General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why do we have to "Work so Hard" to make a living? [View all]Capitalism is not forcing people to buy so much stuff, especially stuff they don't need.
You realize:
"It took 25 years for the industry to build its first billion square feet of storage space. The second billion square feet was added in just seven years, from 1998 to 2005, according to the Self Storage Association.
The average American home has grown from 1,400 square feet in 1970 to 2,300 square feet today, but the average size of the household has shrunk from 3.1 to 2.5.
In 1995, one in 17 American households rented storage space. By 2007, that ratio had increased to one in 10, according to the Self Storage Association."
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/TheHighPriceOfTooMuchStuff.aspx?page=2
We've got larger houses but yet still need 7 square feet of rental storage for every man, woman, and child in the US?
Capitalism isn't making people do anything. Just as commercials don't force people to buy crap (or give in to their kids who want them to buy crap). People choose to.
If I over produce a large amount of suppositories, are you going to buy them simply because I have a bunch to sell? even if i am selling them really cheap? I sure hope not.
And it is not the just the top 10%. Unless of course my neighbors and my kids parents all happen to be in the top 10% (which they aren't). Most of the servers at the restaurants we go to have better cars than I do. My daughter's best friend's mom is living with her parents because she couldn't afford an apartment, yet she has a nice new(ish) SUV.
Sorry, I'm just not buying it.