Materialism: is it really so bad?

Chapter 11 was about overconsumption.  But what defines “over” consumption, anyway?  Materialism certainly seems like a negative trait in a person, country, or community, but is it?  Woodhouse quotes David Orr, who mentions that one of the factors that has contributed to American materialism and overconsumption is “the extraordinary bounty of North America.”  I think this is a very interesting insight.  However, is it morally incorrect to take or appreciate all of the bounty that one can obtain?  If you are taking it from others, that is a problem, but if not, is it immoral?  I don’t think so.

What does overconsumption really mean, and why is it so problematic?  When it negatively affects the environment (such as when it depletes resources), that is not good.  When people are taking things away from others (or driving up prices so that others cannot afford those things), that is not good.  Perhaps it is also not good to have a mindset of trying to obtain all that one can, as it can make one prone to doing the above bad things.  Perhaps it can also cause one to devalue things like family and community, and can erode their values.  On a societal level, is it possible that materialism caused many of the inequalities and problems that we now face?

On the other hand, if one has abundance and bounty, is it a sin to appreciate and take all that one is offered?  Is there something noble in refusing something just for the sake of refusing it?  If the refusal does not mean that the thing goes to someone else, in a way it scorns those who have less.  There may be value in teaching oneself to be satisfied with less, as this is a necessary skill, but if one has the good fortune not to need to develop this skill, I believe one should take advantage of and appreciate what one has.

That being said, the reality is that overconsumption often does cause real problems, and a cultural shift away from it may be very good.  How can we cause that to happen?  There are certain troubling tendencies related to this in American culture.  For one, people are adverse to owning or buying things that are old.  People will buy a replacement for something old (often spending a lot of money to do so) simply because that thing is old, not because it is broken.  I find this to be incredibly wasteful, and also demonstrating a lack of appreciation for what one has.  In a sense, this is the opposite of what I said in the previous paragraph, but perhaps it is not.  Perhaps what I am opposed to in both instances is a lack appreciation for what one has or is offered.