phenomenon by issuing more currency, lowering interest rates, increasing government spending, reducing taxes, etc., making money less and less valuable, prices getting higher and higher, and people's Purchasing power is getting lower and lower, forcing people to earn and spend more to maintain their living standards.
• Maintain stability: Politicians maintain a kind of social and economic stability and order by formulating laws, rules, policies, systems, etc., so that people feel that they are living in a safe and fair environment, and there is no need to change or challenge status quo, thus making people identify with and rely on consumerist values and lifestyles.
In this way, consumerism has become an inescapable trap, turning most people into tools and slaves of capitalists and politicians. These people are forced to run in an endless cycle: make money - spend money - owe money - pay back money - make more money - spend more money... They lose their time, freedom, creativity, happiness and meaning of life. They will never achieve financial freedom, which means having enough assets and income to support the lifestyle they want without relying on work or others.
