5.3 Consumerism and unhappiness

Despite marketing campaigns and the opinion of many, having a lot things, buying the latest model and wearing the most fashionable clothes do not automatically make us happy.

Consumerism can be defined as the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. You can recognise consumerism when:

1. We buy a new model but our current one still works perfectly.
2. We replace something we are using before ending up or consuming it completely.
3. We buy something we like but we really do not need it, and in fact we end up not using it as much as we thought.
4. We buy and accumulate an unreasonable number of things when an smaller number will be enough.

Exercise 3.1 Forms of consumerism

Write a composition with the following points:

1. Illustrate with examples the different forms of consumerism.
2. Propose alternative ways of doing that reduce consumerism.
3. Have you find other forms of consumerism in the video?
4. Is there any relation between consumerism and the natural environment?

Exercise 3.2 Excessive consumption of natural resources

After watching the video:

1. Illustrate with examples the different forms of consumerism.
2. Propose alternative ways of doing that reduce consumerism.
3. Have you find other forms of consumerism in the video?
4. Is there any relation between consumerism and the natural environment?