Monday, December 10, 2007 at 2:02am
The Grinch and consumerism
Column: God Said What?
Call me a Grinch.
But this time of year I start to wonder.
I know that we all like to buy things. And we all like to sell things. After all, this seems to be almost universal. Most cultures seem to have some system of trade, bartering or selling for paper money.
Yet I wonder if we're missing the point. That is, the point that comes out of Catholic Social Teaching and Liberation Theology to live in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized. That is, to be careful about how we spend our money, to redistribute some of it to those who need it more and to focus on living a spiritual life that gives full personhood to those we'd rather not see. And doing all of this while calling others to do the same.
I know, the free market works. As has been pointed out frequently, capitalism has proven to be the most efficient way to distribute a scarcity of goods to a broad cross-section of people.
And my purpose here is not to deny this. And it is somewhat telling that it is often those who are more well-off, such as myself, who tend to critique the economic development for the underprivileged that can come from the free market.
Be that as it may, there is a cultural undercurrent that goes along with unfettered capitalism that is indeed dehumanizing. There is something amiss in all our holiday shopping frenzy. And this is what has become known as consumerism.
Consumerism is not a made-up, fairy-tale concept. It's the reality of our overwhelming desires to acquire an excess of material wealth for the sole purpose of getting more. It has no purpose except to be self-sustaining. And in doing so, it takes life away from others. It turns ourselves and our sisters and brothers into objects whose worth is measured only by an ability to gain wealth.
This is especially true here in the United States. We are the wealthiest nation on earth. We have more goods, services and possessions than most people in human history. But it's never enough. We always want more.
And I'm not the only one worried about this. Over the weekend, the pope had a few words about consumerism, particularly during the Advent season. In a message he admonished adults for leading children down the "dead-end street of consumerism" and for our collective idolizing of wealth and consumption over living a moral life and following the God of Jesus Christ.
Now I'm not trying to kill the party here. Christmas is indeed a festive time. It's just that there's a problem when our perception of what is necessary, what is comfortable and what is luxurious is skewed. And that's why the holiday shopping frenzy is but a symptom of a much larger problem. It's a sign of the sin of consumerism.
That is, the sin that says we should go for the Lexus instead of the Honda because we've earned it. It whispers that we really do need the new iPhone, the new video game system or the newest fashions. It tells us to take care of our own and throw only some small scraps to those who are most in need.
I would wager that this consumerism has even infused our understanding of sex and relationships. Any glance at holiday advertising will show us that sex isn't the intimate physical, spiritual and mental connection between two people in a committed relationship like marriage. Instead, advertisers titillate men to view women as sex objects to be taken in conquest and women to view men as boy-toys to be manipulated for personal gain.
So let's all take a collective deep breath. As far as material things go, maybe we should remember that it all already belongs to God anyway. So perhaps we can forget the Lexus and the iPhone and earmark this money for the poor. Or cover the needs of ourselves and those we love, and then make gifts of our time and talents along with our money and possessions. And concerning our fellow human beings, we're called to love them and treat them as if they are created in God's own image. Period.
You see, the problem here isn't buying and selling. Rather, the problem is that we've constructed an entire culture that is beholden to these exchanges. The exchanges have become ends in themselves rather than a means for human flourishing.
So maybe I am a Grinch. Even though I like to think that I value holiday gift-giving as much as anyone else. And even though I like eggnog, mistletoe, beer and celebrating.
It's just that I wonder. I look at the way we treat each other (and this includes how I treat others) and I wonder. So this Advent, let's pray for solidarity with the poor, for downsizing our possessions and for breathing life into the image of God that resides in each one of us. Let's pray to be shaken by a God who entered the world in a feeding trough for livestock rather than on the catwalks of Paris or on the billboards of Madison Avenue.
Because even if those are the prayers of a Grinch, they might be worthwhile.
— — —
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Recently he was married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and reads his columns to see if they make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Kevin Considine.
But this time of year I start to wonder.
I know that we all like to buy things. And we all like to sell things. After all, this seems to be almost universal. Most cultures seem to have some system of trade, bartering or selling for paper money.
Yet I wonder if we're missing the point. That is, the point that comes out of Catholic Social Teaching and Liberation Theology to live in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized. That is, to be careful about how we spend our money, to redistribute some of it to those who need it more and to focus on living a spiritual life that gives full personhood to those we'd rather not see. And doing all of this while calling others to do the same.
I know, the free market works. As has been pointed out frequently, capitalism has proven to be the most efficient way to distribute a scarcity of goods to a broad cross-section of people.
And my purpose here is not to deny this. And it is somewhat telling that it is often those who are more well-off, such as myself, who tend to critique the economic development for the underprivileged that can come from the free market.
Be that as it may, there is a cultural undercurrent that goes along with unfettered capitalism that is indeed dehumanizing. There is something amiss in all our holiday shopping frenzy. And this is what has become known as consumerism.
Consumerism is not a made-up, fairy-tale concept. It's the reality of our overwhelming desires to acquire an excess of material wealth for the sole purpose of getting more. It has no purpose except to be self-sustaining. And in doing so, it takes life away from others. It turns ourselves and our sisters and brothers into objects whose worth is measured only by an ability to gain wealth.
This is especially true here in the United States. We are the wealthiest nation on earth. We have more goods, services and possessions than most people in human history. But it's never enough. We always want more.
And I'm not the only one worried about this. Over the weekend, the pope had a few words about consumerism, particularly during the Advent season. In a message he admonished adults for leading children down the "dead-end street of consumerism" and for our collective idolizing of wealth and consumption over living a moral life and following the God of Jesus Christ.
Now I'm not trying to kill the party here. Christmas is indeed a festive time. It's just that there's a problem when our perception of what is necessary, what is comfortable and what is luxurious is skewed. And that's why the holiday shopping frenzy is but a symptom of a much larger problem. It's a sign of the sin of consumerism.
That is, the sin that says we should go for the Lexus instead of the Honda because we've earned it. It whispers that we really do need the new iPhone, the new video game system or the newest fashions. It tells us to take care of our own and throw only some small scraps to those who are most in need.
I would wager that this consumerism has even infused our understanding of sex and relationships. Any glance at holiday advertising will show us that sex isn't the intimate physical, spiritual and mental connection between two people in a committed relationship like marriage. Instead, advertisers titillate men to view women as sex objects to be taken in conquest and women to view men as boy-toys to be manipulated for personal gain.
So let's all take a collective deep breath. As far as material things go, maybe we should remember that it all already belongs to God anyway. So perhaps we can forget the Lexus and the iPhone and earmark this money for the poor. Or cover the needs of ourselves and those we love, and then make gifts of our time and talents along with our money and possessions. And concerning our fellow human beings, we're called to love them and treat them as if they are created in God's own image. Period.
You see, the problem here isn't buying and selling. Rather, the problem is that we've constructed an entire culture that is beholden to these exchanges. The exchanges have become ends in themselves rather than a means for human flourishing.
So maybe I am a Grinch. Even though I like to think that I value holiday gift-giving as much as anyone else. And even though I like eggnog, mistletoe, beer and celebrating.
It's just that I wonder. I look at the way we treat each other (and this includes how I treat others) and I wonder. So this Advent, let's pray for solidarity with the poor, for downsizing our possessions and for breathing life into the image of God that resides in each one of us. Let's pray to be shaken by a God who entered the world in a feeding trough for livestock rather than on the catwalks of Paris or on the billboards of Madison Avenue.
Because even if those are the prayers of a Grinch, they might be worthwhile.
— — —
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Recently he was married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and reads his columns to see if they make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Kevin Considine.