What does materialistic mean?

[Dancing Fire]

IMO, besides a roof over our heads + food and water everything else we own is materialistic...

No ladies, you don't need a diamond ring nor to carry a $2000 handbag, wearing a pair of $250 jeans, wearing $500 dresses + $500 high heels.

 

[missy]

IMO being materialistic means being overly concerned with money and stuff you have and stuff you want to buy. Caring more about things than people. Almost the opposite of being spiritual.

Having the most important factor of your life based on material goods vs. relationships with people. Valuing things over people.

To further clarify however one can care about things (I mean all of us PSers love the bling ) but as long as it doesn't take precedence over people we care about and rule our every waking hour we are good. Enjoying one's material possessions does NOT make one materialistic IMO. What makes someone materialistic is caring MORE about things than people.

 

[TooPatient]

Hi DF
Glad you are back!

I think materialistic is a combination of attitude and,to some degree, the materials in question.

I like Missy's definition. That pretty much sums up my thoughts too.

Some of the sweetest people I know have much more than we do but I never feel uncomfortable with them. Stuff is just stuff and they never make a big deal of having or not. The woman does show me new stuff because she knows I am genuinely happy for her and appreciate pretty stuff.

That said, I do spend much of the day thinking about money and stuff. I don't believe I am materialistic. I have never had all that much in,my life and did get excited by a couple of nice things, but most of the time we barely get by. I would love to not think about money and stuff but have to always watch for sales and deals on things we have to have.
I think this kind of focus on material stuff is a different thing altogether.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Putting things before people. Buying an expensive car to impress people and not because you particularly appreciate it. Wearing a big diamond because you want to have the biggest ring in your circle of friends. Just my $0.02

 

[Dancing Fire]

Putting things before people. Buying an expensive car to impress people and not because you particularly appreciate it. Wearing a big diamond because you want to have the biggest ring in your circle of friends. Just my $0.02

 

[jordyonbass]

Interesting definitions about materialism, I guess you could say I'm materialistic about my boats, fishing gear and music gear as I have a tendency to like having a variety of options in any of my hobbies where I can choose to do/play/use whatever I want.

However, is that necessarily a bad thing?

Materialism and being materialistic has a bad connotation amongst many people and I am still trying to figure out why exactly, whenever I would talk about my plans for my boats or houses I would have friends comment how I shouldn't be so materialistic but are then unable to elaborate on why. So I still haven't had someone present a solid argument to me as to why people shouldn't be materialistic, especially when I say that my whole reason for having/wanting those things is so that my children can have a better life than I had (not that mine was bad, but I did have a few hardships growing up that I would like for my children to avoid). As long as someone can provide a justification for why they are acquiring then there is no issue - but even if they can't, should they be automatically obliged to rationalize their items? Because if that's the case, A LOT of members here may have trouble there with their jewelry items that are a lot more valuable than my boats or cars!

I have student friends that whole-heartedly believe communism or socialism is the only way to ensure happiness within a society, I'm not convinced. One of them constantly pleads with me to sell my boats and extra car as 'it will make me so much happier to not be so materialistic', but I've pointed out that's only true if you disregard my dreams as a worker, a husband, a father, a fisherman, a bassist in a band and a developing gem nut. And funnily enough, they love coming out water skiing or fishing on my boat and NEVER contribute to bait, gas, food etc. I suppose they feel they are probably helping to 'break my materialism' by making our day of fun on the water more financially taxing for me than usual, thus reducing how often I can do it and making it more expensive. It's probably also why none of them have been on my boat for 12 months lol.

I might be part of the split between Gen X and Y in regards to my age, but I feel that I have a baby boomers mentality when it comes to working hard for what I have.

 

[Sunstorm]

I completely agree with Missy. That definition sums it up to me.

I guess I could be called materialistic as I like style, not truly fashion but style that defines me and is a part of me; I have sophisticated taste and buy brand shoes, bags, clothes, niche perfumes and of course I truly genuinely love my diamonds. My diamonds and jewelry almost push me over the edge but not quite. I would give them up for true love and those I truly love.

Yes, I am materialistic in that besides liking quality and appreciating it, loving beautiful things that make me feel like a woman, I can be quite upset if an expensive thing I have gets ruined.

I do not believe in thins ruling everything but also do not believe in spiritualism ruling everything either. I think there should be a balance between the two.

People and my pets mean the most, that is a given but having small pleasures in life help us keep going sometimes. Friends and a good family can help the most but hey I would not be able to go without my morning coffee and would hate to get out of the house without nice cosmetics, makeup, attire and going out without my bling would make me feel naked. These things are a part of me and I see nothing wrong with that. In this world we are also often judged by our appearances.

To others it is not bling and girlie things but maybe cars, electronics, etc. and everyone has the right to enjoy things that give them small pleasures. What truly disgusts me is those people that put money and success before people, to me, they are not human beings. Having our priorities right is what really counts.

 

[arkieb1]

I think a lot of people confuse wealth with materialism. You can be wealthy and materialistic but you can also be poor or a lot of stages between the two and materialistic. Similarly you can be rolling in it rich and non materialistic, poor and somewhere in between and non materialistic.

One definition for example is;
a preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.

So based on that definition it is not only the emphasis on what you have or don't have but the lack of concern for others , for ideas and for a lack of values in the choices you make underpinning it....

Some cultures and indeed spiritual writers believe the whole structure of Western society is based upon materialism.

 

[zoebartlett]

To me, someone is materialistic if he/she places a high value on STUFF (often but not always flashy things that show off what you own). Materialistic people like having stuff -- some things may reflect their taste and personality, while other things are just accumulated. I agree with Arkie's statement that sometimes wealth is confused with materialism. I think you can be wealthy but not place a high value on things, or you can be materialistic but not be wealthy.

 

[Jambalaya]

To me, I think being materialistic is when somebody really thinks that their possessions are more important than friendship, kindness, being a good person, etc.

It's when being the person in the group who has the most is more important than being a supportive member of the group.

Also, someone who simply must have the best of everything when perhaps they can't afford it. Someone who is seriously upset when they can't have a top-of-the-range item or who is upset when someone else gets the latest thing first. Or, heaven forbid, is upset when someone else can afford a more expensive version of a thing they have.

I guess I'm saying that to me, materialism is when someone ties their possessions very closely to their status.

I do not display any of the traits above - BUT, I take huge pleasure in my possessions, so some might consider me materialistic. But I don't boast or show off and my possessions are purely for my own pleasure. I have some nice first-edition books, a nice old piano, and of course my jewelry. My lovely books and jewelry give me oodles and oodles of pleasure. I really love them. I especially cheer myself up by fondling my jewelry when life lets me down. But I never think of my jewelry as a status item. I also have a large collection of colorful scarves and jackets and again, they really cheer me up. They're not designer scarves except one, which is Pucci. I love the scarves because they make me feel happy. I do not love the Pucci because I can go out and tell my friends it's a Pucci. I never wear it - I love my cotton scarves with birds and butterflies.

I have a friend who's always going on about how few possessions she has, and how light and free it makes her feel, and how she's pared her personal possessions back to almost nothing, blah blah blah. There's this idea that ascetism is noble, and I don't agree. Life is short and taking pleasure in the colors and textures and enjoyments of lovely things is a great pleasure of being alive, in my opinion. I'm proud that I have clear-outs and don't have piles of random stuff - I love and use everything I own - but I am not completely minimalist and I wouldn't want to be. I have zero interest in living a monk-like existence.

So, some would say I'm materialistic, but I'm clear in my own mind that I have things purely to please myself and not to "cement" any kind of "status."