Materialism

Pg. 418 #1

Materialism has become an immense part of the modern world, especially in the US. Without materialism, our world would not run anywhere near the way it runs today. In the article “Two Cheers for Materialism”, James Twitchell explains how although it is mainly looked upon as a negative aspect, there are positives aspects to materialism.

Some positives explained are that materialism represents our freedoms in this country. A lot of different cultures like this about the US. It represents the struggles this country has gone through to gain and maintain that freedom. From the freedom to be served at a restaurant, to what freed the US from England, materialism has given this to us (Twitchell 391). Twitchell also explains how materialism brings more pleasure to our lives and less discomfort, which is always a good thing. Materialism is what the world runs off of, and how the majority of people make a living. If people want to make a living off of creating and selling things, other people must buy them for the system to work. Another theme Twitchell discusses is that Americans in the 1990s were a lot better off than those who lived in the 1900s (392). Being able to buy items and experiencing materialism will bring you a lot closer to happiness than destitution will.

Although Twitchell discusses a lot of positives to materialism, it has its negatives as well. Materialism can lead to great amounts of debt, which can cause anxiety and unhappiness. It can lead to violence and stealing of material items. All of the above can lead one into a deep depression. Materialism can also cause a “carnivalization of holy times like Christmas” (390). The Christmas Holiday was not supposed to be all about presents, toys, gifts, or money. It was supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, but has now become a commodity in itself. This isn’t the only example of religious celebrations turned completely upside-down by materialism. Materialism has made people more needy and therefore greedier in the items that they supposedly cannot live without now. If our ancestors thousands of years ago didn’t need certain materialistic items to survive, then we surely do not need them now.