India: The Showoff Capital Of The World
My friend earns a monthly salary of INR 35,000. He has the latest iPhone, the Latest sneakers, and an SUV. What troubles me is the fact that he is always broke. Whenever we call him for a road trip, he says he is broke. He did not come to the boys’ vacation since he did not have the dough. He even skipped the marriage of his best friend since he did not have the proper wedding wear or a gift to present. His entire life is based on EMI, and whatever he earns goes into EMI. He is left with pennies at the end of the month.
This is not my friend’s case only, but the story of every middle-class guy living in India. According to an Open letter, people are keeping their entire house on mortgage to study in a below-average college in Canada just to show their relatives they are studying abroad. Also, indian marriages are an extravaganza.
People are still paying off the loan that they took out for their marriage. The culture of showing off has reached such an extent that people are even buying fake concert videos so that they can post them in their stories.
The salary is peanuts, but indian people are travelling in Uber, buying clothes from Zara, and having coffee in Starbucks. Mint reports that credit cards’ NPAs’sby 500 % in the past four years. This means people are using their credit cards to fund their lifestyle when there is no lifestyle to begin with.
How The Culture Of Showoff Came Into Existence
90’s were a historic time for India. This is the time when foreign brands entered India. McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza, and Pizza Hut entered the Indian market. Philips, Sony, and LG also made their entry during this time. In short, everything related to lifestyle entered India during the 90s. This led to a show-off culture in India. Flaunting foreign brands has now become a necessity to show people that you have a comfortable lifestyle.
Think about it for a second. Whenever our grandparents got married, the only dowry the groom used to receive was a wristwatch. As we progressed to the late 90s s the groom got a scooter. The marriage was extremely simple. Things took a drastic turn when Bollywood showed marriages as a lavish affair. Haldi, Mehendi, and Sangeet were introduced, and people took inspiration from and started copying the same style.
The aftermath: expensive marriages were now in action, and that needed funds from banks or loan sharks. People did not care about how they would pay off the debt, but instead, they just wanted to show people how great their marriage was.
The iPhone Craze
Take a look at this video, it shows that a woman who sells flowers is forced to buy his son an iPhone since the boy refused to eat food and threatened the parents with suicide. The boy is not concerned with features; he just wants his Apple logo to be flaunted and feel premium. The Times of India has reported that a teen committed suicide when his father refused to buy an iPhone.
The SuV Hype
Another shocking report came from the Economic Times when they stated the craze for SUVs in India is record high. A common reason stated by indian men: since indian roads are bad, they need a car with high road clearance. The reality was road presence.
So when they get out of their home with their car, people from a distance would notice the richness. A big car generally means a wealthy man. In short, they needed a car to show off. People also need a car with a sunroof. Tell me, does it make sense when you live in a country that is hot and humid 90 % of the time? This again indicates a show-off culture.
The Sneaker Trend
Go to the place where the crowd is young, and there you will find that everyone is wearing Nike Air Jordans or New Balance. Okay, now I am not talking about the sneakerheads, we know that is your passion, but I am talking about the ones who are buying such expensive shoes only to show off. Half of them also buy the first copy of shoes for 3 or 4 K just to feel premium. Since the rich and the famous are wearing it, they want the same for themselves.
The Concert Madness
Edshreen, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay came to India, and they sold out entire stadiums. Half the population doesn’t even know this artist, but they wanted to show off how cool and happening their life is in front of friends and family. Popular media outlets have reported dead crowds at all their concerts, and this shows how badly we want to show off. Take a look at this video. When asked to name a song or a member of Coldplay, they were dumbfounded.
Pre-wedding Photoshoots
We have reached a stage where people are now using fake sets to make the world know that their pre-wedding shoots happened in a particular destination. People are using fake sets to show others that they have done their photoshoots in Rajasthan. Kashmir. Penthouse, or international places like Greece or New York, and other aesthetic places. Take a look at this video, and it should clear all your doubts
Takeaway
We would request everyone to stop this madness of showing off. Have financial literacy and treat your health and family with care. You don’t need validation from others. All you need is to be comfortable in your life. You are not missing out on anything. You are exactly where you need to be. Don’t let society dictate how you live your life.
Excellent writing… carry on … you are the best writer.
Amen, thank you