Conspicuous consumption and ostentatious behavior of both the ownership and purchases of goods and services seems to be no longer trendy. The global recession and drastic economic downturn in both the industrialized and developing nations as part of modern globalization has all the flaunters of wealth ducking for cover and parading a new frugal mind set. The economic hardship of Americans and global consumers has accelerated the budget oriented use of discount membership cards, discount coupons, and cash back shopping. Looking for cheap bargains and negotiating good deals are “adrenaline rushes”, and euphoric. Shopping at second hand retail outlets and useful goodwill stores appears now to be socially acceptable. The $50 billion Bernie Madoff ponzi scam, the greedy Detroit car executives flying in on their corporate jets for public taxpayers handouts, and the arrogance of the self absorbing Wall Street “good ole boys” paying themselves horrendous bonuses on the tab of the average consumer, has accelerated this socio-economic trend. But it took the 1988 financial meltdown for all of us to be more introspective, and finally forced many of us to stop this consumption madness and to take a timely reality check of ourselves. If there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, its one of financial humility!
Specifically the excessive consumer behavior patterns of many Americans being shadowed by all the homelessness, the hunger and poverty in Appalachia, the inner cities, and the third world nations in Africa. This welcomed social sensitivity has induced on humanity a refreshing human psychic and a new wholesome social conscience. This exceptional social paradigm shift can only be constructive, beneficial, and helpful in solving not only America’s but also the world’s pressing, and future economic problems and its social ills. Society it seems has embraced a new moral compass. Business Entrepreneurs are being replaced by Social Entrepreneurs, and everyone seems to express more care and show more concern for those less privileged and stricken by hardships and tragedy. However consumer behavior trends are fleeting and like the wind shift with the economic business cycles. But hopefully this time with the depletion of the world’s natural resources, terrorism, population growth, global warming, human poverty and super strains of immune diseases, all of us as a caring collective society will have the noble intention of becoming our brother’s keeper with sincere consumer discipline for some time to come. Let it be said that in the final analysis the global financial mess has compelled all of us to take the high road with a greater moral sense of direction.
