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That is a question I've been asking myself a lot: What is the cause and what the effect? Do people really want a new expensive car every 3-5 years and are willi
by heipei 6y ago
That is a question I've been asking myself a lot: What is the cause and what the effect? Do people really want a new expensive car every 3-5 years and are willing to part with a lot of their income to do it? Or do most people simply never ponder the possibility of working less or retiring earlier, and as a result make their "mandatory work time" more enjoyable by consuming? I'd wager that more often than not it's the latter. The third option is that they realise the option to work less but are afraid that they'd feel less valuable to society or wouldn't know what to do with themselves and thus wilfully work full-time (and consume to match).
- luckylion 6y agoIt's probably a mix. Plenty of people have children and want to provide them a safe and strong launchpad, and "cut back hours and enjoy life" won't do that. Consumption and status symbols are part of the game, though I don't think it's really a question of buying a new car every few years for average people, that's out of reach for a large part of society. You don't need to play the game, but being inside the game also provides security. Humans are very social, the odd outlier that prefers his own company and is happy to trade comfort and safety for simplicity and freedom really is an exception.