The unsustainable consumerist culture

The rise of the capitalism along-with overproduction has been fuelled by a change in the consumer behavior as well. No longer are we satisfied by what we have and it is the human tendency to always aspire for more. This has no end, and is precisely the reason for the thriving consumerist culture.

Food, shelter and clothing form the basic necessities of a man, categorized in the bottom level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The basic human requirement is to have clothes to protect the body from the extreme weather. However today, it’s more of a fashion statement. One aspires to have clothes as per the latest fashion, which gets outdated with each season. Wardrobes are filled with latest designer clothing, only to be dumped in the next season, to make space for the latest trends. It’s an irony, that in-spite of so much of cloth production; so many people in the world still don’t have anything to cover their naked bodies. The advances in technology has further proliferated the increasing wants of consumers. Such is the advent that latest gadgets and gizmos, which were being introduced in the market couple of years back, are getting obsolete. The shelf life of these products is decreasing with each passing day. Maybe this is one of the ways of being in the business, by introducing gadgets with fancier features.

But one needs to stop here and ponder, is this what is really needed? For instance, televisions provide a great source of entertainment. With technological advances, LCD televisions are replacing the Cathode Ray Tube models. These are further being replaced by the LED TV’s. Though not a basic necessity, but this need is being replaced by want, and marketers are finding innovative ways to tap these latent needs of the consumers. This is also complemented by the increasing purchasing power, but then there would be no end to this madness. Some other technology will further replace this, and the process is endless. What one fails to realize is the ecological consequences of this consumerist culture which is unsustainable at its core.

We need to slow down our rate of consumption. But won’t that mean slowing down the development? After all the more the goods and services are produced, the more the employment, and the more the wealth and thus more the prosperity of the nation.