Many peoplethink that the generations that came before us were more materialistic. Generations before us placed a great amount of meaning on their homes and cars, furniture and appliances. Today, people pride themselves on the minimalist theory. Claim that they do not need anything to survive. However, I think that the reverse is true. I think our society has grown up in a world where materialism is covered up by the minimalist theory. Then there are others within our society that are proud that they are materialistic and work to support their lifestyle.

I can remember that my grandparents only had one car that only my grandfather knew how to drive. When my younger brother and I learned how to drive there were four cars parked in my parent’s driveway. My grandparents had two children, the same as my parents, and yet the entire family survived with only owning one car. Somehow, our generation with the need to have our own schedules and everyone being too busy to help out anyone else by giving them a ride, seems much more materialistic.

My grandma talked of the day that she got her first washer and dryer. Being from a small town in Colorado sure made doing laundry hard. Now, I cannot imagine living an apartment that did not offer laundry services. You could say that having modern amenities has made us use to having them, they are readily available. But it is more than that. I would not chose to live somewhere that did not offer the amenities. I am more materialistic than I think any woman who came before me in my family line.

I know friends who do not own a car but have a 50 inch TV, which seems very materialistic to me. I believe that we are more materialistic because we except to have things where generations before worked for them.