The topic that I would like to reflect is about the problem that I am always facing as a consumer – the never ending urge to buy more things that I don’t really need. I realized that it can be connected to the theories that we have discussed in the class especially with the utilitarianism, specifically the principle of utility. To be honest, I’m still wondering as to why we are so vulnerable to this habit of hoarding various items that we won’t use in the future. Is it to satisfy our guilty pleasures or just a mere way of showing to the society that we have the capability to purchase those things that the mass can’t normally purchase (the expensive items)?

            I remember going home passing by one of the marginalized area of Pasig and seeing some people playing with their smart phones and I realized that it became a priority for us today to have a specific gadget that we will definitely use but sometimes neglect our basic needs such as food, clothes, house, etc. I’m not saying that they are like that but just an observation from a person who’s been there.

            I totally agree with what Socrates said which concerns a person’s desires. He argues that it’s endless – after achieving one of our desires, we are bound to have another which is better or more grandiose than the previous. In this modern time, I’m questioning my principles regarding contentment and happiness because we are in the era where people tend to follow the trend not knowing if it will benefit them in the long run and not just give them temporary joy. We are living in a world that normalizes splurging over miscellaneous things – it became a norm for most of us. 

            Thus, I conclude that humans are those type of beings that do not want to stay in one place, we want more, that is what I’m saying. I admit to myself that I belong to those people because I’m not contented to what I have, I often find myself wanting to buy more than what I really need. And in the end, I will tell myself that it is too much when it’s too late for me to bring back those things to their original places. Though there are times that I will say to myself that I deserve just to stay in this state because in my point of view this is where I need to be or it is not just the right time to transcend to another state.

            For example, to start, with I’m fond of Korean pop music, Kpop in short, and every artist have their own merchandise. I can’t control myself from not buying those because I thought to myself that it is to support the artist I love. But after buying some more albums I recognized the other side of the coin. It’s like I’m being blinded by the fact that I love the artist and forgetting that they’re also people too that needed money to live. So, it is like I’m saying that the Kpop world is somehow becoming a capitalist world. As I’ve seen various merchandise with different charms, as I would say, or with different types of packaging and inclusions, I saw how entertainment companies innovate. It makes us, fans, want to collect more as they release new things with diverse functionality.

            The question is, does it make me happy in the long run or will it benefit a lot of people? Based on my experience, it is fun and exciting whenever I’m opening the items that I’ve purchased but after some time it makes me ponder if I did the right thing. I will be reminded of what my mother always say to me, to save up the money for me to use it as an emergency fund.  Utilitarianism has something to do with the greater good, and I must say that I and the artists that I support both benefited from my action but in different ways. For them, they have benefited in emotional and financial aspects while I benefited in emotional aspect but I suffer from financial loss in return. If thinking of how many people benefited from my action of purchasing, I consider it as a good act based on the theory of Jeremy Bentham.  

            To sum up all of the things I’ve said, people may think you’re doing the wrong or the right thing based on the reason why you have done something and also look on the impacts of your action. So for consumerism, if you’re doing it for a show but help many people, it is considered to be a good act or a better choice.

Garcia, Divine D. BSCS 2-Petition