Frugality is 'Cool' in Cash-strapped U.S.

Frugality is 'Cool' in Cash-strapped U.S.

www.guardian.co.uk

The era of individualistic consumption that swept aside the Great Society of the 1960s has come to an end. For three decades, American culture has celebrated the glories of unabashed capitalism and the ideals of the rich. No longer. From Hollywood movies to celebrity culture to television, frugalism is taking hold. Consumers are cutting back. Luxury brands are falling by the wayside. Even the excesses of the sporting world, from the Super Bowl to Nascar, are being curbed.

A national belt-tightening is having an impact on everything from restaurants and books to a collapse in the demand for cosmetic surgery. The recession is reshaping the cultural landscape in which ordinary people live their lives.

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Umm, I'm not sure how "cool" being frugal is, as opposed to it being born out of necessity, when people are having trouble just paying rent and eating. I doubt those people think they're newfound way of living is "cool". But I CAN see where many of the populace, who are struggling to survive, will be more intolerant and outspoken over the rich flaunting their extravegances out in the open. Not saying I agree or disagree, just that I can see it happening in our current state of affairs today.

Strange times we're living in...

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)