Statement of intent:
The purpose of this speech is to make the audience who are consumers appreciate the success of all advancements in society. Now a day consumers, just buy
goods and services without appreciating its purpose. Considering where we were
technology wise 100 years ago compared to now, we have improved so much but
people and society are not grateful.
Speech:
Are you
thankful for the creation of light from Thomas Edison? Do you understand the
endless possibilities mobile phones have given society? Do you appreciate the
advantages of owning your own motor vehicle? We are the luckiest humans in
existence. Lifesaving medicines, HUGE advancements in technology, an
improvement in the population’s health, education, general standards of living,
more interaction and trade with foreign nations, and overall world-wide we are
becoming richer. Previously generations throughout history have suffered from poor
education, incurable illnesses and extreme social and political laws that generally
restricted the quality of life. These past generations could only dream of the opportunities and
technologies we enjoy unconsciously in our everyday lives. The action of women to
become the equal of men on all levels and being more independent liberated and
confident in society, was a dream pre 1920’s. As we all know now women can vote,
share their own opinions and enjoy employment somewhat equal to that of men. Now
as we progress into greater prosperity and discover further knowledge of the
unknown, you’d think as a society we would become more grateful for what we have
managed to achieve. To an extent, yes some people in society appreciate these
advancements, however a large percentage seem to go through life simply doing
and achieving things without a second thought to the realities of how we are
able to achieve this. Society today seems to revolve around the ownership of
the newest, the latest, the biggest, the better of products and services we are
constantly being exposed to.
How much
money do you spend on luxury or material goods? How do you feel after you have
made this purchase? Are you always waiting for the newer model to come out? In
today’s modern era, money and material goods are on the minds of almost
everyone, and seem to be a motivational goal. We are constantly looking out for
the newest iPhone model or the latest fashion trends, so we can fit in, compete
with the rest of society and not stand out of the crowd for the wrong reasons
i.e.: not having the standard accepted goods and services. Purchasing’s all
these things are considered important as we are contributing to the economic growth of
an economy. Depending on how much and how often you buy these items, it can lead
to an insatiable greed on our part. Greed is defined as the desire to have more
of something than you need; it’s the decision to take from others to increase
your wellbeing at the expense of them. There are two distinctively different
types of greed, ‘The Real World’ and ‘Average Person’ greed. The real world
greed for example is a dishonest banker who allows someone a mortgage even
though he knows they cannot afford one, just so the bank can make money and
foreclosure on the house. The average greedy person however is someone who for
instance will eat all the cookies and not share as they know others want them.
The thing
with greed is that once the producer of a particular item has fulfilled the
latest demands and consumers are happy, they instantly will develop a newer
product to replace it to maintain the flow of income and create a new need. The
population, once they realised there is a newer model, will second-rate the old
version and replace it. Other companies will create a better version and there
will be more choices, more dilemmas. We
as humans cannot find a way to be satisfied. We are always demanding more, for
the newer and the better. Advancements in technology therefore is an amazing
part of our day to day life, but it has created the greed factor and we tend not
to appreciate the function of what we buy, and seem to focus only on the fact
that it's new.
REFLECTION:
The human condition is any concern about human nature, society and the way we live our lives. This text explores the human condition as; to be greedy is a negative behaviour which occurs amongst people. Unfortunately, society has become dependent on what you have and what you do in life. We are by nature extremely competitive to the point, we are willing to jeopardise the environment, our relationships and friendships all to have the latest goods. It seems to be all about ‘me’. What ‘I need’ and what ‘I want'
The human condition is any concern about human nature, society and the way we live our lives. This text explores the human condition as; to be greedy is a negative behaviour which occurs amongst people. Unfortunately, society has become dependent on what you have and what you do in life. We are by nature extremely competitive to the point, we are willing to jeopardise the environment, our relationships and friendships all to have the latest goods. It seems to be all about ‘me’. What ‘I need’ and what ‘I want'
I was inspired when writing this speech by the new release
of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus models last November. Majority of the
people I know are called, ‘Early Adopters’. They were so eager to get this new
release just to follow a trend, they didn’t even research it. Many found that
it was bending and had other faults. These people were blindsided by the fact
that it was a newer model, they didn’t read any reviews, and they just bought
it. They were happy to replace their iPhone 5 with a larger, better looking, and
more expensive version. I thought this whole situation was very sad. There are
people in the world who are struggling to find food. On the other spectrum, there
are people who are spending their money so frivolously on goods which in the
future they will just replace again. If people realise these actions are an act
of greed, maybe it will change their mind set, and they will spend their money
on items which might just benefit other people in need.