So Far

• Sociology/Economics

• We ARE social

beings. How does economics play a role?

Besides Each Other

• Not only do we need each other.

• We also need stuff.

• Two kinds of stuff.

Stuff

• NEEDS

• WANTS

Needs

• We all have basic needs that must be met.

• Food, clothing, shelter.

Wants

• Wants are greedy in nature.

• Money

• Goods

• Land

These needs and wants

• And to make it interesting.

• We are also very competitive by nature.

Our Environment

• We also know that

this world is very

inhospitable.

Sometimes we can’t get all our needs and wants.

So, the goals are:

• To supply our needs.

• To survive this inhospitable environment.

• And have more of wants than someone else.

How to do that.

• It’s not going to be easy.

• There aren’t enough toy cars, A’s or swings for everyone.

• You need to be an opportunist and competitive in nature.

Opportunist

• Seeing an opportunity

and taking advantage of it.

Competitive

• We also need to be competitive.

• Competitiveness gives us that edge to prevail.

The “Edge”

• It all depends on who your target market is.

Jaguar

or

Some company from India?

Materialism / Consumerism• These two concepts

work hand in hand to put us in places like this.

Materialism is a preoccupation with material things (desire for money or possessions.

Consumerism is an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods

We Do Have A Little Help

• Advertisers

• Madison Ave.

• Hollywood

Advertisers

• Their goal is to “guide” us to specific goods or locations.

• iphone

• Germany

In a Nutshell

• We need each other.

• We need to have stuff.

• We want to have more stuff than others.

• We compete against the “others”.

Assignment

• Make a list of all your “wants” in life. Include immediate and long term “wants.”

• Write two paragraphs describing how you plan to get those wants and how competiveness and opportunity will play a role in you attaining them.

How do you Respond?

• Who you are is, influenced by:

Relatives

Friends

Media

Environment

Philosophy

• You will develop a philosophical statement that will guide your actions throughout life.

Philosophical Statement

• Role models play an important part in this process.

• Some of the most influential role models are associated with religious beliefs.

Philosophical Statement

• Later on we tend to be influenced by “Others”

Mr. Demulling’s Favorite Band

Reality Begins to Set In

• As we approach adolescence:

• We begin to realize something.

Reality Bites

• We ALL can’t be:• The greatest running

back in the NFL• The best at Dungeons

and Dragons• Be members of

AC/DC.• Authorized to leave

early for lunch.

For Our System to Work

• We need second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and so on and on place.

• If we didn’t, first place would mean NOTHING!

The Problem

• Our western human nature is to strive for #1.

• How to achieve this is the key.

I Want to be Number One

• Academically at school. ( STUDY )

• Most popular. ( THROW THE BEST PARTIES )

• Have the best car. ( GET A JOB AFTER

SCHOOL )

The Chances

• Of you being valedictorian.

• Throwing the best parties.

• Having the best car.

Economics

• This is when economics comes in.

• We realize we can’t have everything.

• We should concentrate on what we can feasibly have.

Part 2 of the Assignment

• Take a look at your list of wants and rank them according to which you think you have the best chance of completing. 10 being most likely, 1 least likely.

• Develop your own personal philosophy and explain it in one paragraph or less. Then pick one of the 10’s and explain why you believe you’re likely to attain this.