Does anyone honestly believe culture is a good thing?

[ScottAFair]

Culture is the social environment we create. It is neither good nor bad, it exists. Whether we create it purposefully or it just happens, it is what we let it become.

Materialism in the US has a long history dating back to World War I. Edward Bearnaise, Sigmund Freud's nephew, was asked by the govt to help get the populace behind the effort. Bearnaise used psychology to to market the idea of the war to the people. After WWI, Bearnaise was asked by businesses to use these techniques to sell products.

We created our culture by trying to create a competitive advantage for our businesses and sell more than the other company. We let it happen because we thought, "Gee we're one company it can't matter". We can't break free because too many people depend on it to feed their families. We listen to it because, as social animals, humans are wired to behave in ways that society deems appropriate.

It will take a very concerted effort to change our culture to be less materialistic. Our celebrities and our role models will have to show the masses what the ideal should be. As long as we have shows like "Real Housewives of xxx" and "Cribs" people will strive to out "Bling" everyone else.