“The Machine” and “The Power of Money”

We live in a consumerist country. It’s not something to be ashamed of, but it’s not one of America’s best values, either. Our consumerism is evident in every aspect of life, especially on a college campus. From Nalgene bottles, to The North Face clothing, to girls wearing PINK brand sweatpants and carrying Coach purses, it’s hard to escape name brands and, perhaps worse, cheap knockoffs of those brands. Karl Marx would call this “the fetishism of commodities” especially since even the illusion of being “in” and having designer or high-end goods is better than being “out” and having only what you can afford.

This “fetishism” is perfectly described in Ben Stein’s essay, The Machine Makes This Man. There is this need in America to be the best — to have the best house on the block, to have the best-looking spouse among your friends, to have the best wardrobe at work, to have the best car driving down the street. We want the best because, according to Marx, our possessions seem to make up for whatever we lack, whether it be hiring help because of physical inability, masking unintelligence by getting lucky on the market, or even paying for the love and companionship of a woman when looks fail. In Stein’s case, he wants a hot sports car to make up for being the “geek in the glasses” his whole life. Despite the astronomical cost of a Porsche 928 and his inability to realistically pay for it, Stein exemplifies what Marx is trying to criticize: the capitalist blurring of wants and needs.

With the advent of credit, American consumerism has spiraled almost out of control. No one that lives anywhere in the world needs an $8,000 Prada wallet, yet the fact that such a wallet exists shows us there must be someone willing to pay that amount of money. A three person family doesn’t need a $450,000 dollar 5-bedroom home, yet that is precisely the root of our current economic troubles — people spending far beyond their means and the greediness of banks who were willing to make a quick buck on them. Consumerism, in so far as minor purchases such as clothes and decor, is harmless, but when the need to be the best plays into major investments such as houses and cars, I wonder if a more Marxian view really would be best.