Advertising is a highly lucrative profession. In a world governed by the accumulation of wealth, demonstrating and convincing people to buy a product or service is a natural output. In a scoiety influenced with this philosophy we see brands. I am told what I need, what I should want, ad infinitum. I have needs but my perception of them is hazy. I need water to survive but I believe Fiji is more indicative of a lifestyle I want, compared to water from the tap. Arbitrary...My understanding is influenced by my own insecurity. I want to purchase expensive goods to make up for what I do not possess. If I can own the highest quality in one area of my life, then I must be a high quality person. America has become saturated with capitalism, to the point we ascribe people's self-worth to the quality and quantity of goods they possess. When I see a homeless person, destitute, lacking popular brands, I scorn them. When I see individuals with Ralph Lauren, Merceedes Benz, and Luis Vuitton I gravitate towards them. I aspire to a higher lifestyle but I have more in common with the homeless. We are both left wanting for more, looking for a form of security. If I truly believed in my inherent worth as a human, I would purchase specific brands incidentally or purely due to my personal aesthetical preference. This cruel irony plays out in families across this nation every day, "I spend because I lack. I lack because I spend."
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