teach 'responsible, individual consumerism?' Or buying anything for that matter? Does such a thing as responsible consumerism exist or is it just a self-justifying catch-phrase?

Wouldn't it be better to frame the discussion in terms of the responsible use of your financial resources, which would include such principles as --

• Saving a portion of your income
• Budgeting
• Living within your means
• Learning to forgo momentary pleasures now for the sake of long-term goals?

Consumerism, by its very nature, it seems to me, bulldozes right through such prudent concepts.

Yes, Heaven forfend! Buying a doll, the gateway to vice of all sorts.

The only bulldozing I see is the idea that everyone except the posters here at the Fray are weak-minded fools who can't be trusted with a burnt-out match, much less money, dietary habits, voting habits, fireworks, the internet....the list goes on and on and becomes more dreary with every issue of Slate.

Are you just assuming that nobody has any disposable income after they take care of savings? True for many but not for all.

For those who do have disposable income, they can decide to spend that disposable income on numerous, cheap, and poorly-constructed items; or on fewer, nicer, well-made items. That choice teaches different ideas and principles, and it applies to many things other than dolls - you can have 10 pairs of cheap shoes or 2 pairs of good ones. You can have 10 Bratz or 1 American Girl.

even those with little income at all can get one. it may take a lot longer in saving up, but it's possible. bagelwoman is right, quality over quantity is much wiser. I still have the AG doll from when I was a child. I'm going to pass her on to my little girl when she's older, and save for one she may like one day. bratz and all the ilk like them would be a waste of money to me.

alittlesense,

Are you aware that the net savings of Americans has slipped into negative territory in the past couple of years? Or that the average American is ill-prepared for retirement? Or that the price of gas will likely hit $7/gallon in four years? Or that we have run huge deficits in both our foreign trade and our national government, financed by the kindness of strangers -- mostly China, Japan and Saudi Arabia -- and if they start saying, "No thank you," to our IOUs, we are in terrible straits?

So, may, just maybe, if there's a hectoring tone to my post as well as much of Slate, it stems from the unnerved awareness that we are blindly walking straight off a cliff. When our economy craters, American Dolls will be the least of our problems.

bagelwoman,

No, I'm not assuming that folks have no disposable income. But must all that disposable income be spent?

Right now, we as a nation have a negative savings rate! We're spending money we don't have! I find that downright scary. A huge downsizing of the standard of living for all of us looms in the not-too-distant future. How prepared are you?

fridhem,

Your frugality is wise. But how about, instead of another AG doll, you give your daughter a savings account?

rev:

They do not get it and they are living in the past driving their 56 Chevy on a Dream Cruise when gas was 25 cents per gallon and the corporate contact existed between worker and corporation.

10 Brats for an American Girl Doll. Yea right, try 50 brats for one doll. We lived in Madcity and my wife would go and campout in Middleton when they had their yearly sale in Middleton, WI.

run,

Yeah, I know that. The church has been preaching about sin for 2000 years and the Jews even longer, but still sin rolls merrily along in its myriad forms. Preachers got to preach no matter how unreceptive the audience.

A doll may be cute. Financial wisdom will protect her for a lifetime.

Iso:

That and a smile can take a young woman much further than a doll. Like Lorelei Lee would sing <link>

or perhaps you prefer Dorothy Shaw?

<link>

"Diamonds are a Girl's best friend."

Revrick: we are blindly walking straight off a cliff.

LeRoy: Garsh, no! We is running off it! In fact, we already done it! We is like Wiley E. Coyote in the Roadrunner cartoons, having run right off the edge of a cliff, and he just hasn't looked down yet, to figger out where he is! [Well, some of us has. And it's a long way down!]

It's just like the classic Pogo cartoon said: We have met the enemy, and he is us.

I dunno, I think ores, coal, and lumber might be better friends at the rate China goes through them ;-)

.....Puff of dust, 'thump.' EOM

Oh, I'd say oil and natural gas. But, yes copper and indium might do the trick, too.