Copy of Consumerism

Consumerism

With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

indulge

eyebrow

bored

stanford

doctor

manly

seek

laden

shame

addiction

problem

sprees

Listen and read along

Which items are most essential for your life and which would you most like to have?

True or False?

Writing!

Match the following synonyms from the article:

a. We are constantly bombarded with ads.

b.Compulsive buying is very much a “woman’s disease”.

c.The new research is from Harvard University.

d.The survey found one in 10 American adults buy things they may not even want.

e.Men seek care less often than women.

f. Women drag their bored and fed-up-looking men round shopping malls.

g. In psychiatry, men seek care less often than women.

h.Compulsive shopping by men is declining.

Write a short proposal on steps that should be taken in your work or school to keep it more environmentally stable and more personal.

foster

restless

dependence

earth

arcade

usually

soared

obsessive

customers

continuous

a. compulsive

b. shoppers

c. malls

d. commonly

e. encourage

f. relentless

g. addiction

h. bored

i. world

j. rocketed

Men Suffer From Compulsive Shopping Too

A recent survey* has found that one in 20 American adults buy things they may not even want or never need or use. In today’s world of consumerism, where we are constantly bombarded by ads, this is perhaps not surprising. What may raise an eyebrow or two is a further finding in the study that men are just as likely as women to suffer from “compulsive buying”. Gone seem to be the days when women dragged their bored and fed-up-looking men around shopping malls. The new research from Stanford University has revealed that men are now just as avid and compulsive shoppers as their female counterparts. Researcher Dr Lorrin Koram said that the numbers of men who indulge in unnecessary shopping sprees has rocketed: "That's the biggest surprise -- men engage in this behavior almost as commonly as women," he said.

This finding runs counter to the conventional and rather stereotyped view that compulsive buying is very much a "woman's disease." Dr. Koram said trends and figures may have been unfairly skewed as male obsessive shoppers used to be more reluctant than women to recognize that they have a problem and then come forward and admit it. He pointed out that: "Generally, in psychiatry, men seek care less often than women…It's not 'manly' to seek help." And help seems to be exactly what the doctor ordered for any compulsive shopper, who is usually not made any happier by his or her relentless buying. Dr Koram warned: "It's always important to encourage people who have these types of disorders to seek treatment." Many find themselves laden with debt and filled with shame and suicidal tendencies as they attempt to hide their addiction.

Toothpaste

Cushion covers

A pair of trainers

Water

A pair of jeans

Paper

A telephone

An appointment at the hair salon

Shampoo

Beer

A packet of M&Ms

Table mats which match the curtains

A coat

Levi’s jeans

A CD player

A dental check up

A restaurant meal

Jewellery

Food

Paracetamol

An iPod

Let's chat!

• Which (social) facts influence consumerism?
• Are there any benefits in consumerism?
• What is the role of product labels (like food or clothing brands) in consumerism?
• Do you believe special occasions like Christmas or Easter have become too consumeristic?
• Is there a way to escape the culture of consumerism?
• Do you think there are more consumerist women than men? Why?
• Are teenagers and children becoming consumerists earlier?
• Does mass media and society affect teenage consumerism?
• In your opinion, are consumerist people less creative?
• What is ethical consumerism?

Some quick questions:

1. What is ‘downshifting’?

2. What is the definition of ‘conservers’?

3. What is the definition of ‘consumers’?

4. What criteria do we use when we make choices about buying things

according to the article?

5. What are perfumes and creams usually made of?

6. What will happen to us if we have less money according to the article?

Consumer society By Julie Bray

If we only bought things we needed, there would be enough for everybody. What do we

need? What you need depends on how old you are and your way of life. If we don’t need

to buy so much, we don’t need to work so much. We can take part-time jobs or reduce

our working day from 8 hours to 6 hours. Some people are leaving very well paid jobs to

live a healthier life in the countryside or a more exciting life abroad. This is called

‘downshifting’. Parents can spend more time with their children and the unemployed are

given more opportunities to work.

If we start to respect saving the earth more than spending money, we will become

‘conservers’. When we are conservers, we try to choose environmentally-friendly

products which are durable and last a long time. We may find growing our own

vegetables or making our own clothes more rewarding than buying them.

What was the best thing you bought last week?

Could you choose from lots of different types? We like having a choice of what to buy. People who buy things are called consumers. Consumers have choices. We usually choose the colour, taste, smell or size of what we buy, but there are other choices we can make.

The following questions will help you to consider these choices.

Where was it made?

If you don’t like the place it was made, you might decide not to buy that particular product. A lot of people don’t buy products from certain countries when they don’t like the way the country is run. Was it made in a factory or on a local farm? If the product was unbelievably cheap, the people who made it might not have been paid much.

Who made it?

Do you know? If a friend made it, you probably like it more and you will want to keep it for a long time. If it was made by somebody who enjoyed making it, the quality and the design are probably better. Or does it look like it might have been assembled in a large factory? There are children in Asia who make Santa Claus dolls for European children to play with. The children who make the toys don’t celebrate Christmas because they are not Christian; they think of the dolls as work. Would it be better if the children in Europe made their own Christmas dolls?

What is it made from?

One of the places where we want to buy expensive luxuries is at the airport’s duty-free shop. Next to the chocolate and cigarettes, there are beautifully-shaped bottles and compact boxes full of perfumes and creams which promise to make you look and feel more beautiful. If you look at the ingredients you will find that the perfumes are mainly alcohol and the creams are mainly made of petroleum!

Grab a partner!

What parts of the article did you agree with and why?

Did you find any parts of the article stupid?

Would you describe yourself as a conserver or a consumer? Why?

Would you be prepared to ‘downshift’? Why? / Why not?

Almost all products are sold in packaging. Some products have too much packaging, creating more rubbish and using up resources. Some use recycled packaging, which is

better for the environment. Next time you go shopping, think about what you really need to buy. Don’t deprive

yourself of things you like, but decide what you should buy before you go out, so that you won’t be influenced by advertisements or promotions. If it is more expensive to buy goods which don’t have much packaging and things which are more durable, buy less. If you can choose to work less, decide which things you would like to make, do or grow yourself. Even though you have less money, your life will become richer!