Consumerism, a term likely unfamiliar to many, describes a condition which dramatically impacts our very existence. Consumerism interferes with the workings of society by replacing the normal desire for an adequate supply of life's necessities, community life, a stable family, and healthy relationships, with an artificial ongoing and instable quest for things and the money to buy them with little regard for the actual product purchased. Countless people, in many of the world's industrialized nations, spend the vast majority of their lives toiling through mounds of work, all to achieve one common reward, Money. All of these hours are spent in the name of leisure or a better way of life yet this is the very experience that it deprives from us.
To better understand the true cause and effect of this monster that is consumerism, we need to take a look at what it is. In a sense, consumerism is that new CD that you have got to buy or the new car that if you are not able to get, you simply will not be able to continue. When you desire a non-essential product marketed in the leisure arena, you contribute to the escalation of consumerism. The United States, with only six percent of the world's total population, consumes in excess of thirty percent of its resources (Enough, Campaign). When you have something that you absolutely want, and the key word here is want, what do you do? The average person, when in such a situation, reacts by simply working longer hours or taking on some other type of work to supplement their income. This altered work style leads to the perpetuation of a materialistic society that rapidly forgets the fundamental values which civilization has been based on for many years. The age-old question is: can money buy you happiness? This is the fundamental subject that corporate America plays on in its drive to expand a dwindling market place. Consumers tend to underestimate the real power they posses, not only in the way they contribute to society but also in their influence on economic variables ( R.