How many times would you say you thought, “I need that bag, or those shoes” because everyone else has them? How many people do you speak to that know who you are as a person and not just the ‘things’ you like or the types of food you don’t eat. Is it possible that you could, unwillingly and unintentionally be superficial? Good morning everyone and welcome to the mindset of modern society, materialistic and consumer driven.

Today, the desirable consumerist lifestyle outweighs the instinct of compassion, which only proves my point that the inherent values of consumerism force you all; yes you, to be insensitive. The Australian poet Bruce Dawe wrote The Not-So-Good Earth during the Vietnam War, about these values influencing the response towards those suffering in other countries. The text involved a family watching a peasant riot on television and contrasted “bodies going under the horses’ hooves” with “he did a terrific job” to try to warn you all about your mindlessness and yet, decades on from Dawe’s words, it seems few have listened. The oxymoron is to reinforce the idea that society is changing and now, through consumerist symbols such as the television, the disadvantaged are viewed as entertainment. You are not alone in this, I must admit that I am also a guilty party, but I believe we all need to change this insensitivity, a mere characteristic of an acquisitive mindset, to avoid the generalisation of humankind as having a consumer driven identity.

We, as a whole, have been heading in this direction, of such a money-oriented way of life for quite a while. Clancy Of The Overflow by Banjo Paterson was published 41 years before Bruce Dawe was even born and yet wrote about the same types of effects such copious material possessions were having on people. He even portrayed the negative frame of mind of the speaker and yet we all think that ‘things’ will bring us happiness. The poem presents the city as dust and dirt spreading its “foulness over all” using imagery to portray the speaker’s cynical tone. This particular line reflects how widespread superfluous consumption really is, like come on people, have we learnt nothing from the past? Another important thing to note is that, although the speaker complains of the humdrum nature of his life, he stays, revealing the strong hold that consumerism has on a person’s perspective and foreshadowing the function of society today. We were warned by Paterson, urged by Dawe and yet this steep incline of a greedy demeanour in society does not change. What do we have to hear to make us understand that this is a problem?

This materialistic mindset only amplifies the lack of depth, common in relationships and is catapulted by consumerist tools such as televisions, computers and mobile phones. During the 70’s, teenagers were becoming increasingly rebellious and relationships between parents and children were frequently becoming disjointed. Is it just a coincidence that this coincided with large advancements in technology? Bruce Dawe wrote an enlightening poem in this era about a possible reason for this distance and falsity in relationships called Televistas. It explored the exchange between a young couple, played out in front of a screen. Romantic language like “they fell in love” and “where each seeks the others eye” was subverted with mundanities like food names, advertising campaigns and “the David Nixon Show”. Consumerism is so prevalent in our lives that we find it virtually impossible to force ourselves to focus on other human beings. I know that I personally have chosen watching a television with my family, over sitting down to talk with them, but never truly saw the impact and that could be okay to do once? Twice? Three times? Does it end? The colloquialisms in the poem only further denote the inextricable link of consumerism to relationships. When it is linked this closely to people, the very nature of their interaction is shaped into a shallow never-ending cycle of meaningless expression.

The falseness of communication today is directly linked to the consumerist lifestyle and has been increasing since the late 1880’s. Clancy of the Overflow not only depicts the city as a giant symbol of materialism, but also portrays the townsfolk as having “eager eyes and greedy” stating that they “have no time to grow, they have no time to waste”. This statement is indicative of the busyness of people’s lives and negligence of other humans. Similarly, when Paterson wrote “As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste” he shows the carelessness of people affected by consumerism in this era, which has only increased from the time of Paterson to the time of Dawe, and furthermore to present day.

What can we do to change? What can we do to stop this perpetual chain of meaningless things, people and interactions? It begins with the consumer mindset; this is what influences our identity, and our communications. When consumerism becomes something we understand and acknowledge we can then bring about change in relationships and eventually humankind. Come and join me in my attempts to change, because I for sure don’t want to be part of a negative generalisation like this.