Reply to What is wrong with conspicuous consumption?

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Reply to "What is wrong with conspicuous consumption?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, you are free to add that home theater, buy that fancy car, go on that ultra-luxe vacation.

You're also free to give the money to people who would otherwise not eat, e.g. https://live.givedirectly.org/

But don't tell me that one approach is equally admirable.

(In reality, it's always a balance. I give, and I indulge, and if I gave more I'd be more admirable.)[/quote]

I understand, but the buying and selling of goods and services is the foundation of any economy. I feel that people with their don't buy things because it hurts the environment miss the basics of economics. Putting thought and effort into making products that don't damage the environment is great, and ultimately the development of new products to buy and sell is also great. But to simply say don't buy things without also addressing the damage that is done without people buying and selling is a naive and misleading argument. [/quote]

Exchanging money is the foundation of the economy. Doing it for mainly GOODS is a uniquely American trait. Try paying for services instead.[/quote]

LOL- have you met a south asian person??? Other cultures also prefer accumulating STUFFFF over experiences and paying a fair price for services. Its good that americans are beginning to be more thoughtful about how we impact the world and less reflexively "we are number 1" but it should be honest and not the other way where we are reflexively self flagellating.  Most Middleeastern ad Irani, Pakistani cures are wayyyy more materialistic than americans. I have heritage from that pert of the world and im flabbergasted by how driven they are by conspicuous consumption and how they cannot fathom living any other way.  Consumption is the basic engine of an economy but it doesn't grant you superiority over others who cannot consume as much as you do nor are they necessarily "takers. [/quote]

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