ABSTRACT
It is fashionable to denounce the materialism of modern consumer society. However, those sanctimonious social critics are not often seen living in caves and wearing animal skins. The most zealous might deny themselves a few marginal purchases. The satisficer more sensibly recognizes the trade-off between perfection and the cost of achieving it, or trying to. For too many people, there is a toxic tension between their wants and their means. But too many, in fact, cannot afford all they buy, spending to the limit of their ability and beyond, often racking up hefty credit card debts, buying today in hopes of somehow being able to pay tomorrow. Credit card companies are handy villains to bash, and their practices can be predatory. Whatever enjoyment and satisfaction they might otherwise get from the things they buy is ruined by the financial insecurity they also buy for themselves in the process.
