materialism: he's got the urge...to buy stuff

so in my first blog ever, I mentioned an urge to do what other people around you are doing (basically to want to be involved in fads and even fashion). wow, it's amazing to think back over all of the fads that I got involved in (some good/some "bad"(ie not worthwhile)) I'll try to list the major or most memorable ones. The first thing I remember claiming as a favorite anything is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and rightly so), but I don't believe other kids influenced me into liking them. The next that I can remember is Power Rangers. Agh. That was not beneficial. It was a rather uncool (compared to tmnt) show from the start, and now that it has been rehashed so many times... The only reason I got involved with the power rangers was because of the hype over it at school. Everyone else seemed to be watching it, and I had never heard of it before. I had picture some sort of western cowboy theme before i actually got the chance to see the show. and once I discovered my misinterpretation of the name, I readily dismissed the fact and accepted the show as my new favorite because my friends liked it. simply because they did, i did. next came star wars cards. now those were cool. and they still are. i plan to keep them as collectors items, but more just for my personal enjoyment (yes, I am a fan of Star Wars (but not the newer ones, not really)) everyone around me was also interested in the star wars cards, but so was I, genuinely. then came yomega yoyos. those were fun, until my classmates perverted it by trying to rent their own yoyos out to make a profit off the fad themselves. then pokemon. this was the first time i was able to step back and watch myself fall into the fad. it was a waste of money, and it was a waste of time. but all of my friends were doing it. and the profit seekers were their, too. my best card got stolen by a kid in the neighborhood (i was unbelievably gullible and trusting in that moment as a result of trying to look cool with my collection of cards). then came scooters. I got one. I rode it around for maybe a week. now it just sits in my basement. I probably wont use it again, unless I get a job at Google or some awesome work place like that. I cant think of more recent big fads, but they are probably everywhere in highschool, and I'm probably constantly falling for them. oh, heres one. i joined the circus club and asked for and received a diabolo for christmas. its pretty much the same idea as the yomega yoyo before. it is a really cool toy, but the only reason i wanted one was because other people in the circus club already had them.
I guess all of this is a rant (however mild in form) against capitalism and materialism. our country's economy is powered by the desires of children and adult children for stuff and the peer pressure that spreads those desires around, which I think is rather sick. money can be used for corruption so easily that it is often immediately associated with evil, which is not always the case. money can be used for good. i just cant think of any good examples right now.