Over Spent America

After watching “Overspent America,” I think Americans are trapped in a cycle of work and spend and simply don’t know how to escape. Instead everyone wants to work more to earn more so they can have enough to spend. In my personal opinion, a name brand coat or an ordinary (no name brand) coat will do the same job it is suppose to do. Basically Americans are paying more for the just name instead of focusing on what they really need. I’m more of a makeup person so a year back I started buying makeup at sephora. I have realized that drug store makeup can do the same thing so why should I spend 50 to 100 dollars on branded makeup. Many of us are continually comparing our own lifestyle and possessions to those of a select group of people we respect and want to be like. The video shows with various examples how more and more products are being used as social communicators to display material success. Americans are searching for happiness and identity through the cycle of earning and spending.

Drawing on her academic research, Schor explains the cultural forces that cause Americans to work longer hours and spend more than they can afford in order to participate in a consumption competition with others. The video illustrates with numerous examples how more and more products are being used as social communicators to demonstrate material success. The Overspent American challenges the inevitability of the consumer lifestyle by proposing alternatives to the work and spend cycle that has so many Americans feeling trapped and unfulfilled. The video draws attention to--and ultimately raises serious questions about--the costs (both financial and societal) of relentlessly searching for happiness and identity through consumption.