Growing, deepening loathing for hyper-consumer people and families

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People live in the Capitol?

The poors?

There’s no such word as poors.

NP.

Someone used it. I understood it. That makes it a word.

That’s not what makes it a word.

Yes, it is. New words are added every year to the dictionary. You know how new words are made? People assign a meaning to a word and start saying/writing them.

New words are added. This is not a word. It is not in the dictionary.

NP. Silly argument. People use colloquialisms all the time, and nearly everyone recognizes their value. Colloquialisms convey things that the "proper" word can't -- in this case the superior, sneering tone that a member of the elite might use towards an entire class of people who fall below them on the economic ladder. "Poor" or "those living in poverty" might be more propery, but it's missing tone.

Fun fact: "The Poors" was the title of a story published in the 1950s, and yes the term conveyed exactly that. So it's been in circulation for 70 years or something. You are free to use it or not, totally up to you, but it's absurd (and I'd argue anti-literary) to police other people's language with this kind of HOA energy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I generally agree with your point about over consumption but I think you’re focusing on the wrong things. We have some Halloween decorations but we bought them 15 years ago and use them every year so the additional pressure on the landfill is minimal.
I’m more concerned by the notion that unless you are completely redecorating your house every 10 years, it looks “dated.” And that “oh that cut of pants you just bought 2 years ago is now dated and out of style so you must go buy totally different pants.” Or the fsct that every single season my kids sport teams makes me buy a New Jersey shirt for them so we have about 60 nylon soccer shirts that cannot be handed down or recycled (plus dozens of crappy trophies that no one wanted). Or the fact that people say basically “oh you might as well trash that furniture of your grandmothers because it’s dated and no one will buy it, the vintage stores are overflowing with that crap” so that everyone can buy something new looking off wayfair or west elm. How many people even bother to use cobblers to fix the heels on their shoes rather than just tossing the shoes when the soles are worn?

It’s just so much waste. Buying a cotton T shirt to go to disney — which you will probably wear lots again a lot as a nice memory of a family trip — is not the issue. Or putting candy in a bag to share with a neighbor—again, totally NOT the issue.

With you on the sports uniforms and trophies!

And with OP on the obsessive coordination for Disney trips, etc.

[Anonymous]

I went to a catholic confirmation ceremony and one thing the priest said that really resonated with me was how we focus on “me” instead of “we” and how we are not the center of the universe. This type of thinking is causing a lot of problems. The over consumerism is one of them with so many influencers telling us what to buy. So many options out there trying to get our $$$. But it’s more than that, this type of self-centered thinking affects us mentally and emotionally and spreads like a disease to everyone around us. It is disgusting but I am trying to do my part to be different. It’s a battle, though.

[Anonymous]

I think you are missing the point. It isn’t about greed or being self centered. These aren’t collectors or hoarders. They are building experiences and “curating” what they believe will be magical experiences. The whole point s to share it, with neighbors aka the decorations or co workers at the office party, kid parties, social media etc etc. People are really visual now. They are chasing what looks fun. It’s driven by fear of being left out, loneliness etc.

Companies are more than willing to sell tons of stuff to make this dream a reality. People fall for it.

[Anonymous]

I hear you. I volunteered at a thrift store and they brought out the donated holiday stuff for each holiday. Most of it was poor quality and meh, like wreaths and holiday tchotzkes (Santas, bunnies, etc.) Wondered why people were happy to have this stuff when it wasn't very nice to begin with. Even more depressing when used and faded. There are always better, nicer versions but they cost too much for most people so they buy the cheaper version at Walmart or CVS. People in my neighborhood are putting up the giant skeletons. How long till these are junk and go to the landfill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not remotely consumerist -- more anti than anything. When I buy anything, I try to buy vintage, pre-owned, open-box, all the stuff minimizes impact.

But I've grown to have real empathy for many of the kinds of people OP describes. I've observed that they often seem to be trying to give to children (theirs, but also often others, sometimes including mine) something that they themselves didn't get as a child. As soon as I realized this — that this is just another way of trying to do the right thing, and to heal what ails -- I softened quite a bit.

So much this. Don't get me wrong, I still get annoyed at some of the overconsumption, particularly around kid-centered events, but it isn't worth it to me to get worked up about it anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Live and let live,” OK, but hyper-consumption is harmful to our planet, our wallets, and our society. I am so tired of grown adults who are perpetuating and reveling in over-consumption, glorifying it on social media, making it a problem for other people.

Wow, we get it, you not only decorate for Halloween and pass out Halloween candy, you must make it normalized mass consumption by starting “Boo Baskets” in your neighborhood, organizing multiple trunk-or-treats for kids who already can safely participate in Halloween in their neighborhoods, and generally making Halloween a Christmas-level holiday.

Not only do you go to Disney, but you post lead-up videos of you packing and doing a grand reveal and detail every nanosecond of the actual trip on social media, including buying custom family T-shirts and crap, then getting stickers of your Disney Family for your car, just more more more to end up in landfills.

Christmas, forget about it. Jesus is as real to your children as the Easter Bunny is. Over-decorating, over-posting, over-buying, over-wrapping, forced fun in your office and neighborhood, just more more more. Elf on the Shelf, because wasting food and toothpaste is soooo funny when families are struggling to buy basic groceries. You live in the Capitol an care nothing for the poors in the Districts, we get it.

Your kids birthday party complete with an Amazon wish list, hiring someone to help stage a sleepover, then posting the pics all over social media so all the parents and kids who weren’t invited can see just how very special your little princess is. (And yes, my kid was invited, and went, and I am MORTIFIED that there are pictures of her in her pajamas on the Internet without my consent, more from the perspective of feeling bad for the girls and parents who weren’t invited than anything else.)

It’s just gross. It’s all too much, and a lot of it is driven by miserable people who aren’t actually satisfied with their lives, so they over-consume, post about how fabulous they are, then raise kids to think More is More and Look at Me.

I generally agree with you.
All of that is fueled by social media, wanna be influencers and wanting to appear perfect for instagram.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Halloween peer influence and creep is real. It starts with a few strings of orange and purple lights, and then more and more it is blow-ups, full-scale riggings the scope of big Christmas decorations, etc., etc. Yep, those 12-foot skeletons will indeed be in the landfill along with the faux gravestones, the flying witch, and the “garage door banner” that makes your garage door look like Hogwarts.

I am surprised by this in our neighborhood this year. It started in mid-September with one or two houses and then spread like a contagion. 12 foot skeletons, houses fully and professionally lit, yards full of creepy things. I think a lot of it (with the OPs descriptions too) is a keeping up with the Jones’ mentality.

[Anonymous]

Ma’am, this is a Wendy’s…

[Anonymous]

I get it, OP. I get it!

I’ll add
Bar and bat mitzvahs
Wedding industry
Pretty much all big box furniture stores

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love going all out for the holidays. The world can be such a dark and depressing place. It gives me joy to see my kids so excited about setting up our decorations and they love driving by other houses and seeing their decorations. We do use all the same stuff every year and lately anything "new" I buy comes from the thrift stores. Idk... I get your point but I think it should be more so directed at people who change up their holiday "themes" every year or own 15 different colorways of the Stanley cup etc.

My spouse and I are very frugal but enjoy decorating for the holidays. People hating on it does not stop us. Op would be surprised at how we live. We aren't wasteful and don't buy and throw away things.

DP
People like you are f’in insufferable. Always feeling the need to join in with a sniffy post that misconstrues the OPs point with your anecdotal experience.

[Anonymous]

I was telling DH, who remarked on how people really do big Halloween yard displays now, that imo Halloween is one of our more inclusive holidays. I guess people who consider it satanic are excluded, but otherwise it requires no national pride, religious connotations, ethnic identity.

[Anonymous]

I'll admit to having a lot of disposable income, but that doesn't stop me from judging others who buy tons of OTT holiday decor junk. It's useless clutter.

[Anonymous]

This is why I love my Buy Nothing group.

[Anonymous]

I really loathe people who take international vacations.