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Money Obsessed Culture
Comments from teens across the country

This Extra Buzz was originally produced January 15, 2000

From Felicia, CA:

America has definitely become a money obsessed culture. Today is Chinese New Year's, and the first words that came out of my friend's little sister were, "How much money did you get?" Not a general good wish for health and studies, but instead, money.

Traditionally, money for Chinese New Year's is given for luck and prosperity. In America, I find that money is the only object Asian American kids look forward to in the holiday. Could it be America itself or the recent economic boom?

Perhaps the economic boom has transformed America into money-minded machine. America has always been sensitive about money. The very reason we became America is because of of taxation without representation with England. Can't take our money without asking!!

And now we have evolved into human machines with the command to make and spend more money. Make, make, make. Spend, spend, spend.

A good example is the flux of dot.com-s that pay people to surf the net. Make money even during your leisure hours! I know some people who sign up with as many companies as they can find that pay to surf. Make as much money as you can, and then go out and have fun.

But meanwhile, the poor have become poorer. You can't get paid to surf the Web if you don't own a computer. Their money goes toward bills, rent, food, everyday necessities.

America's economic boom may well be an unprecedented event that has economists and business people jumping for joy, but it surely does not effect everyone. How can it matter that another CEO has just earned millions of dollars when kids and families have to work 24-7 just to eat one meal? That CEO might go out and have the time of his or her life, vacationing in Tahiti and buying a private jet to get there. But why not use that money earned to help the poor? The people that are not affected by the recent boom, but who should be.

From Betty, CA:

Young Americans today have been molded in a technology and money age. Everyone strives to make money. Everything costs money.

Prices are going down, but production is going up, making there more things to buy. People have too little money for too many things.

Everyone works to buy material possessions and they've become obsessed with it. Everything is based on money; how much someone has, how much they make, how much they spend. Profits, debts, bills, stocks... it's crazy!

Of course we ARE in an economic boom, and therefore there should be an excess of products and money being made... but it's getting ridiculous. Life and happiness is no longer based on family life, it's based on how much a person makes and how good their job is.

From Brendan, NY

I find the gap between the rich and the poor disgusting. We live in the United States of America, the most economically secure country in the world. It's also the most privileged country, and yet there are millions of families that struggle with things that you and I take for granted. Poor families fight to feed the children, get clean clothes and find a job. I believe people should open their eyes and their hearts and take a step of goodwill and start helping.

Surely we can give a few dollars here and there to charities and other organizations

From Bob, PA:

It's all about the Benjamins. In today's society Americans have come to obey one thing, the all mighty dollar.

Not matter what financial level a person is on, from multi-billionaire to the poverty level, everyone wants more money. If Bill Gates didn't want more money do you think that he would keep making Windows and all of the other products that Microsoft makes? I don't think so.

I'm guilty of this as well. I just applied and was hired for a part-time job. Do you think that I want to work, of course not, school is hard enough. I wanted the job for more money.

Now don't get me wrong, we need money to survive in today's modern society, but our obsessive greed for it has gone too far to say the least. We need to watch what we buy so that we can save money and in turn not need any more. Our government is a prime example of this. Spending somewhere around $500 for a hammer does not demonstrate good spending habits. There is a billboard in New York that shows our national debt-- it is staggering.

We as Americans should stop taking pride in how much money we spend, and start looking at what it is we are spending it on.

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