... cultural form. It wasn't always like this. Before the days of mass production and ubiquitous industry, most people sustained themselves through farming, a system of barter, and a fairly simple monetary market - there was no omnipresent consumer market. People produced many of the goods they used, themselves. Handcrafted, or machined consumer products existed, but they were most often the work of skilled tradespeople; time-consuming to produce, and subsequently quite expensive. The prevalent belief system of the time (based on the idea of satisfaction, contentment, and even salvation, through commitment to work and honest labour: the Protestant work ethic) also curtailed comsumptive practices; the accumulation of goods and conspicuous consumption was looked upon in distaste, as a sign of idleness or excessive frivolity. Consumption, therefore, wasn't a priority or even a possibility for most people, and was a reality for only a small part of the general population (such as ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now