WORDS TO REMEMBER

consumerism = (n.) belief that if people spend a lot of money on goods and services, it will be better for a country’s economy; people spending a lot on goods and services
Selfridges = (n.) name of a famous UK department store chain selling luxury goods
customer = (n.) person who buys goods and services
item = (n.) thing
pure = (adj.) free from anything else
emotionally = (adv.) with relation to feelings
neglect = (n.) fail to care for
crave = (v.) want or need very much
affection = (n.) feeling of care and love
hysteria = (n.) many people behaving in an extreme way
perverse = (adj.) wrong in a way the others find strange or unacceptable
facade = (n.) superficial appearance
forgiveness = (n.) act of forgiving
modesty = (n.) quality of not being boastful or vain
virtue = (n.) good and moral behaviour
conducive = (adj.) making something possible, helpful
corporation = (n.) kind of business or company
profit = (n.) financial gain
consumer = (n.) buyer and user of goods
goods = (n.) things for sale, products
precisely = (adv.) correctly, definitely
embody = (v.) represent, be an example of
consumerist = (adj.) spending a lot of money on goods and services
spiritual = (adj.) related to non-material things
senses = (n.) clear mental judgment
worship = (n.) adore and honour

GRAMMAR LOG

Demonstratives

The words this, that, these and those are called demonstratives. They indicate how close something or someone is in relation to the speaker. The closeness or distance can be in space or time or it can be emotional. This/these is used for things/persons near the speaker. That/those are used for things/persons that are further away from the speaker.
Examples:

This is what I'm trying to say.
That puzzle is driving me mad.
These Christmas decorations are rather cheap.
Those were the days of freedom and joy.

Demonstratives can function as pronouns or adjectives. You will learn more about demonstratives and their different functions in the next unit.

AUDIO SCRIPT

Kate: The other day, I was in Selfridges and they had Christmas items already! This is unbelievable!

Ben: Oh, come on, Kate. So, what if the Christmas season starts early? And, by the way, Selfridges is my favourite shop, and I know they care about the needs of their customers. And if they want to sell Christmas items in autumn . . . .

Kate: It’s the beginning of September, for God’s sake! Is it really necessary? What has shopping in September got to do with the Christmas idea of peace and family.

Ben: Yeah, but imagine you are a friendly peace-loving family type of person and you know you'll be terribly busy this autumn and winter. What’s wrong with being able to do your Christmas shopping early? I don’t get it. Why you are so upset.

Kate: It’s pure consumerism, Ben! Can’t you see? No holiday without shopping. Couldn’t we for once celebrate this holiday without any, I mean, any presents and advertisements at all? I wonder if people in the developed world can be happy together without any shopping involved.

Laura: But kids like getting presents, Kate.

Kate: But they also like their parents talking to them, playing with them, being there for them, listening to them. No present can make a child happy if the parents are quarrelling all the time or emotionally neglecting the child, that’s for sure.

Laura: I suppose you are right. I remember how I craved my parents’ affection and how I didn't get much of it. I would open the presents and then rush to my room to play . . . I was sad because . . .

Ben: Wait a minute. You two are mixing two completely different things: consumerism and bad parenting. There are loving parents who also like to buy presents, you know. And may buy loads of them and still be loving parents.

Laura: Yeah, but too often presents come instead of love.

Ben: But that’s got nothing to do with Christmas. That’s a completely different issue.

Kate: To me, this shopping hysteria is perverse, really. This false facade of happiness and Christmas feeling in the shopping centre. Who still thinks about the new hope being born or love or forgiveness or modesty or virtue? Buying a new smartphone isn’t really conducive to those thoughts and feelings, is it?

Ben: I think you’re exaggerating a bit. It's in human nature to like gathering things. You know that. You like shopping and big corporations know that and do everything to make the experience pleasant for you.

Laura: You can’t be serious, Ben! The only thing big corporations care about is their profit. But I think it’s up to the consumer to change the game. As long as we don’t change, corporations won’t change. So, instead of blaming corporations for offering us so many attractive goods, we should look at what happens at home and at school because that’s the only place you can change people, really.

Ben: That’s precisely what I'm trying to say: don’t blame shops, advertisements, and companies, look at yourself and check if you can improve anything within yourself and around yourself. Then, you won't be bothered with tons of shiny Christmas decorations and all the plastic Santa Clauses and unnecessary presents you throw away the next day. Be happy and accept things as they are, and live the virtues. That’s the real Christmas for me. There were unhappy families long before consumerist societies. And there are happy families who value spending time together today. Christmas is what you make it.

Laura: Very well said, Ben, I didn't know there was a spiritual side about you.

Kate: Let’s hope, then, that people individually come to their senses and stop worshipping the god of consumption.