h3h.net

There are unique conditions in Western culture and the United States specifically that highlight vast differences from other cultures and past times with respect to consumption and production. It should be obvious that technology has given Western culture a large lever with which to accelerate its levels of both consumption and production. Still though, there is a great imbalance present, most notably in American popular culture, where consumption far exceeds production at the level of the individual.

There is a lot of truth behind the cliché “wasteful American” view held by many people outside of this country. The contemporary suburban family consumes an obscene amount of resources and information on a daily basis, but production is not nearly as abundant. Sure, parents produce some level of wealth at work and children might sporadically contribute to the community, but the balance sheet for the stereotypical suburban family is incredibly skewed. Consumption is king, whether it be music, news, food, material goods, fashion or any of a number of other things. Just in terms of time spent, consumption plays a dominating role in many families.

More interesting and perhaps more damaging than the imbalance in families, though, is the one being brought into the working world by college students and recent graduates who have grown up in this consumer culture. Young urban professionals have long provided the creative thriving edge of Western civilization, advancing technology by leaps and bounds and pushing the creative threshold beyond known limits — a necessary function in a growing society. When these consumer-driven teens grow up and find themselves stuck in mediocre jobs striving to satisfy their inflated consumer needs, society is left without passion or drive. Even ignoring the moral implications of wholesale consumerism amongst young people, we are left with a bleak outlook for society. It seems with every new fashion trend, Hollywood drama and celebrity sex tape we are left more creatively bankrupt.

Everyone has the ability to produce something valuable, but not everyone does. The cornerstone of popular culture in America is limitless consumption. Hummers, Escalades, Gucci, Paris and Britney are the important symbols of this generation. What do these young worshipers produce? What is the net output of the popular crowd? What state will society be left in after this set of trends passes with time?

There is nothing inherently wrong with consumption of course — it’s how we perceive and understand the world. The problem is not the fact that consumption takes place, but rather that consumption is valued at a level several orders of magnitude higher than that of production. Pop culture is consumption embodied and accelerated; it champions armchair infomercial consumption as opposed to balanced consumption of quality goods and information. The common response will be that “quality” is subjective and each person is free to pursue their own flavor without judgment. Unfortunately, like accounting, at the end of the day the balance sheet tells the truth. The pursuit and practice of fruitless and pointless culture without an equivalent level of production is not quality.

Production is about making something that will benefit other people and society as a whole, whether it’s food, electronic hardware, software, design, insightful commentary, or one of a million other things. The barrier to quality production is extremely low. Why then do so many people fail to cross that barrier? Something to do with indoctrination, habit, social pressures and stigma no doubt, but that isn’t satisfying enough for me.