Materialists?!!!! Us???

The rising materialism amongst young people is effectively resulting in lack of idealism. This isn't a very giving generation (rediff.com)

A study on youth spending showed that youths account for $36 billion in annual sales and this number balloons to $290 billion when their indirect influence on spending is included. The spending was considered over a wide range of goods and services from electronics to vacations. Youths have become more and more materialistic. The Goldberg et al study showed several significant indicators. This is because youths tend to watch commercials more, save little, buy more and expect more money and gifts from their guardians and parents for birthdays and Christmas. And all this for doing very little or nothing at all! During his reign as Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI took pains to advise youths in many countries around the world on the dangers of losing moral direction and seeking worldly pleasures. According to the Thesaurus, gluttony comes from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over indulgence and over consumption of food, drink or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste. Materialism is the interest in and desire for money and possessions rather than spiritual or ethical value. The call by Pope Benedict was not the first time a pontiff highlighted the waywardness of youth. In 1975, Pope Paul VI had made a similar appeal. This is due to the pop culture which sweeps all along the way. Sales of cell phones have sky rocketed over the last few years.

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The youth of today are a product of many generations in the past. The further back one goes, one can see a lot of hard working people. This was caused by the boom following the Great War. This was so because people had to rebuild; there was a great movement also of people fleeing devastated Europe to America and, having experienced the ravages of war, were willing to put everything in making a better life. The people who lived in America before the war saw the opportunity to make money for themselves as Europe and Asia had been ravaged. It was the only place with factories standing intact. Work was quickly rewarded. And, therefore, they worked.

This resulted in that generation having a different outlook on their children, and began giving their children more things to make up for their long hours of work which kept them from interacting with their children. This has been passed on from generation to generation, and the advances in technology have only helped to worsen the situation. Instead of participating in an activity with a child, parents will introduce this child to electronic gadgets, not because they do not want to play with it, but because they work hard and have no extra time.