Money and Quality of Life

This writer agrees with Simmel's evaluation of the negative effects of money. The relentless pursuit of profits by corporations in modern society has become an integral part of the world economy. Although money was first established to improve the bartering system, it has transformed the transaction by becoming the desirable commodity. As Karl Marx (1867) describes in his work, "The General Formula for Capital," the capitalist is not interested in obtaining commodities for his use. Rather, he is caught up in the "restless never-ending process of profit-making" (in Kivisto, 1991, p. 33). For many people in this world, the constant expansion of money is their ultimate objective.

The research methodology used to assess the validity of thi

. . .
fore, the expenditure of money in obtaining cooked food becomes the essential factor in the quality of life, not the "free" pleasure of preparing a meal. Nonetheless, three of the participants asserted that Americans who live in the capitalist society are overly obsessed with the need to acquire money. The student cites the example of large corporations such as Nike who exploits impoverished workers in Vietnam in order to increase their profits. The technician qualified her criticism of the Americans' need to generate the money by noting that the success of all companies is primarily measured by their ability to increase their profit margins each year. She stated that the capitalist system essentially forces people to think about money all the time. For corporate executives and many others, the work pressure to increase profits compels them to resort to various tactics to increase profit margins. Thus, these people learn to value money above other aspects of life. Their reward of an expensive lifestyle also trains them to put money on a pedestal. In contrast, the restaurant owner maintained that Americans are not obsessed with the pursuit of money. In his opinion, money is simply a necessary tool for businesses to be conducte
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Formula Capital, According Simmel, quality life, , Company Ritzer, restaurant owner, References Kivisto, effects money, Karl Marx, valuation life, believed money, monetary terms, american society, monetary worth, McGraw Hill, contribute quality life, shaped money, americans live capitalist, money medium exchange, increase profits, participants believed money, stated valuation life,
Approximate Word count = 1617
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Money and Quality of Life