Mit tiefer Dankbarkeit Kitos!
TOPIC:Do you think people buy things not because they need them but because other people have them?
With the development of the global economy, a wide assortment of luxury brands, like Chanel, Gucci and so forth, are increasingly popular among young people, and this is where the controversy arises. Some people hold the opinion that people buy things is because other people have them. Others who strongly disagree with this cite that, for the majority of people, the practical or appreciative value of stuff would always takes priority when they buy things. In my own perspective, the latter one is more reasonable.
There are a considerable number of reasons to consolidate my statement, that is, the purpose of people’s buying things, in most cases, has nothing to do with other people’s possession of them. In the case of daily goods, in the first place, there is no doubt that people need them to meet the basic requirement of living, such as food, clothing and houses. No matter rich or poor, old or young, all we human beings need them.
Another aspect that cannot be ignored is that, sometimes, the elite and the affluent buy things, especially the luxury goods, just because of their interests, hobbies or habits. Life abounds with following examples. Gentlemen of virtu in the auction would compete with each other for an old painting according to their own good tastes; collectors would manage to collect a diversity of delicate antiques to hold an amazing gallery and fashionable young women would bargain for an elegant evening gown. In fact, no matter what a huge sum of money these luxuries cost, they would buy them without hesitation in the end. The thing is, however, can we say they buy these things because other people have them? Definitely not! Conversely and interestingly to some extent, people on certain occasions buy things exactly because they want to get something other people do not have to distinguish themselves.
Therefore, it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that people buy things not because other people have them but because they do need them both physically and psychologically. In other words, nobody in the world is unwilling to enrich his cultural and material life, isn’t he?
TOEFL listening lectures: Which fact is true of Edward O. Wilson?
