While reading Juliet Schors article, “The New Politics of Consumption” I was struck by how similarly the article related to my paper topic of “Perfection vs. Happiness”. Does consumption and perfection really make us happy? In my advertisement, no. The image I analyzed was of a couple that look to be breaking up. While their relationship is breaking down, they look extravagant. Their life seems to revolve around perfection and consumption. The woman’s dress is more than luxurious and you can even tell that the kitchen is extremely expensive. While analyzing this image I truly started to understand that consumption doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. It is evident that this couple is unhappy. They could be trying to keep up with the social expectations to live in a certain luxurious way. Schor writes, “They argued that Americans had been manipulated into participating in a dumbed down, artificial consumer culture, which yielded few true human satisfactions” (183). This quote describes that all the consumption and desire for perfection yields little satisfaction.
Although consumption may bring instant satisfaction, it does not necessarily mean it will bring true happiness. The competition between households to upkeep a certain status can tear a family apart. Schor writes, “Our notions of what is adequate, necessary, or luxurious are shaped by the larger social context” (187). Although individual know what they want, they feel like they have the “keep up with the Jonses”. Like this advertisement, the viewer can see an extravagant life break down. When will the competition to be perfect stop? At what point do people realize that consumption doesn’t necessarily yield happiness?
Right, right. Satisfaction could mean that we're just filling a gap left by something else (like how more heroin fills the gap left by withdrawl caused by stunted neurotransmission). In other words, if you're miserable you might buy stuff to hide that, which doesn't allow you to deal with the underlying problems. And when things get worse, you simply buy more...it's an addiction. And just like any addiction of any kind, it can run you into the ground personally, emotionally, and financially.
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