What did Ben Franklin say about frugality? Is that still an American trait?
Fully-worded Q-thought is this: What did Ben Franklin say about frugality? Is that still an American trait? Or has it been brainwashed out of us at a young age by advertisers?
“As to whether frugality is still “an American trait” — it’s difficult and not very accurate or meaningful to attempt paint such a large and diverse group (”Americans”) with such a broad brush.”
Why do I get the feeling you think this alot about other people’s Q’s? It’s hard to be precise enough to satisfy your critics. The criticism was unnecessary don’t you think esp when the rest of your preceeding comments were thoughtful! May I suggest you ask Q’s and see how you fare!
BTW my Q, if read correctly, does not mean anyone who calls frugality an American trait means or implies that it is “only” an Amercan trait. It could ,and probably is, a trait in other cultures and societies.
The first one that springs to mind is “A penny saved is a penny earned.” But he printed quite a few similarly quotable thoughts in his “Poor Richard’s Almanack”.
As to whether it has been brainwashed out of us — well, a lot of things are different now than they were then. But I think that both then and now, there were frugal people and wasteful people. It partly depends on circumstances: if things are scarce, people will be frugal out of necessity; if there is a big excess of food and consumer products, some people will tend to be wasteful because it’s easier.
For example, in the Great Depression, very few people would waste any food at all. These days, some people find it easier to just throw leftovers away than the deal with wrapping them up, storing them, and reheating them later. They have the extra cash, and food is cheap, so it’s easier to just buy more food later.
As to whether frugality is still “an American trait” — it’s difficult and not very accurate or meaningful to attempt paint such a large and diverse group (”Americans”) with such a broad brush.