Scenario 4-2 "Consumerism Is a Pattern of Behavior That Helps to Destroy

question 104

Multiple Choice

Scenario 4-2
"Consumerism is a pattern of behavior that helps to destroy our environment, personal financial health, the common good of individuals and human institutions." This quote is stated on the home page of a website called Overcoming Consumerism.The quote goes on to say, "This site details methods that you can use to help defeat consumerism, save money, work less and lead a more satisfying and environmentally benign life while you help to restore the economic self-sufficiency of your community."
(http://www.verdant.net/)
As one navigates from page to page on the site, advertising is often implicated as a source of the movement toward consumerism.Many of the same criticisms of advertising found on the site were outlined in the textbook.
-(Scenario 4-2) One page on the site maintains that advertising seduces children into believing that "their self-worth is based on $100 inflatable, illuminated sneakers." Besides this concern that ads promote superficiality and materialism, the text outlines other concerns regarding children's advertising.For instance, sophisticated ads aimed at children can cause

• A)conflicts between parents and children.
• B)dissatisfaction with the actual programming.
• C)controversies that cannot regulated by the government due to First Amendment rights.
• D)complex decision-making skills and adult purchasing processes at too young an age.

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Definitions:

Absolute Price

The price of a good or service without taking inflation or purchasing power into account.

Indifference Curves

A graph showing different bundles of goods between which a consumer is indifferent, pointing out the preferences of the consumer for one combination of goods over another.

Bowed Inward

A description often used in economics to illustrate a production possibility frontier that indicates increasing opportunity costs for producing goods.

Budget Constraint

The limit on the consumption bundles that a consumer can afford to purchase based on their income and the prices of goods and services.