Comment on “The New Living Large Is Living Small”

In response to my piece suggesting that “the new living large is living small,” Erik writes:

I agree that many people will eventually see consumerism as utter foolishness. I also have to agree with some commentators here that this will most likely happen when people are with their backs up against the wall. … It’s our internalized beliefs about what makes us happy that must change. Lust for material growth without limits is no less than a surrogate for our deeper human needs for psychological and spiritual growth.

Wow, that’s really well written. I completely agree. It’s a shame more of us can’t see past the thin veil of materialism and begin to see our lives in grander terms. But this is precisely the aim of modern consumer marketing: to convince us that we’re inadequate as people if we don’t get that big car, big house, or latest gadget; in fact, we’re bombarded with these messages at every turn. Thus the utter brilliance of The Story of Stuff.

Yet I’m wondering if I don’t see a recent change in consumer tastes. There are many reasons that I don’t drive a 5800-pound Cadillac Escalade or 6600-pound Hummer, or some equally ridiculous car, but one of them is that I don’t want to be on the receiving end of the contemptuous glares of a growing number of people communicating, “We all need to share this planet. You obviously didn’t get the memo on this, did you?”