Before I describe a little follow-up to your first exercise, I want to remind those three students who have yet to submit a comment, that they need to do so by Monday 2/18 at the latest to get credit for the first exercise. Also, as I noted in class on Thursday, we will be voting for the two best submissions (or craziest things about our consumer culture) on Tuesday (2/19). You have to be there to vote; no absentee ballots. Please take a moment to look over the submissions of your classmates. I'll run through them briefly in class on Tuesday before we vote. Finally, I am working on a "family activity" in connection with viewing the video, "Affluenza," and I should have that posted on the blog by Monday or Tuesday next week.
Now, for the follow-up exercise:
In a paragraph, I want you to address the question: on what basis are you claiming some aspect of our consumer culture is crazy, or bad, or harmful? So, just give some more thought to whatever example you gave and discuss on what basis it is crazy. In this context, keep in mind my effort in class lecture to define a ground or basis for recognizing social problems; however, you do not necessarily have to relate your answer to my lectures. This follow-up exercise is worth 2pts, and I'd like everyone to respond by MONDAY, FEB.25.
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14 comments:
I think that the cosmetics industry causes way too much consumption because it is a cheap way for women to afford a little luxury and because of the advertising behind the products. The average womam will jump at a product claiming to erase fine lines, discoloration, and cellulite, as well as shell out 25$ for a Chanel lip gloss even if they can't afford a Chanel purse. There wouldn't be websites like makeupalley.com (designed for anyone to review any cosmetic product as well as disuss them in forums), if people didn't go so nuts about them. Now for the advertising, if Lindsay Lohan or Heidi Klum say they use a certain product (like DuWop lip plumper) sales will sky rocket. This is why the Victoria's Secret Fashion show creates makeup sets that allow women to create the looks used on the runway models themselves (PUH-LEASSE!!!), as well as products sold in the summer time to get the "Super-Model Bod"...
According to class lecture, we have learned that having a ground or basis for identifying issues is appropriate if one is to diagnose
what is problematic with society. In respect to this, the definition of cultural dimension is an important technique in our evaluation of social problems.
In our discussion about our overconsumption in society I decided to focus on cell phones. I claim that our overconsumption of electronics in our culture is crazy because of the exorbitant prices of these objects and also of our relationship to these objects. Sometimes our cell phones can become a symbol of status and economic well-being which can be harmful to those who cannot afford the same “luxuries”.
When you consider the price of a Blackberry or PDA you realize where else one could spend that amount of money or rather not spend. Instead of spending that money on a phone, it could be donated to a charity, put in a savings account, or invested.
I believe that one of the biggest problems in the US is the sense of self entitlement. We think that we deserve everything and the BEST of everything. We are egotistical and are oblivious to the damage that we bring upon ourselves, society, and the environment through overconsumption. The focus is entirely on what is good for the individual. Once we find something good, we cannot be satisfied and continue searching. When I said that Reality TV is a part of our consumer culture that is crazy/harmful I was referring to the emphasis on the individual that the shows provide. This emphasis asks us to watch and envy the "regular" people who participate on/make up the show. The difference between them and movie stars is that they are not actors and do not do it for a living. This makes them easier to identify with and at the same time makes it easier to notice everything that we (who are not on TV) are lacking. We do not have the body, the hair, the makeup, the clothing, the voice, the boyfriend, etc that all of these Reality TV stars seem to encompass. A response to this lack is to go out and find products that will "complete us" through purchases. The individuals on the show are perfect examples of egocentric Americans who want everything that they cannot have and will do anything (eat worms and cow testicles) to gain material wealth. They then become a model to whoever watches them. (I hope all of this makes sense...I tried to explain it the best I could)
My example was Tiger Woods, and how Nike came out of nowhere into the golf industry and was an immediate powerhouse. They started with the clothing, then moved to the golf balls, then moved on to clubs. Their reputation in other sports products along with Tiger Woods as their main sponsar allowed them to have instant success in the golf industry. This is crazy because being a golfer, i know Nike's golf products aren't even that great, but just because of their reputation and sponsars people are bias towards Nike products over cheaper, better quality brands. People think that using Nike balls and clubs will make them a better player just because Tiger Woods dominates the sport using these products, but this is obviously not true seeing that he wins well over half of the tournaments he enters. People could save a lot of money if they realized this.
I think that people constantly eating fast food is crazy. Fast food is very unhealthy for people and it decreases the time families would normally spend together at the dinner table. Also it gives children the message that faster and easier is better. Fast food also is part of the reason why obesity is such a major problem in the U.S. Parents are compelled to give their children fast food because of all the advertising that is put into it which focus on the convenience and less on the negative affects. For example Taco Bell stays open late for the "fourth meal" and Wendy's motto is eat great even late. Therefore people think that fast food is a good thing and doesn't have consequences
I have stated that I think buying in bulk at places like Sam’s is, for the most part, crazy. I claim this on the basis of finances and health. I think that it is fairly easy to spend a lot of money at these types of stores and not really realize it. While shopping, because things are in bulk, you think you are saving and getting a deal but when it comes down to it, you are paying a lot of money for things that you may not consume or use before they go bad. Essentially, you are wasting money on too much stuff. Also, I feel that buying so much stuff creates an issue with how much a person consumes. With so much available, it is not difficult to eat or use more than appropriate because you have the security of knowing there is always more. This results in bad consuming behaviors such as being wasteful and also bad eating habits like consuming too much. In an ideal society, we would only buy what we needed for a certain amount of time, such as a week, and be more careful about what and how much we ate. Also, instead of buying a lot and thinking we are getting a deal, ideally we could just not buy as much and simply not spend the money. Now there’s a deal no one can argue with.
I used the example of how much water our society wastes daily. I think that this problem is crazy because we do not consider how detrimental it is to shower more than one time a day. The government is having to place water restrictions all over the United States because we are running out of water. I believe that if people stepped back and took a look at their lives they could reduce the water they use. It is crazy to think about how much water we waste. It is unbelievable to think that we may face the possibility of running out of clean water.
As we discussed in class, social problems are conditions that not only affects one person or a group of people, but all of society. The obesity epidemic is not only affecting the physical appearance of people, but causes a host of other health problems as well. The fast food industry is largely contributing to this epidemic, and society is not doing much to improve this problem. The amount of advertising and promotions for new fast food products has reached a new high. Although consuming fast food is a personal choice, I think that society as a whole is to blame for the unhealthy consumption of fast food.
Drinking water definitely has some perks and makes sense, but buying it in a bottle and paying the same price you might pay for another type of beverage is simply does not. The price of bottled water is the simplest argument. Why would you pay 3 dollars for a bottle of water when you could easily get it for free simply by asking the vendor for a glass of water instead. Another reason is its very bad for the environment. The use of tap water and re-use of bottles cuts down tremendously on the amount of plastic that we consume.
People are constantly forced to buy the next best thing because the technology they have now is becoming out-dated. I think this is extremely crazy because people are having to spend more money that does not need to be spent. For example, some computer software programs have to be up to date in order to be compatible with other programs. If idustrialists would stop making new technological advances every time the consumer turns around, then consumers could save money or spend it on other necessities. The competitive world of technology causes consumers to buy more because the consumers have to in order to keep up. Therefore,all of society is forced to have the next best thing.
In my earlier post, I mentioned the continuous stream of technological products, especially video games, along with the emphasis on always being up-to-date on such products. The advertising emphasis on having the newest things places a person in a continuous state of discontent with what he/she has. Thus, the person spends mass amounts of money attempting to keep up-to-date with the changing technological world. Furthermore, products such as video games may lead to the alienation of a user, as the player spends more time away from others in front of a screen. This problem not only applies to friends, but family, as well, for each individual within a family may be more preoccupied with their own technological products, rather than spending time with each other. The early attachment of children to video games, and to other such products, may lead to later attachments to an even wider range of electronic objects, which can get in the way of forming personal attachments to the people around them. In addition, the changing electronic world could also lead people to view others as similarly interchangeable, prompting them to change or discard a relationship, as soon as they tire of maintaining it.
In the last activity, I wrote about how ridiculous it is for Americans to buy large SUVs, such as the Hummer, for no other reason than because they think they are stylish and "look cool to drive." If there is a single symbol of American wastefulness and blatant disregard for the future of our environment, it is the Hummer. That's especially true for someone willing to pay more than $54,000 for an SUV that barely clears 10 miles per gallon. As if the pollution that is created by driving such vehicles isn’t enough, it is truly disgusting when one considers that while some are shelling out over $50,000 for a Hummer, half of the world’s population is living on less than $2 a day. Seriously, why can’t we find cars that "look cool to drive" and are practical for use as well?
The way college athletes are treated is crazy because the emphasis seems to be on money and not on education. The reason one goes to college is to get an education and join the work force. However, some athletes forget that when looking for schools. They look for where they might fit in athletically and then academically. A lot of times (even though it is covered) athletes may not actually be academically eligible, but it is looked over by the administration. Universities are blinded by money and forget the real reason they are there. They are academic institutions. Our culture however plays to this and makes it easier for these institutions to slip up.
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