2 Kinds of Materialism

Oh--forgot. Left a nice '37 Plymouth and a Cushman Eagle too, when I moved to San Jose Ended up installing dashboards in Mustangs like a monkey. I gave them to some friends, which I haven't seen since I moved in '64. I reckon someone has 'em.

 

Yeah somebody most def has that shit somewhere:sunny:

 

The one was that BAD, though was a '49 Olds 2 door that I abandoned. Saw one on the net for 40,000. Course that was an outrageous price-----but maybe not??? It was pristine with the original upholstery. Had a wiring problem and I just said fuck it and left it. That WAS IDIOTIC!!!!

 

I heard a badass car earlier and sirens...that shit sounded like a v12 Benz or something they were running from the jakes lol

 

i love all kinds of toys. at least the kind i can make and do things with. these are also called tools, but don't tell anyone.

but here's the thing, no amount of personal wealth, is worth more then the kind of world you still have to live in.

 

Possibly. I've been around some people who were quite competitive about the antique cars or old airplanes they had lovingly restored. When those guys get together at events, they all want people to think their stuff is the best. They didn't seem like bad people. If they don't take their hobby to the point of interfering with normal life, I guess it isn't a huge deal. Collectors of various specialty items fall into the same category.

 

You make the world around you what it is thru your mind and how you perceive things. Something like that.

 

Pfft. My answer was way better than that.

 

i can make a pair of jeans last A WHILE. i just bought a couple new pairs to replace my very favorite pair that has gotten way too raddy - is that not a word?

i kinda did...

 

There are actually three more answers that I expected in some form, but haven't seen yet:

"I'm competitive, and I think competition is healthy and good for society."

"All forms of materialism are equally bad, no matter what the motivation."

"All materialists are competitive, whether they admit it or not."

 

i am competitive, just regarding things that were meant to be competitions rather than materialism.

 

I am competitive in my work. I like that I get chosen for contracts by word of mouth and I haven't screwed up to lose anything, yet, it's still not over tho, things can happen so I have to keep trugging along and hope it stays that way, but in the same respect I don't say or do things to hurt others. I trust my results are good enough and so far they have been, never been without my full capacity of work unless I wanted to be and let something go.
I really do like hearing good things about what I do, it's like a major pat on the back and that's about the best competition I can think of, for me anyway. I have heard a few others on here say they enjoy their work and are good at it, it's healthy to feel and be that way. Competition is a great thing as long as it isn't about hurting others or doing it to show off which then hurts us in a way we don't really ever get to realize.

 

I don't know.
I'm not too competitive actually. But I do like nice things, and I like to enjoy the finer things, not to impress others though. I even post pics on fb veeeery rarely lol.
However, I did notice that most of my friends enjoy (and can afford!) the same things, so who's there to impress?

 

That can become another form of competition, one that most of us probably find unavoidable at times; proving to a group that you meet their minimum standards. I think I do that without consciously thinking about it. Like, if my house was much worse than the houses of all my friends, I might be hesitant to invite people over.

 

You might think someone like me, 62 years old, born white and smart enough to go to MIT, would have some money, but that is not the case. I have consistently made decisions that kept me poor, but happy. I married an artist who never made much money and I chose to live in expensive Boston and I was never able to save any money. I had a kid just when my salary was starting to go up. I sent her to private elementary school, $17000 a year. I could have been just like Mitch Kapor or Bill Gates, I'm the same age, but I decided to go into renewable energy and energy conservation. This career lasted 15 years, but then the whole industry fell apart because Americans really didn't give a shit and elected dim bulbs like Ronald Reagan. Then for a while I had another exciting career working in 3D game graphics for the Mac, but my company went out of business overnight, all the jobs were in Texas and I didn't want to live there. Then I decided to try teaching high school. Every year I taught, I got poorer by about $10,000. Had to leave that before I became homeless. Once I tried to improve my situation, hired a financial advisor and lost 1/3 of my retirement savings. I really don't think that I was meant to have money.

It's strange, really, that I feel so rich and happy, but have very little in the way of things. I think that my use of psychedelics and my study of Buddhism has helped me be happy without things. For me, I value experiences primarily.

I am largely successful in avoiding commercials on TV. I think most people are negatively affected by hearing so many of them.

When my father died, I bought an expensive mandolin, which is my most valued possession. I didn't buy it to show off; I bought it because it sounds so good and it's also a way to honor my father, since he played one.

I have never spent more than $16,000 for a car. I don't own a suit or even a blazer. I have never worn a tuxedo. I have never had any jewelry, even a watch. I live in the city and I get around by bicycle and bus. Now, I am paying $2000 a month in alimony, so obviously I am living on a shoestring. I am learning to cook, because I can't afford to go to restaurants very much. But I am happy. I feel rich.

 

I think you have presented a false dichotomy by mixing different issues Karen_J.
To make an impression is trying to influence an image. Impressionistic images are abstractions and not material possessions. The want for material things is the same either way.

 

I embody both competitive and non competitive aspects of materialism. I'll admit.

Competition is great; it's what makes the world go 'round!

I don't like getting rid of things unless they are worn out completely. I like to own nice sneakers. I spent extra money to get some shoes of my own customized color way, when I could have saved and bought the standard boring colors from the store. I did it not only to march my athletic clothing in my wardrobe, but it impress my friends and be unique.

I restored my late grandpa's jeep. It turned 60 years old last year. It's at my parent's house as I don't have much space for it and it's a slow moving gas guzzling old rig that won't take 10% ethanol fuel that gas stations sell today. I still don't want to get rid of it for something more practical and of a better investment.

 

I'm not very competitive when it comes to stuff at all. I've been without a cellphone for over two years now. But I do enjoy spending money sometimes every now and again on something that isn't going to last long, like a dinner out or fancy shampoo.

What I've learned however, is that sometimes cheaping out on items doesn't necessarily bring you best overall value especially in this low cost to produce society. We have piece rate clothing that falls apart literally at the seams and the quality of things have decreased in my generation alone.

I used to get my groceries at the cheapest store but it never had fresh meat, good dairy products and fresh produce.

Gradually, I moved away and onto a "premium" grocery store where the prices for basics are slightly higher but the quality is better.

I have started to take quality into consideration whenever I purchase, but I never feel the need to keep up with the Jones'.

 

This is probably a cliche but I tend to value people for what they are rather than what they have.

There's a concept in sociology of 'latent and manifest function'. A good example of this is a chef's hat. The latent function is to keep the head cool whilst bending over hot stoves etc, but the manifest function is that it identifies the wearer as a chef.

I'd say it's the same with ostentatious displays of wealth. To get from A to B, a small inexpensive hatchback will do the job just fine. A Rolls Royce will get you there too, but it announces your wealth.
So arguably the manifest function of a Rolls is simply to display wealth.

I like things to be clean and tidy, but I'm not really concerned that everything has to be new, expensive or flashy. I wouldn't consider myself to be particularly competitive.

Maybe those who do rely on displays of wealth or status to impress others are often actually a bit insecure. Some of the wealthiest people I've met have seemed to me to be a bit shallow. You wonder if you took away all the status symbols what would be left.
They need all the bling to cover up the emptiness inside....perhaps.

There are probably deeper issues here to do with identity.