Inquiry into the Issue

©Thinkstock

Inquiry into the Issue

Consumerism is an economic theory. One view of this theory is that consumers waste money by buying things they desire and want that are not what they need necessarily.

Others view consumerism in a positive way. They refer to the ability of people to reap the rewards of their hard work, making choices to spend their earnings on the goods and services they desire and need.

Both views show that the economy benefits from consumerism. When a consumer purchases something, jobs bring the product to the consumer; therefore, the consumer is ensuring jobs in all levels of industry.

With which theory of consumerism do you agree?

Inquiry Activity

Examine other statements about consumerism and determine how positive or negative each is.

Read the Quotations on Consumerism document.

Search for key words that demonstrate the author's positive or negative thoughts about consumerism.

Then, complete the Deconstructing Quotations activity by clicking on one of the links below. You will see that the first quoted statement is given as an example.

Deconstructing Quotations (Word)
Deconstructing Quotations (pdf)
Deconstructing Quotations (Google Doc)

Save your completed Deconstructing Quotes handout to your Activities folder.