What is Luxury?

In my opinion, luxury is something that is ultimately unnecessary. Anything that doesn't consist of ones basic needs of food, shelter and clothing can be considered luxurious, especially if you look at the world as a whole, not just the western world that most of us are used to. I believe it is unnecessary because I look at all of the people in the world who are homeless, or malnourished, and there are so many things that would be considered luxuries to them, rather then just thinking of nice cars or the latest and greatest kitchen appliance. I personally try to buy things that I don't really need as least as possible, but I think most all of us are guilty of doing it. I think it is because it is made so readily available to us all, and it is extremely socially acceptable to over-consume.                                                                                                                         
I think this over-consumption is socially acceptable because it seems to be embedded in the "American Dream" mentality of getting rich quick. America has often been seen as the land of opportunity because of ones ability to make a good living and buy nice things. I think the whole "buy nice things" aspect of this idea has been turned into the "Sudden Wealth Syndrome" that Twitchell mentioned. Material items are constantly being sold with the illusion that they are high-class or luxurious, at Wal-Mart or Target for example. Even with the downturn of the economy, people still seek out these luxurious items that they don't need at all, but they buy them anyway.

This ad is a good example of this hunger for "luxurious" but useless items that people are buying by the boatloads. It is an ad for a Lexus that ties in with the idea of the American dream and the need for the latest and greatest, and it says "I make my own dreams come true". Most people who buy new cars buy them simply because of the "new" factor, even if the car they currently have is perfectly fine. It is ads like these that persuade buyers into buying or leasing a new car even if they don't need one.