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The U.S. may be materialistic, but I don't care much about that. I like to make money and spend most of it on doing things rather than having things. (After all, how are you supposed to travel if you don't have enough money for it?) That's the proper way to live life, as far as I'm concerned.
Y'know what? I believe that people want their needs fulfilled, but I think what's meant by "materialism" is a kind of values system and philosophy which is far from universal. There's a difference between a capitalist economy, which is clearly useful for producing prosperity and improving the public good, and a capitalist morality and values system. We need the free market, but when our identity as consumers supplants our identity as citizens, as members of a family, as moral creatures, I think we sacrifice something intangible that's not talked about enough in our society, and that's what makes us spiritually f...ed up and leads to huge problems in our society. To me, that's the philosophical heart of what it means to be materialistic or part of a materialist society, one where the market becomes a cultural values system, rather then just an efficient way to organize productive work.
I really recommend this discussion on the topic of the moral underpinnings of the market. It's not just one sided (although it introduces with a single speaker), and I found it thought provoking.
Y'know what? I believe that people want their needs fulfilled, but I think what's meant by "materialism" is a kind of values system and philosophy which is far from universal. There's a difference between a capitalist economy, which is clearly useful for producing prosperity and improving the public good, and a capitalist morality and values system. We need the free market, but when our identity as consumers supplants our identity as citizens, as members of a family, as moral creatures, I think we sacrifice something intangible that's not talked about enough in our society, and that's what makes us spiritually f...ed up and leads to huge problems in our society. To me, that's the philosophical heart of what it means to be materialistic or part of a materialist society, one where the market becomes a cultural values system, rather then just an efficient way to organize productive work.
While I personally don't reject capitalist morality and values altogether (I kind of have a feeling that our understandings of those concepts are pretty divergent), I do find your assessment of cultural consumerism to be dead-on.
Take notes, everyone--it's a good idea to understand what materialism actually is before making pompous blanket statements about its role in other countries. Just a thought...
While I personally don't reject capitalist morality and values altogether (I kind of have a feeling that our understandings of those concepts are pretty divergent), I do find your assessment of cultural consumerism to be dead-on.
Take notes, everyone--it's a good idea to understand what materialism actually is before making pompous blanket statements about its role in other countries. Just a thought...
Might not be as different as you imagine! Indeed, this is an area where I still struggle with conflicting ideas about what's ultimately moral and what isn't. I think respecting other people's economic freedoms is an important part of showing respect for their dignity, but at the same time a world where everything and everyone is commodified or viewed through the metaphor of the market has some scary implications. Anyways, a bit too crazy complicated a topic to really get into right now, don't want to derail the thread!
I'd post a list of countries, but I just don't know if this is something I can easily add up and compare, it's really multifaceted and some cultures are "materialistic" in some ways, but not others.
Why do so many people rate South Korea so highly on materialism?
Maybe because many many of Korean women are obsessed with designer labels and make ups. It's all over their magazines and tvs. Teens becoming so self conscious because the media is showing this "one beautiful look" they are all aiming for. Pretty very similar to the situation here in Japan.
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