Blog Assignment #4: Blog Reflection #1

Q: Consider the evidence of affluenza that you see around you.  Do you see it in yourself, your friends, family or North America society?  Can you take action to combat affluenza?

 

Image from: Ibiza Hotels

I definitely see the evidence of affluenza across the North American society and as well as in my friends, family and especially in myself.  

With so many advertisements and blow out sales, it is hard not to buy anything.  Summer sales, back to school sales, Fall sales, etc. people are obsessed with buying new things all the time.  From the TED talk by Matthieu Ricard: Habits of Happiness he talks about how people look outside and gathers everything to be happy.  Constantly buying what ever we can afford just to be happy and feel good, because advertisements and the media is always telling us that we have to look a certain way or how if we do not dress like the models in their magazines then we do not fit in.  Reality shows on TV that does makeovers on people or houses plays a big part in making our society think that what we have is not good enough.  

I, myself, would shop whenever I feel stressed or unhappy.  My friends are also an influence in my affluenza because I would often hear about sales from them.  My family likes to buy new electronics when they come out, but recently it has died down.

I have noticed my behavior in this long before this class, and what I have been doing to reduce the "affects" of affluenza, I have been keeping my Credit cards and debit cards at home.  I have also been asking myself: "Do I really need this?" or "Don't I already have something like this?" when I see something I want or like.  I plan to combat affluenza by continuing this.