The Color of Money Money conflicts in relationships are reflective of society=s growing insecurity about its financial future. America is turning into a fatalistic culture. This negativity is based on economic conditions that contradict the once prevalent belief of never-ending prosperity. The United States= stalled economy, mind boggling national debt, and the prospect of the collapse of the Social Security system have left many Americans terrified about their ability to make ends meet. The American dream has become the American nightmare as citizens struggle for scarce financial resources. Small wonder, then, that economic issues are a deepening source of conflict in personal relationships in this country.Money has become the very center of life for many Americans. The preoccupation with money pervades society at the consumer, government, and corporate levels. At the consumer level, shopping has become a way of life for some. In past generations, incurring consumer debt had a negative connotation; debt was reserved for big ticket items such as housing, land, or automobiles. Today, debt is viewed as normal. America is now the number one consumer nation in the world (Boundy 1993). This frenzy for spending has naturally taken its toll on family relationships. The consumerism of the 1980s has caught up with 1990s recessionary conditions, creating a collapse of family finances due to laid off wage earners and a decrease in personal wealth caused by plummeting real estate values. Conflicts based on money are understandably commonplace in such families.Individuals are affected on a personal level by government fiscal mismanagement. The average citizen is aware that the nation=s debt will have an effect on their personal finances in some manner in the future. The closest analogy is the condemned waiting for the axe to fall. The income gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, contributing to class conflict. Real incomes have plunge...
