“ать¤на Ћебакина

Human Values in the Age of Consumerism

Fashion has always been there to influence our minds. We may ask, УDoes it really matter that our house is in the fashionable street, or that we have dinner in that particular restaurant, or that we wear this certain brand of clothes and not another?Ф There will always be people who will say, УOf course, it does.Ф It is a fact that in modern Russia we feel the very profound influence of the Age of Consumerism. It is not only in fashion trends, but in our whole attitude towards the world, our way of life, our approach to solving problems and building relationships with other people that is affected by Consumerism. In this essay I would like to touch upon the problem of the relationship between people in this new age. This will include two main points which seem essential to me: the younger and the older generations and their attitude towards consumerism, and the relationships between people of my generation.

The generation gap is not a new problem and is well known to us all. It has always existed, but we may say that the situation is aggravated by the burning issue of consumerism. In order to come to some conclusion, I have sought out opinions of several people of older generation who associate with people of all ages. I asked them if they had noticed the change in the relationship between them and younger colleagues, and they point out, that young people are often much more thrifty, gainful and calculating, since their attention is focused more on material values and goals rather than on socializing and maintaining contact with people from whom they can not exactly benefit. The people of the older generation often look back on the past with nostalgia. They are people who are older than I am by 30 years and older. I deal with them in my everyday life. They are my parents, grandparents, school teachers, university teachers, doctors etc. (To my mind we should respect their opinion, because to ignore it means to ignore some just criticism and to build a wall between us.) According them, their colleagues with whom they used to work earlier were more hearty, warm and responsive than nowadays. Today they only feel the stressful atmosphere of rivalry, where everybody is ready to neglect any moral norm in order to reach their aim. Of course, younger people do not openly proclaim that 'their aim in life is money'. But what money can buy, is important. The more things we can buy, the more superior we feel to other people. This human quality has always existed, but today its influence has become stronger, and the first people to feel it, are older people. It seems that this situation occurs because of the difference in values of the two generations. Of course, we shouldnТt miss out the modern upbringing.

On the one hand, older people criticize the younger generation, but on the other hand, the reasons for such behavior are in childhood. In the age of consumerism in Russia (probably the last 30 years), when people are eager to gain more and more, they often fail to carry out some of their social roles - as parents, for example. The common situation in wealthy families is such, that parents do not have enough time for their children, and prefer to Сpay offТ in a material way by satisfying the whims of their kids. One sees nurseries piled with toys up to the ceiling and writing tables overloaded with trifles of random choice and children full of claims and complaints. Lacking proper attention, they have difficulty with understanding other peopleТs needs and establishing contact with them in a spiritual way. Of course, this means weak parenting, but the ways in which it is carried out are consumerism ways. The children do not realize that there can be some stopping point in the number of toys, in the number of clothes, in the number of home pets. They are sometimes not told that each thing demands care and attention. Maybe, this later results in their material interests and desire to correspond with the popular stereotype of a successful person (which is understood as a rich person).

In discussing the generation gap, it is important to turn to my generation. I can feel the influence of consumerism on my life. It has become clear that one is part of consumer society with its hierarchy. For example, if one does not have money to go to cafes twice a week, to snowboard every Sunday, to see all the movies that are on, and to go shopping every other week, then you should be ready to lose some friends whom you considered your best ones during your life. The greater the difference in income between two people, the less likely they are to remain true friends. Some of the closest friendships end because of this.

The meaning of feelings seems influenced by consumerism as well. In Russian there is vast difference between the words СloveТ and СrelationshipТ. To my mind, the distinction lies exactly in the sort of values we have. Today, we see more cases of СrelationshipsТ, which remind 'trading up to a new model'. It often looks like Barbies and Kens who come in one set with a pink house and a pink car (the indispensable elements), but can be easily exchanged for another doll if it all comes to the point of boredom. By the words "a Barbie set" I do not object to houses or cars, DVDs or VCRs, cell phones or cosmetics as parts of modern life. It is true to say that they are necessities. However, in the situation when a choice of friends (and close friends) depends on whether a person has a car, a flat down town and a house in the country, I see direct relation with consumerism. Speaking in the abstract: by buying certain things one hopes to acquire status, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends. This often means the lack of ability to establish relationships and to make them last. It probably happens because behind all the material things they do not feel the need to learn more about each other. Socializing in the form of a 'relationship' perfectly matches the rules of a consumerist society ("I do something for you, and you do something for me"). The relationships are often shallow, but it makes them easier to break off and 'upgrade'.

Though the conclusions seem depressing, they are still necessary to face the problem and begin solving it. It would be unfair to say that there are no true feelings and friendships, no good colleagues and children are seldom as good as gold, because we ourselves are far from perfect. When we criticize, we may admit that we have some faults as well. It would not be true to claim that our youth is hopeless, because it is not. The fact is, we should not yield so easily to this harsh competition of money and glamour. I think that the age of consumerism is an issue of current importance, and one of the ways to deal with it is to point out the obvious danger it brings together with its glitter, and let people decide for themselves.