In the song “Material Girls” Madonna pays homage to the hunger for wealth and the things that it can buy. She sings that we are “living in a material world.” This is so true. People are more often than not judged by the clothes they wear, the cars they drive or the houses they live in. Being a good person who does good deeds has given way to being a wealthy person, who can buy anything they want. As the economy plunges, people are more than ever trying to hold onto their material possessions.
Take a walk around a local high school. They money some of these kids spend for their clothing can rival some lesser financial fortunate people’s mortgage payments. There are television shows where wealthy families can boast about how much they spend on their children’s birthday parties, children receiving Porsche cars for their sixteenth birthdays, spending literally thousands of dollars on birthday parties that are so materialistic, Madonna would have to write a new song.
Will these trust fund babies ever know the value of the dollar? Will they have the compassion to help other people in this world? Are they being raised to consider the plight of the lesser fortunate? For the most part, no. They are learning that whatever they want, they get. Parents have a right to spend their hard earned money on their children any way they choose, but perhaps they should be letting their children know how fortunate they are and how they can make the world a better place, not through blowing through the bank account, but by putting their millions to good use. They can have their lavish lifestyle and still help others.
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