Consumerism
On Words I Never Said featuring Skylar Grey,Lupe Fiasco furiously raps "Keep you at the bottom but tease you with the upper crust,You get it then they move it,so you are never keeping up enough" and that in my opinion,sums up how the world's capitalist system treats the middle class.
The middle class are the backbone of capitalism. They are both the means of production as well as the consumers. Without the presence of the middle class,both as workforce and as consumers,capitalism would crumble and so for the system to keep running,the elite who are gaining the most from capitalism had to find a way to keep the middle class as the middle class.
Consumerism was the perfect way to keep the middle class as exactly that,the middle class,and it has worked efficiently for decades on end to a point where now, even the middle class themselves take pride in consumerism. There is always a new phone out,a new brand of shoes out,a new car out and the middle class,being the consumers in the capitalist system,are always struggling and working hard to afford the next new thing and the elite are gaining trillions from that consumerist mentality both from the fact that the harder the workforce perform,the more efficient production becomes and the hence the more goods are available for the gullible workforce to spend that hard earned money on.
For decades on end, since the 20th century,advertising has been the driving force behind consumerism. Through manipulating the human psyche through television,print media, radio and now in the 21st century,through the internet,the elite have managed to create a culture of consumption which has turned the misinformed middle class into zombies who work to be able to afford their next "fix" of purchase that is available.
Through blatant misinformation campaigns disguised as "advertising",the elite ensured that unlike in the 20th century when the Industrial Revolution dramatically increased the availability of goods but no market was available for them leading to overproduction,in the 21st century,there is no shortage of a market. Marketing by big corporations has worked so efficiently well that,like aforementioned,consumers,the same people who are being manipulated,are taking pride in being manipulated. It is not rare to get on social media and find people bragging about spending insane amounts of money on the latest iPhone or pair of Jordan sneakers.
What is sad is that, consumers try to keep up but it is like trying to fill up a bottomless bucket of water and corporations know that so by trying to keep up with the latest trends,the middle class are fueling the same system to keep going. One can have the last mobile phone today but after a few months,they would have to spend more money again to get the newer model. The harder you work to be able to afford the next exciting thing being advertised,the more money you make for your employer and the more you will be able to spend at a shop,making money for whoever is selling what you are buying. So in essence,the only people who gain are your employer and the retailers and the only thing you gain as a consumer is being able to show those around you that you can afford the latest brands,taking pride in consumerism.
We as the middle class can complain all we want about how "the system" is keeping us at the bottom but the fact remains that we are the same people fueling that same system which is keeping us there. We are the both the producers and consumers in capitalism which means we are essentially in control,it is just that we have been doctored,through decades of manipulation,to think otherwise. The responsibility hence falls on us to educate ourselves so we can be able to elevate ourselves from an oppressive system. It is on us to free ourselves from the culture of consumption that has been perpetuated by both us and corporations for years on end,a culture which is symbiotic as it benefits only the latter. It is on us to not let the media control our perception of the world and turn us into zombie like creatures who cannot think for themselves but only follow what is conveyed to them via advertising mediums. Then and only then will will be able to escape this web of consumerism which we have been entangled in since the dawn of 20th century.
The middle class are the backbone of capitalism. They are both the means of production as well as the consumers. Without the presence of the middle class,both as workforce and as consumers,capitalism would crumble and so for the system to keep running,the elite who are gaining the most from capitalism had to find a way to keep the middle class as the middle class.
Consumerism was the perfect way to keep the middle class as exactly that,the middle class,and it has worked efficiently for decades on end to a point where now, even the middle class themselves take pride in consumerism. There is always a new phone out,a new brand of shoes out,a new car out and the middle class,being the consumers in the capitalist system,are always struggling and working hard to afford the next new thing and the elite are gaining trillions from that consumerist mentality both from the fact that the harder the workforce perform,the more efficient production becomes and the hence the more goods are available for the gullible workforce to spend that hard earned money on.
For decades on end, since the 20th century,advertising has been the driving force behind consumerism. Through manipulating the human psyche through television,print media, radio and now in the 21st century,through the internet,the elite have managed to create a culture of consumption which has turned the misinformed middle class into zombies who work to be able to afford their next "fix" of purchase that is available.
Through blatant misinformation campaigns disguised as "advertising",the elite ensured that unlike in the 20th century when the Industrial Revolution dramatically increased the availability of goods but no market was available for them leading to overproduction,in the 21st century,there is no shortage of a market. Marketing by big corporations has worked so efficiently well that,like aforementioned,consumers,the same people who are being manipulated,are taking pride in being manipulated. It is not rare to get on social media and find people bragging about spending insane amounts of money on the latest iPhone or pair of Jordan sneakers.
What is sad is that, consumers try to keep up but it is like trying to fill up a bottomless bucket of water and corporations know that so by trying to keep up with the latest trends,the middle class are fueling the same system to keep going. One can have the last mobile phone today but after a few months,they would have to spend more money again to get the newer model. The harder you work to be able to afford the next exciting thing being advertised,the more money you make for your employer and the more you will be able to spend at a shop,making money for whoever is selling what you are buying. So in essence,the only people who gain are your employer and the retailers and the only thing you gain as a consumer is being able to show those around you that you can afford the latest brands,taking pride in consumerism.
We as the middle class can complain all we want about how "the system" is keeping us at the bottom but the fact remains that we are the same people fueling that same system which is keeping us there. We are the both the producers and consumers in capitalism which means we are essentially in control,it is just that we have been doctored,through decades of manipulation,to think otherwise. The responsibility hence falls on us to educate ourselves so we can be able to elevate ourselves from an oppressive system. It is on us to free ourselves from the culture of consumption that has been perpetuated by both us and corporations for years on end,a culture which is symbiotic as it benefits only the latter. It is on us to not let the media control our perception of the world and turn us into zombie like creatures who cannot think for themselves but only follow what is conveyed to them via advertising mediums. Then and only then will will be able to escape this web of consumerism which we have been entangled in since the dawn of 20th century.
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