WHAT PRICE CONSUMERISM?

The term “consumerism” may be taken at first sight to mean what appears to be two concepts, the doctrine of consumer sovereignty, and the urge to consume enshrined in the value system that identifies greater production as a social virtue. On examination, however, it may be seen that these two concepts are in fact related and interdependent aspects of the following economic and social problems—who determines what commodities are produced; who determines the quantities of commodities that are produced; and who determines how the supply of commodities is distributed or allocated among the members who make up the society.