Materialism/Acquisitiveness

Foreigners generally consider Americans much more materialistic than Americans are likely to consider themselves. Americans would like to think that their material objects are just the “natural benefits” which always result from hard work and serious intent – a reward, they think which all people could enjoy were they as industrious and hard-working as Americans.

But by any standard, Americans are materialistic. This means that they value and collect more material objects than most of the world’s people would ever dream possible to own. It also means they give a higher priority to obtaining, maintaining and protecting their material objects than they do in developing and enjoying interpersonal relationships with people.

The modern American typically owns: one or more color television sets; a tape recorder and a record player; a videocassette recorder; an electric hair dryer; an electronic calculator; and expensive camera; a clothes-washer and dryer; a vacuum cleaner; a powered lawn mower (for cutting grass); a refrigerator, a stove; one or more automobiles; and a telephone. Many also own a personal computer and electric dish-washer.

Since Americans value newness and innovation, they sell or throw away their possessions frequently and replace them with newer ones. A car may be kept for only two or three years, a house for five or six before trading it in for another one.

Text 2. National character counts!

Nearly half of all high schoolers say they steal. Seven in 10 admit to cheating on an exam within the previous 12 months. These are among the results of a survey released during National CHARACTER COUNTS Week, October 18–24, 1998. Conducted by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, the survey is one of the largest ever to focus on the ethics of young people, with over 20,000 middle and high school respondents.

“This report card shows that the hole in our moral ozone is getting bigger”, says Michael Josephson, president of the Institute, which organized similar, though smaller surveys in 1992 and 1996. “In terms of honesty and integrity, things are going from very bad to worse”.

More highlights: Forty-seven per cent of all respondents admit they stole something from a store in the previous 12-month period (with more than a quarter of high schoolers saying they had committed store theft at least two times). In the Institute’s 1996 survey, the reported theft rate was 39 per cent.

In 1998, seven of ten high schoolers admit they cheated on an exam at least once in the past 12 months. In 1996, the cheating rate was 64 per cent.

Almost all teenagers admit to lying. Ninety-two per cent of the high schoolers say they lied at least once in the past year; 78 per cent say they lied two or more times. In 1996, 85 per cent said they lied at least once and 73 per cent said they lied repeatedly. More than one in three high schoolers say they would lie to get a good job.

“If we keep in mind that liars and cheaters may lie on a survey it’s clear that the reality is even worse than these numbers indicate”, Mr. Josephson says.

Curiously, 91 per cent report that they are “satisfied with my own ethics and character”. Mr. Josephson finds this “especially troubling”. He explains: “Young people know what they’re doing is wrong. There is an inconsistency in what they say they believe and how they act”. For instance, alongside admissions of frequent lying and cheating, 78 per cent of high schoolers and 87 per cent of those in middle school say “it’s not worth it to lie or cheat because it hurts your character”.

Ninety-seven per cent of both groups say “it’s important for me to be a person with good character” and 95 per cent say “it’s important to me that people trust me”.

Only 69 per cent of the high schoolers – compared to 98 per cent in middle school – say they are satisfied with the ethics and character of their generation. Young people say they know their parents and teachers expect them to be honest and ethical: 83 per cent say “my parents always want me to do the ethically right thing no matter what the cost” and only 7 per cent say that “my parents would rather I cheat than get bad grades”.