Consumer society: problems and solutions
Shopping is an important part of our life. But frequently there appears the following question. ‘Do we live to shop or shop to live?”‘ And it is always followed by the issue about money. Is it a pleasure for people to spend enormous sums of money on consumer goods or is i a hard work?
Everyone is talking about economic growth and global prosperity nowadays. And we are supposed to benefit from all the advantages of a prosperous society. So why do we fell drained and stressed when we hear about shopping? We have no time for anything other than work and consuming. So, the more we get, the more we consume and the more money we spend on goods. But more spending doesn’t mean that life is getting better. We all know it often means the opposite – greed, deprivation, crime, poverty, pollution. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and conumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy collapses and the whole system goes
As the leading economistpu it, consumer societies are ‘in need of need’. We don’t need the things the economy produces as much as the economy needs our sence of need. Why, in our suprmarkets, we have to choose from 60 different kinds of pasta and a hundred of different breakfast cereals? Need is a miracle that keeps the engine of consumption turning relentlessly. It is a hunger that cannot be satiated.
But how do we breach the cycle? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions. We shouldn’t buy strangely cheap clothes that are manufactured in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We shouldlearn how to count our money and economise significantly, because ‘the economy’ is not what men is suits do in their offices, but is where we live on our daily bases, earning our living, paying out taxis, and purchasing the necesseties of life.
The evil of the consumption culture is the way it makes us obvious to the impact of our own behaviour. So when we get rid of consumerism, shopping won’t be a hard work.
Обычаи, традиции и праздники Великобритании – Customs tradition and high days in United kindom
There are a lot of customs and traditions in United kindom. Every year British have many high days in concordance with their traditions. They are celebrating Christmas, Christmas-tide, Good Friday, Valentine’s day and many others.
New year. In UK (excepting Scotland) that date’s celebrating isn’t more generally. Many peoples are going to bed in New year’s night in order that go to work next day. They are not sending greeting card or give presents, because the 1’st Yanuary is a workday. But many peoples celebrating New year in concordance with their famili traditions. The youngsters going on a dancing partyes in restaurants, hotels. The bands playing convivial music and mirth are reigning around. But english New year is not official holiday.
St valentine’s day. This day (the 14 february) all teenagers and many others adults waiting for red-letter from their kinsfolks and girlfriends or boyfriends. Many red-leters are inditing anonymous. Generally, they are writing for the most beloved people. This holiday is near 6 centuries old. This custom is rife in England. On the legend, all birds choose a pair in this day. Some kids have invent a few descants, such as:
Good morrow, Valentine,
First-tis you,
Then-it’s mine,
Give me, please a Valentine.
Then kids are singing these descants some adults give them fruits, sweet loafs or some money. Valentine’s day is a very famous custom-it get us a potential to surprise and be surprised. What can be better?
Pancake’s day or “FattyTuesday”. From the many offbeat and old traditions of England are exist very inviting by their particularity. For example,”Pancake’s day”is similar on Russia’s shrovetide. But it doesn’t matter, that the British eat Pancakes in this day. Of course, pancakes are not so popular as bacon and eggs. The English are celebrating “Pancake’s day” in “Fatty Tuesday”.A long time ago Galileans mustn’t eat grease, milk and eggs every day, but they eat them is “Fatty Tuesday”.There is a very interesting tradition-“pancake dash”.Every year all womans in english’s town Olney can go in this competition. They must wear a pinner, hat or scarf on their heads. Dash have began on the city square and ended on near the kirk. Distance length is near 400metres. Every competitioner must frit a pancake and run all distance with it. They must throw up it triply. There are no disqualification, you can try again and again. It is impossible, but these tradition have more and more popular.
“Mothering Sunday” is one of the most grateful english home holidays. This day childs come to their mothers and give them some presents. This day all people try to help their mothers:they clear up, wipe dust away and sometimes they serve her lunch to bed. But mother must cook dinner herself. There are:roast veal or roast sheep, rice pudding. Scalded cream will send in soon. Simnel-cake is also popular on the convivial table.
The Easter. This is the most old tradition(after Christmas).Easter days are associated as well with religion as a spring’s come. The Easter is consist of several days:Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Maundy Thursday. In Maundy Thursday the king of England make maundy for 12people. After it they gets moneys and presents. There is another known tradition. The Queen and a spiritualty visited on a church service with some posyes who can bestride them from dread plague. The day Good Friday are tie up with many old traditions, for example:there is a tradition to implant vegetables in Good Friday. After the Good Friday the one of the best churchly celebrations began-The Easter Sunday, when Galileans in all parts of the world celebratev Christ’s resurrection. The pasch-eggs is the main part of the convivial table. They eat them on breakfast, on dinner and on supper too. The pasch-eggs can be any colour which you want. The pasch-eggs can also made from chocolate, sugar or marchpane. The Easter is the time for different massive tradition games. For example, on the north the pasch-eggs rolling up from the mountain, while they are broken. Hereupon you can eat them.
“Idiot’s day or the day of funny cheats”.Many peoples are buskin to this day previously: they think over different jokes, leg-pulls. This day every people have a capabilities to laugh above himwself. This day associated with spring’s come. Of course, this day is the most popular with children. If their joke came off they cry”April Fool!”.
Also, there are many another interesting dates in British calendar, but I told you about the mostinterest.
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