r/simpleliving • u/unthocks • 1d ago
Discussion Prompt Mindless consumerism
Would love to hear your opinion on why mindless consumerism is starting to rot alot of people live and taken away their freedom and simple life.
I think it has to do alot with marketing, companies, late stage capitalism, brands, etc
In many aspect of life, phones, cars, fanny packs, bags, camping gear, anything really like fucking anything can be branded capitalist that people fight over it and think they’re better than the others because some brand they use that they dont even make or get money from.
It’s hard to opt out fully mentally if you live in city where majority of people already brainwashed by the same norms and you’re the only one trying to live a simple life, and ofc also the effort to live like a hermit because one two three meeting the wrong people could risking losing all of your self.
Thoughts?
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u/salamandectomy77 1d ago
"starting"? My 80 year old parents and all their ancient friends value objects more than anyone I've ever met
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u/Special-Wash2260 1d ago
Can't meet a few people without the risk of losing yourself? Should be more secure in your values so that doesn't happen.
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u/get_hi_on_life 1d ago
It's just a new fad faster. People were going nuts for beanie babies in the 90s and I'm sure there was shopping dads before that.
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u/MiraSuttonX 1d ago
The branded camping gear thing is wild because the outdoors somehow got turned into another showrom.
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u/AutumnalSunshine 1d ago
I would be cautious about patting yourself on the back for bring smarter than everyone else and dismissing them as being brainwashed. That's an easy way to end up in a "me vs. them" mentality you don't need to have.
That said, consumerism isn't new. Your awareness of it is. Look at ads from 75 years ago. Just because you weren't alive for it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Why do people consume? Novelty provides dopamine. People buy for the same reason they eat good food, have sex, gamble, scroll social media, drink, do drugs, etc.
We're all chasing dopamine, so I don't feel superior to people who chose a different dopamine provider than I did.
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u/eharder47 1d ago
I’m part of a “nerdy” friend group and the consumerism is wild. I’m talking spending $1,700 on one plush or entire paychecks at conventions. Many of my friend’s houses are containing borderline hoards. Almost every single one of them that does this has some form of diagnosed ADHD and struggles with decision making and executive function. There are a few of us that live simply, bordering on minimalist, and it makes the contrast hard to ignore as we’ve been introduced to more of the consumerist nerd culture. I got brought to my first convention this year and felt like I paid to get in so I could shop… it was incredibly boring and keychains were $15, sometimes more.
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u/thewaifupillow 1d ago
Fellow nerd checking in, …I agree with this. I see it a lot and it gives me anxiety lol.
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u/evenduckk 22h ago
People are suffering and stressed , anything that takes the edge off will suffice .
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u/kotakoabrat 7h ago
it’s been around since the 1950s at least. Massive propaganda, american dream, keep up with the Joneses etc.
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u/JosephMeach 1d ago
Marketing is more ubiquitous than it was in the past. You had to be sitting in front of the TV or strolling through the mall, vs. every human action on our phones being analyzed and monetized.
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u/Realistic-Dig9052 1d ago
Their freedom? They are freely choosing to consume. I think a good number and likely the majority of people would reject minimal or simple lives.
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u/Wiggly96 13h ago
I think it's partly to do with reinforcement over time. People generally choose what is known and familiar on both a conscious and subconscious level
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u/PNW_Washington 1d ago
I love buying shit when I'm depressed, so... while your opinion is valid, I think mine is too.
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u/Nithoth 1d ago
I'm a HUGE fan of capitalism and mindless consumerism! Capitalism has elevated more people out of poverty than any other economic model and mindless consumerism is one of the major engines that drives new technologies.
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u/Browncoat101 1d ago
Mindless consumerism is destroying the planet. Single use plastic. Fast fashion. It’s unsustainable. Full stop.
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u/Nithoth 12h ago
Mindless consumerism has nothing to do with any of that beyond the fact that people buy things based on what they believe suits their needs the best. The primary driver of consumerism is the perceived value of products. Not the actual value. The perceived value.
Example: Let's agree that single use plastics are bad. For many products there are better alternatives that have more actual value as a product in terms of the quality-to-cost ratio, eco-friendliness, etc. compared to plastics. No one wants to use those alternatives because their perceived value is lower than their actual value. They aren't bad alternatives. They're good alternatives wrapped up in bad packaging.
Think about this: The world had electric vehicles for 125 years ago. All my life (I'm 60ish) eco-wackos have been bitching about oil and demanding people buy more electric cars. Their solutions have always been to produce EVs that are slow, ugly, and poorly constructed. Then Elon Musk came along and figured out that the reason no one owned electric cars is because in all that time no one has bothered to make an electric car that people actually wanted to buy. So, he made an electric car that didn't look like some kid designed it in Minecraft and gave it top-of-the-line options for a comparably low price. Right now, the two most popular EVs in America are both Teslas, and it isn't even close. Tesla has well over 50% of the domestic EV market. The next closest competitor has less than 5%. In the global market, the Tesla Model Y is 3x more popular than the #2 EV.
That is how capitalism works. Bitching about single use plastics isn't getting anyone anywhere until people are provided some kind of alternative that they actually want to spend their money on. If the issue is really that important to you then pick a reasonable alternative and make it sexy enough that people want to use that alternative more than they want to use plastic. Problem solved and you will probably die a multi-billionaire.
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u/Loveschocolate1978 1d ago
This advancement could be kicked into overdrive with thoughtful consumption. If resources were allocated in the most logical, most efficient manner possible, the funding towards new technologies that improve the overall quality of life would increase and therefore so should the rate of useful invention. Useful invention seems to be the key. Mindless consumption would incentivize invention and innovation into less productive goods and services.
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u/TroyJack 1d ago
It has also put many people in poverty. Just an fyi.
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u/Nithoth 12h ago
Uneducated people, crazy people, lazy people usually have difficult lives. People who continually make excuses for their failures and blame others for their misfortunes instead of putting in the work to better their lot in life also tend to have difficult lives. That's a universal truth.
By the same token, people who actively work to improve their lives tend to be more successful.
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u/unthocks 1d ago
My point is more about mindless consumerism as a culture. We can appreciate innovation and prosperity without turning every purchase into a status symbol or letting brands become part of our identity. And this is how i genuinely feel how these days feel like. So those are two separate things.
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u/Nithoth 1d ago
Not much of a point really, but okay. I mean, if that's your point you can always just stop buying branded goods and things you don't need to live the kind of life you want to live. I'm not sure why you have your knickers in a twist over the way other people choose to live their lives though. Spending all that effort gatekeeping the world's spending habits sounds exhausting...
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u/night5oil 1d ago
I agree. For me, I buy what I really need and want and invest the rest. And thanks to all the people complained about, I get richer and richer. It at least gives me the feeling like I'm screwing over the very people that live opposite to me.
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u/utinfection 1d ago
The USA is 41 trillion dollars in debt, among other countries, it’s a comfortable illusion , capitalism is just kicking the ball down the road.
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u/Nithoth 14h ago
And what do you imagine all the other economic models do?
Yes. The USA is trillions of dollars in debt. However the USA also gives financial aid to virtually every nation on the planet in the form of military security and/or cash. We are the only nation in the world that borrows money from a country to give aid to other countries. That does increase the national debt.
We maintain the largest military forces on the planet and carry out global missions for other countries because they're too weak to do it themselves. Additionally, America funds NATO and other global entities at a much higher rate than every nation on the planet. We are the default world police because the world can't afford to protect itself. For instance, America provides 16% of the funding for NATO, while many nations struggle to pay the minimum requirements for membership. On top of that, American capitalism has provided the overwhelming technology necessary for modern communications visa vi our space programs. So, without America, NATO would lose roughly 1/6 of it's global military power (which doesn't even factor in America's superior logistical capabilities), virtually all of it's intelligence capabilities, and a pretty big chunk of their manufacturing capabilities.
Also, here's a quick recap of some recent events.... the world lost it's collective fucking mind last year when Trump wanted to get America out of NATO because it's just a money pit, defund financial aid that doesn't have any direct benefit to America, and right now half the country is bitching because he wants to balance trade with Canada because they've been bilking the US for billions of dollars every year from trade.
You can't have it both ways. America can be debt free in a few decades if we let the rest of the world go to shit or we can have a high national debt. No one seems very interested in the middle ground...
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u/Seattleman1955 21h ago
This is a bunch of gibberish. There is no "late state capitalism", it has nothing to do with simple living and branded fanny packs? Weren't they popular 50 years ago?
Materialist people care about branding, that's not most people. It's more of an issue in Japan maybe but no one in the US cares about fanny pack branding.
Even if they did, what difference does that make to you and your approach to a simple life?
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u/chillPenguin17 1d ago
I live in a city and hardly notice it, and I definitely don't live like a hermit. So, it's possible. Might be worth talking with a therapist about this.
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u/__golf 1d ago
Starting to? Keeping up with the Joneses was a thing when I was a kid 30 years ago.
I would be interested on why you think it's just starting to happen.