Jimmy Carter’s anti-consumerism values are more important than ever before.

On the 29 of December 2024, President Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of one hundred. As far as American Presidents go, Carter’s legacy is one of the best. A philanthropist and activist, his lifelong advocacy for charity and the environment was extremely impressive. Until Trump, Presidents addressed the nation weekly. Although this tradition has ended, it seems that on our phones and televisions we see the President more than ever before. 

If I said to you that the most important takeaway of Carter’s Presidency was an address to the nation on the 15 of July 1979, you might ask what's so special about that speech? Although it was principally about the 1970s American energy crisis, it covers much more. Commonly known as the “Crisis of Confidence” speech, his words read like it was written about America today. The way he foresaw the crisis of polarisation, radicalisation and stagnation, that the US and the world finds itself in today, is almost psychic. His sincere and direct acknowledgement of issues seems astonishing in our era of political deception. 

Carter’s professional wisdom leaves many yearning for a lost golden era of American politics without acknowledging what he is truly saying. The most important aspect of his speech is the emphasis on consumerism. As Carter himself put it: “Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns”. In this age of hyper consumption, where many gain sustenance from JustEat orders, and hoard clothes to avoid the apprehension of social exclusion, does this idea not ring truer than ever?

Despite its abolition of ingenuity and creativity, the consumerist global market rests on the continued mediocrity of monopolisation of unbridled consumption. The idea of individuality has never been so instrumental in society, as your ability to obtain goods and services is the measure of success. This abstraction only grows as our Instagram and TikTok feeds are filled with the glorious “reality” that consumption provides. The message to us is clear. It’s buy, buy, buy. 

Carter recognised this distorted reality in 1979 and understood how to overcome it – sacrifice. He emphasised this in relation to combatting the energy crisis, however, I think this message applies more to us today. Our society seems to be growing more consumerist, yet a practice has never been more unsustainable. We recently passed the catastrophic mark of a 1.5°C increase in average global temperatures, and it seems we will pass 2°C. The outcome of this will be widespread ecological collapse.

Carter’s discussion of the destructive realities of consumerism was the first and last by any American president.

Society can no longer run on the premise of idealised consumption. We must understand and face this. Some might say that the youth of today have been dealt a bad hand, that we deserve the same opportunity to live as our parents have. However, the truth is that we all must sacrifice the lifestyle we live so our children have a chance at life on this planet at all.

Our response to the climate crisis must be decisive. The unequivocal praise of sites like Vinted is part of the problem. You do not run a 100-metre race, reach 25 metres and congratulate yourself on finishing. Recycling Shein products does not make them moral and soon there can no longer be £50 return flights to Brussels, or excessively extravagant restaurant deals. 

It is unfair to say that the climate crisis is solely an individual’s responsibility. The notion that the average person is responsible is partly where the trick of the consumerist ideology lies. In the first ten days of 2025 the richest 1% burned through their entire annual share of the global carbon budget. Government response has been completely inadequate, partially due to the increasing influence of that very same 1%. Responsibility to change the narrative lies with us. The idea of an ethical form of consumption no longer exists. We live past that point.

It's time to check our privilege because the truth is that the coming decades will be difficult.You won’t be able to live the lifestyle you have become accustomed to, but don’t be lulled into a state of inaction because of this. The most important thing is that we do not lose hope.We can work to fix this. Carter’s discussion of the destructive realities of consumerism was the first and last by any American president. 

Shortly after his speech, in November 1980, Carter lost his reelection campaign to Ronald Regan, who increased consumption through deregulation of the market. We are still impacted by this policy stance today in many ways, not just environmentally. Let us not ignore Carter’s message this time. We must work to ensure our government combats uncontrolled consumerism and must be prepared to sacrifice our consumption-based lifestyles. The time for discussion and if, buts and maybes is over.

Published 8 February 2025