Post by mikeda112 on Dec 4, 2012 23:17:38 GMT -5
It is quite clear that The United States has become a materialistic and possession hungry society. This is the polar opposite of the way the Puritans lived in the 17th century. The people of Puritan society constantly strived to achieve grace. They would rid themselves of all worldly desires with glee in order to please their god. Despite its association with the frequently despised Puritans, the philosophy of achieving grace is a praiseworthy ideology when compared to the horrid consumerism seen in today’s society, especially on Black Friday.
The consumers of America are participating in a consensus that is causing the deterioration of how one achieves acceptance within social groups and society as a whole. In today’s world one must follow the consensus of owning the latest popular product in order to fit in with their peers. It is a classic plotline in both movies and TV shows. One example of this is an episode of Family Guy in which one character is desperate to have a new purse in order to receive affection and acceptance from the other girls at school. Although that is a comedic cartoon, such a situation is not uncommon in real society. Her friends created a consensus where in order to fit in, she had to go out and purchase a new purse. This parallels The Crucible quite well. The citizens of Salem created a consensus where in order to fit in; one had to agree with the witch trials and all the accusations during it. This consensus is on a societal level as well. Most people want nothing more than a big house and a lot of nice cars because they believe that will bring them happiness. They join the consensus of that being their life goal.
On Black Friday groups of mindless drones rush into department stores across the country in order to get a good price on the affection they crave from others. During these shopping sprees, the mob mentality inevitably kicks in and madness ensues. Last year on Black Friday a woman was arrested for pepper spraying fellow shoppers over an Xbox. Also, a 61 year old collapsed while shopping at target and lay there while shoppers maneuvered around him and refused to help. If those are the lengths people will go to in order to get relatively unnecessary stuff, one must shudder at the thought of what they will do if there was ever a global shortage of food and water. So not only does consumerism create a consensus, it also causes chaos and anarchy. It is deplorable how no one came to the aid of the old man. The shoppers instead suppressed their human decency so they could get a lower price on an iPhone.
It would not be a bad idea for Americans to attempt to achieve grace, at least partially. The puritans certainly had the right idea that in order to achieve happiness one must rid themselves of all worldly desires. It is not being argued that one should get rid of all their stuff, but in today’s society a man is nothing to others but the quantity and quality of his possessions and that needs to change.
Word Count: 538
Works Cited:
Colgrass, Neil. "Walmart Pepper Spray Suspect Surrenders." Newser. N.p., 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://www.newser.com/story/134165/walmart-pepper-spray-suspect-surrenders-target-shopper-dies-on-black-friday.html>.
The consumers of America are participating in a consensus that is causing the deterioration of how one achieves acceptance within social groups and society as a whole. In today’s world one must follow the consensus of owning the latest popular product in order to fit in with their peers. It is a classic plotline in both movies and TV shows. One example of this is an episode of Family Guy in which one character is desperate to have a new purse in order to receive affection and acceptance from the other girls at school. Although that is a comedic cartoon, such a situation is not uncommon in real society. Her friends created a consensus where in order to fit in, she had to go out and purchase a new purse. This parallels The Crucible quite well. The citizens of Salem created a consensus where in order to fit in; one had to agree with the witch trials and all the accusations during it. This consensus is on a societal level as well. Most people want nothing more than a big house and a lot of nice cars because they believe that will bring them happiness. They join the consensus of that being their life goal.
On Black Friday groups of mindless drones rush into department stores across the country in order to get a good price on the affection they crave from others. During these shopping sprees, the mob mentality inevitably kicks in and madness ensues. Last year on Black Friday a woman was arrested for pepper spraying fellow shoppers over an Xbox. Also, a 61 year old collapsed while shopping at target and lay there while shoppers maneuvered around him and refused to help. If those are the lengths people will go to in order to get relatively unnecessary stuff, one must shudder at the thought of what they will do if there was ever a global shortage of food and water. So not only does consumerism create a consensus, it also causes chaos and anarchy. It is deplorable how no one came to the aid of the old man. The shoppers instead suppressed their human decency so they could get a lower price on an iPhone.
It would not be a bad idea for Americans to attempt to achieve grace, at least partially. The puritans certainly had the right idea that in order to achieve happiness one must rid themselves of all worldly desires. It is not being argued that one should get rid of all their stuff, but in today’s society a man is nothing to others but the quantity and quality of his possessions and that needs to change.
Word Count: 538
Works Cited:
Colgrass, Neil. "Walmart Pepper Spray Suspect Surrenders." Newser. N.p., 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://www.newser.com/story/134165/walmart-pepper-spray-suspect-surrenders-target-shopper-dies-on-black-friday.html>.