THE EVOLUTION OF CONSUMPTION
Dr. Tanvir Orakzai
October 23, 2006
Till Middle Ages, buying for purpose was considered a necessity. Making profit has been considered a cheap and mean practice in early Christianity and Islam alike. Normally the traders were foreigners who earned profit along with the “contempt of the people they served”. Amassing wealth was considered corruption of the soul and death of spirituality. Priests often vehemented against the desire of accumulation with prediction of fire and hell. The malice with wealth can be felt from the remarks of Saint John “the merchant can seldom or never please God,” While the Holy book of Muslims, Quran is filled with examples of loss and profit for the reason that Meccans were entrepreneurs who used to trade in neighboring countries, it was easy for them to understand the language of profit and loss.
Poor have been the followers of prophets in all ages, while the rich resisted these preaching. The preaching of every prophet and revolutionary was meant to change the circulation of wealth in a unequal society. In a time, when majority of the population was poor and under-nourished, few were affluent; it was natural to have feeling of contempt towards the rich class. The merchants who used to make profit were considered selfish, greedy and money mongers. One of such examples is Shakespeare’s famous character; Shylock (The Jew of Malta) who is depicted as a cursed man who looks for profit only. The medieval concept about selling was "just price”. The general conviction was that the desire of money destroys values and corrupts the seeker into eternal damnation.
In medieval times, religious belief promoted only limited consumption which allowed elite to maintain control over the majority of people and resources.Christianity in the Middle Ages was used for accumulation of the wealth in few hands.The restriction of consumption was used as a political tool in the histroy.It was not the sacrcity of the resources, but rather accoumulation of wealth in few hands that the rich became super rich it was believed that the world for poor is a trial, which poor could bear through the power of faith; while the rich can enjoy his pleasure.The purpose of the majority was to serve the priest and the king. It was in this context that crusades were lauhnced to grab the riches of the East under the garb of religion. The pursuit of possessions and extra vagnasas satisfied only the elite.These idelogies served only the purpose of King and afflulent class to legtimise their rule.
The arrival of industrial era changed this senario. Now more could be produced in less time. The producer needed to find new markets to sell. Consumer revolution of the early twentieth century took place due to the arrival of new technologies. The Henry Ford famous $5 per hour wages was a herlad for the age of consumption .In 20th century producer adopted a different policy to change the mindset of consumer. In the past saving was considered virtue now the thinking has to be changed to “the commercialization of society” The luxries which earlier were dienied to the common man were made necessities of living. Buying habits were transformed and luxuries were made necessities. The luxry products moved out of the drawing rooms of the elite to become part and parcel of the commonman. This culture of consumtion was adovacted by massive campigns and society was covinced to belive in the “idelogy of pleasure”.
It was combination of all these forces that changed the mindset of society from saving pennies to spending money on fashion, fad, lifestyle and seeking pleasure. The advertisers, bankers, government institutes, industrialist and leaders, all worked hands in hand to create this habbit of buying and consumption. The greater consumption created circulation of wealth, lessened distance between rich and poor and provided higher consumption for luxuries of life and reducing cost per person to make higher standard of living affordable. . All these factors stimulated ecomnomic growth and established wide distribution of wealth creating prosperous societies. In third world countries; few hold monopoly over the vast resources of the state .The majority are serving the few, creating artificila scarcity of wealth and resources.The problem is not scarcity of wealth, but unequal distribution of the wealth. As long as thrid world economies do not circulate their forzen welath; their population will live in misery and starvation.
Poor have been the followers of prophets in all ages, while the rich resisted these preaching. The preaching of every prophet and revolutionary was meant to change the circulation of wealth in a unequal society. In a time, when majority of the population was poor and under-nourished, few were affluent; it was natural to have feeling of contempt towards the rich class. The merchants who used to make profit were considered selfish, greedy and money mongers. One of such examples is Shakespeare’s famous character; Shylock (The Jew of Malta) who is depicted as a cursed man who looks for profit only. The medieval concept about selling was "just price”. The general conviction was that the desire of money destroys values and corrupts the seeker into eternal damnation.
In medieval times, religious belief promoted only limited consumption which allowed elite to maintain control over the majority of people and resources.Christianity in the Middle Ages was used for accumulation of the wealth in few hands.The restriction of consumption was used as a political tool in the histroy.It was not the sacrcity of the resources, but rather accoumulation of wealth in few hands that the rich became super rich it was believed that the world for poor is a trial, which poor could bear through the power of faith; while the rich can enjoy his pleasure.The purpose of the majority was to serve the priest and the king. It was in this context that crusades were lauhnced to grab the riches of the East under the garb of religion. The pursuit of possessions and extra vagnasas satisfied only the elite.These idelogies served only the purpose of King and afflulent class to legtimise their rule.
The arrival of industrial era changed this senario. Now more could be produced in less time. The producer needed to find new markets to sell. Consumer revolution of the early twentieth century took place due to the arrival of new technologies. The Henry Ford famous $5 per hour wages was a herlad for the age of consumption .In 20th century producer adopted a different policy to change the mindset of consumer. In the past saving was considered virtue now the thinking has to be changed to “the commercialization of society” The luxries which earlier were dienied to the common man were made necessities of living. Buying habits were transformed and luxuries were made necessities. The luxry products moved out of the drawing rooms of the elite to become part and parcel of the commonman. This culture of consumtion was adovacted by massive campigns and society was covinced to belive in the “idelogy of pleasure”.
It was combination of all these forces that changed the mindset of society from saving pennies to spending money on fashion, fad, lifestyle and seeking pleasure. The advertisers, bankers, government institutes, industrialist and leaders, all worked hands in hand to create this habbit of buying and consumption. The greater consumption created circulation of wealth, lessened distance between rich and poor and provided higher consumption for luxuries of life and reducing cost per person to make higher standard of living affordable. . All these factors stimulated ecomnomic growth and established wide distribution of wealth creating prosperous societies. In third world countries; few hold monopoly over the vast resources of the state .The majority are serving the few, creating artificila scarcity of wealth and resources.The problem is not scarcity of wealth, but unequal distribution of the wealth. As long as thrid world economies do not circulate their forzen welath; their population will live in misery and starvation.
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