Us and Them

I liked the story "Us and Them", because I feel like people get judged by one thing and then are never given a second chance to redeem themselves. The saying is true, your first impression is the only impression of you that sticks in a persons mind. The story to me made this young boy realize what he was taking for granted in his life and what others were missing out on. It was also in his point of view and some opinions of others and he thought his views were correct. By the Tomkeys not owning a television they didn't have to keep up with the Jones' and try and live up to the social standard. They were content with the simple things that they had and the time that they got to spend with each other.
I think that people in America are too dependent on television, and what celebrities are doing with their lives, and are trying to compete and always be number one or have the best of everything. If we got rid of the social standard, I think that America might not be in so much debt. If we just lived by our needs and not always having to "have" our wants then we wouldn't waste so much money on material things.
In my life I know that I depend on material things. My wants list trumps my needs list indefinitely. I would like to think that my parents raised me to not want everything that I see in a store, but the way that society is, I know that I do infact want more than just my needs. I want the newest cell phone, or a flat screen television, or a new car because mine isn't as good as my friends. I think that more people should live like the Tomkeys, and read, write, or only spend family time to pass the time, instead of watching television, or getting on the computer and shutting yourself from the world around you.