1. 1 Welcome To Rural Sociology 1000 Introduction to Rural Sociology Mary Grigsby Associate Professor of Rural Sociology Division of Applied Social Sciences

2. 2 Topics of Discussion Class Business The Over Spent American Consumption and Consumerism

3. 3 McDonaldization of Society “The process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world” (Ritzer 1993, p. 1)

4. 1. What has contributed to increased hours of work? 2. What are the factors contributing to rising consumer desires? 3. What are the big three in the Consumption competition? Why are they so central? 4 Questions

5. 4. What is the “aspirational gap” and what are the impacts of it? 5. What are impacts of over consumption? 6. How can people change the pattern of competitive consumption? 5