American Consumption

 “Our culture has evolved into a consumer culture and we from citizens to consumers.” (Lasn pg 63) American consumption is a major theme in both the reading and the clip. In the American culture, consumption is very common and we have all (unfortunately) turned into consumers. The facts and statistics are startling. Americans are so addicted to consumption because they are never really satisfied. Consuming can be very dangerous and can ruin a person’s life. In the clip, video games were expressed as a bad addiction. They are taking all of the life and energy out of many people. For some, it became so addicting that they would game instead of sleeping, eating, or exercising. We, the Americas are the consumers, but some things consume us. As stated in the reading, the internet, the television, and other dangerous possessions are slowly taking over our lives. Most of us don’t even know how bad it actually is for us.

It is hard to see a man go as far as doing anything he can to plug his computer in during an electric failure to game. It is also sad how people aren’t satisfied with how they look, but continue to pass the fruits and vegetable aisle and continue on to the unhealthy snacks. People are becoming so involved in unhealthy habits that they lose who they really are. The bad things are becoming more important than the good. People would rather game than spend time with their family or friends. People would choose McDonald’s instead of a salad. Corporations are the reason for that. “In the early history of America, the corporation played an important but subordinate role. The people—not the corporations—were in control.” (Lasn 67) With the countless repeated commercials, these corporations are influencing Americans to go to McDonald’s or to buy the latest video game. Little do these corporations know what it is doing to their consumers, us. Today, these corporations are in control more so than the people that started them. They are going to continue to strive to sell things that we are going to want, instead of need. Americans are going to continue to want the newest and better item. We, again, are going to be consumed to a certain extent.

Reality can be so frightening that Americans would want to escape. Video games, the internet, and the television could be a place to do so. I believe there are many benefits to those things, but to a certain extent.  Certain addictions that Americans have can be taken too far. Gaming could cause a person to lose their job, it could trigger depression, and it could begin a very unsocial life in the real world. People will find relationships in their virtual world and be so disconnected from the real world. For some people, they think it’s beneficial. They will be in a different “zone”. It may be their way of escaping the real world. For that particular man showed in the clip, he was unable to walk or talk. The video game allowed him to do things he never could. It made him a happier person without the game ruling his life. I believe when people consume responsibly, it may be a beneficial thing. That is, when they aren’t obnoxious about it. I don’t think it’s necessary to game during all hours of the day and I don’t think it’s right to have more meals at McDonald’s during the week than eating healthy, but if America consumes responsibly, then it’s ok.