Ka-ching! Consumerism

Do you know the word “ka-ching”? An imitation of the sound made by a cash register

Ka-ching! a 2003 song by Canadian singer Shania Twain hit the top ten in six countries: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Switzerland and the UK

The song… centres on Capitalism deals with what it considers to be the greed in the world lyrics look at how our world revolves around money i.e. about consumer culture

The lyrics “We live in a greedy, little world That teaches every little boy and girl To earn as much as they can possibly Then turn around and spend it foolishly” The world is teaching us to want and want and want

The lyrics “We created ourselves a credit card mess.” Adults don't know how to spend their money wisely

The lyrics “Our religion is to go and blow it all So it's shopping every Sunday at the mall.” As soon as the money is there, people will go to the new churches- the malls

The lyrics “Can you hear it ring It makes you wanna sing It's such a beautiful thing -- Ka-ching!” The joy of purchasing

The lyrics “When you're broke go and get a loan Take out another mortgage on your home Consolidate so you can afford To and spend some more when you get bored.” Shallow, materialistic people are irresponsible and will go to drastic lengths, including risking foreclosure on their home to buy more stuff

The lyrics “Dig deeper in your pocket Oh yeah Come on, I know you've got it.” Taunts those people in the casino

What is consumerism? Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. Sometimes, a modern movement for the protection of the consumer against useless, inferior, or dangerous products, misleading advertising, unfair pricing, etc.

Consumerism Pros: ◦Through the power of currency one person can decide (in theory) the fate of a company by choosing to purchase a product or choosing not to ◦Customers can also choose to promote the product or tell the world how bad a product is

Consumerism- pros ◦Companies now actively seek out consumer suggestions, comments, ideas, and thoughts ◦Our demands and interests meet by an endless line of new products and new ways to spend ◦Increases the overall global economy

Consumerism Cons: ◦New products make more and more tasks ever easier, minimizing the amount of intelligence or even physical activity we must exert to get something ◦Money has become the weapon of choice for us

Consumerism- cons ◦With money we can gain as many possessions as we want, we only need very little to get food and shelter, now we need more money to buy the latest gadget or toy to produce a sense of happiness ◦Many people take up unstimulated jobs in fields that are created by money and they do so in order to make more money to buy more wanted items

Consumerism- cons ◦People waste a lot of their intellect in jobs that do not challenge them and for the most part do little to make a difference or contribute to society ◦Do whatever task pays the most, so we can have the most ◦Creates a disposable culture, wasting the world’s resources

Things to think/ introspect… Buying luxuries can really make you live happier? Are you a shopaholic? Have you experienced irrational spending? Do you feel guilty to do so if it is the pocket money earned very hard by your parents?

Things to think/ introspect… What truly is happiness? “Every time you spend money, you are casting a vote for what kind of world you want.” (Anna Lappe) Think thrice before you spend.