Corrupt Societies Essay

In today’s society I find that a lot of people have become materialistic. It’s a new coach purse, the brand new cell phone from Verizon or a plasma screen TV that is the hype and everyone wants. Either way a person is to look at it, society is based on who has what. There is an emphasis on a person’s status in their society and it is very important. I always hear my boss saying â€Å"it’s all about the Benjamin’s! † and he’s right. Not a day goes by that a person doesn’t think about what they want to buy next. Does this make us bad people? Have we all succumbed to an unconscious norm that is all materialistic? What is it to be materialistic? The Webster definition is that a person is concerned with material wealth and possessions at the expense of spiritual or intellectual values. I see it as a person that wants something so much that they would stop at nothing to have it whether it is by means of purchasing, stealing or cheating someone else out of it. It’s about judging a book by its cover and not looking at the big picture of life and the world around us. When my mom was younger, things that were sought after were high diplomas and bachelors degree. Now as I grow up it’s a master’s degree and the BMW that I may drive that gives me a status in society. There are so many times when things are taken for granted and some people find nothing wrong with this. How can a person go on in life only wondering about if they can have that brand new car or cell phone? Do the things we have define who we are as a person? I feel that every society is corrupt in its own way. It’s the people, the government, our morals, values and our adaptive way of life. This is not just in fantasy books but in our real world as well. When I see how things have changed from when I was little I wonder how it all could have happened. I remember the first computer I ever got in my life and when I compare it to my laptop, it’s almost one eighth of what my whole computer used to be. But it’s not just the technology that has changed. Our perception of the world, the role we play in it and how that role has changed. Attitudes have changed and there is a difference between how people relate to each other.