When watching “The Story of Stuff” a few weeks ago in class I was absolutely appalled to learn that my pillow had been dunked in a neuro-toxin in order to prevent it from catching fire. Besides a few close calls in my middle school years, I have thus far been nowhere close to catching my bedroom on fire! Endangering an American’s health for the sake of a pillow seems entirely pointless and enraging to me. I find many things about the United States’ consumerist policies enraging and pointless as well. For example electronics, like laptops, are purposefully made less durable than they should be so consumers have to buy new ones every couple years. This greatly benefits corporations, but is harmful not only to Americans, but to everyone involved in making the product. This includes actual people, even children, in other countries forced into slavery in order to keep bringing American’s new electronics.
Obviously something needs to be done about America’s consumerist ways. Unfortunately our democratic government, the one that in the words of Abraham Lincoln was and should always be a government “of the people, by the people, for the people” is slowly converting to a government of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation. I believe if anything is to be done about our consumerist addiction it is to begin with the individual. Until the United States government’s first priority becomes the people again, changing our individual way of life is the fastest means to changing our country’s way of life. We are not destined to live this way for all eternity. After all just over fifty years ago we were not a consumerist nation. Corporations did not run us. Most importantly American parents did not have to worry about a pillow damaging their childrens' brain development. They should not have to now.