For this first exercise I want each of you to post an example of some aspect of our consumer culture (product, advertising, entertainment, etc.) that strikes you as being crazy even if millions of people consume it. Briefly describe your example and tell why you believe it is crazy -- two paragraphs at most. I realize that some of you may have cracked open some of the books we'll be reading, which provide many examples of the craziness of our consumer culture. However, please try to ignore that for the time being; I'd like you to do your own thinking and come up with your own example and give your own reasons as to why you believe it is crazy.
Post your comments on the blog under this heading. The deadline is next Thursday, Feb. 14th (Valentine's Day). This exercise is worth 5 points. And once I have all of your submissions, we'll vote on the two best which will each be awarded an additional 2 points.
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23 comments:
I think buying in bulk at places like Sams Club is crazy for the most part. I can understand buying in bulk things that you will definitely use and use up quickly, like toilet paper or paper towels. What I do not understand is why people need two forty ounce jars of peanut butter at once, six cans of Pringles at once, or fifteen to twenty-four cups of yogurt at once. These things will get eaten you say, but that is the point. If a person has an outrageous amount of food in the house, they will see themselves as having plenty, and therefore be likely to eat more without giving it a second thought. If, like my family, a person bought one or two cans of Pringles, they would last a little while and have a greater value because they are somewhat of a scarcity or something special to be eaten slowly. If there is so much food in the house, it is most likely going to be eaten flippantly, and the people eating it will be somewhat unhealthy.
Also, these types of stores supposedly save you money but in my experience, people spend as much as, if not more, there in comparison to a normal grocery store. Everything is just packaged nicely, ready to go and before you know it, you’ve spent $100 plus on things you don’t need and might not even use or eat before it goes bad.
I think that buying bottles of water is crazy. Water is free in just about every where you go. Yet, People still feel as though they have to buy that 3 dollar bottle of Dasani so that they know its clean or they can carry it around. It is much more affordable to save one bottle or just bring one with you that you can refill time and time again. Or you can simply ask most vendors for a glass of watter instead of a bottle and save yourself that 3 dollars. Most of the reasons that people readily supply are poorly thought out. Such as the idea that they should drink bottled water because its cleaner then regular tap water. This is very weak and far from the truth. The very same people eat food every day that is cooked using the same tap water that is to unclean to drink. Many say that convenience is an issue, But how convenient is it to always have to find a vendor to every time you desire a sip where as if you keep a bottle with you you can have it whenever, as well as refill it at a minimal cost if at any.
It is unbelievable how much money some big universities can make on college athletics. People pay lots of money to watch highly publicized college athletics and the universities make so much money on these consumers, advertising, concessions, and merchandise. While this is happening the athletes most of the time are probably getting a sub-par education because the programs need the athletes to be academically elligible for cash flow. It is ridiculous how much people buy into this culture. This also relates to the desire to be a professional athlete which is misunderstood by many athletes because only a select few can go pro. Student athletes should first be students. All in all it is crazy how much money some institutions can make on athletes and then give them practically nothing in return.
I can personally say that the amount women spend on cosmetics (I am one of them, but am SERIOUSLY trying to stop) is out of control. Cosmetics are everywhere and big brands( as well as authors creating perfumes) know how much women spend on it so are opening up their own cosmetics labels to make more money (a recent and baffling example is Calven Klein, and I have seen the makeup and it's awful). Department stores are sneaky and place cosmetics counters on the first floor because that is where they make the majority of their sales. As mentioned before, I have fallen victim to this over consumption and have loads of makeup (most barely used) to prove it. I'll gladly walk into Neiman Marcus and wrinkle my nose when I see a handbag for sale at $1,525, yet I will purchase a $25 lip gloss (that I don't need) 10 times in a month without realizing the damage it has done to my finances just to get a little taste of luxury. Although I still absolutely love all things makeup and regularly read blogs dedicated to the subject, I have made an effort to cut down a bit (like finishing a product before buying a new one) so that hopefully, more of my money will be well spent (on something I need) or saved.
***One last note: following the past 4 fashion week shows, Lancome has partnered with a fashion designer to create a lip stick in their "pout-a-porter" series that apparently embodies the look of the fashion show. They are produced in limited quantities, and makeup junkies go NUTS over them! The first lipstick is now impossible to find, and was gone from the counters in minutes. I got my hands on the last two, and am shamefully trying to find the latest (Pixel Pink) which many stores have already sold out of (my hunt continues in Atlanta this weekend). Because their is such a small group that can afford the collections shown at the fashion show, the designer (and lancome) create a product that is affordable and make big bucks on. If you are interested, check out beautyaddict.com or makeupalley.com to look at these lipsticks and read about the hype. The first one, Benhaz was on ebay for over 100 dollars when it came out.
I'm sure those of you that read my post think I am insane, but I asure you that making a commitment to finish my body washes and shampoos before buying new ones is a BIG step for me...and I have fallen prey to the lipstick mentioned above but have made a promise only to buy 1 (last time I bought 4 from 3 differant Nordstrom's across the US)
-Megan McNally
Going along with my post, one of my blogs just informed its readers that "Celeste - when it's gone, it's gone. I suspect that some tubes will show up in the Lancome boutiques and maybe a few counters, but as far as I know, it's officially sold out on the web, now and forever. Lucky you got yours in time!"
That comment is a perfect example of how the hype is created for this lipstick.
Along with the person who wrote about buying bottles of water, I think that how many times people in United States shower daily is absurd. I admit that I am at fault, but we waste so much water by taking more than one shower daily. In some countries, people shower weekly, and yes, I admit that sounds disgusting, but I believe that if we continue to shower multiple times per day, we will soon run out of our water supply. We waste so much water on useless things, such as bottled water. We are slowly destroying our environment. We need to change our ways and limit the number of times we shower. Not having enough water has been a problem that has increased in the United States and I believe that people do not think that they are one cause of it. If people limited their showers to one a day, I think that would help out a little.
There is an enormous amount of overconsumption in our society that is extremely detrimental to our health. Obesity is growing at an outrageously fast rate. Approximately 1/3 of our society is obese, and I think a large contribution to this obesity epidemic is the fast food industry. Yes, many fast food chains are beginning to advertise healthier food choices, but realistically many consumers will not order these items. Billions of dollars are spent on advertising for fast food chains, and this is only encouraging our population to consume fattening and high calorie foods. The cheap prices and convenience of fast food is also one of the main reasons why people choose that food option. The majority of healthy foods are priced much higher than unhealthy foods, and it makes healthy options much less accessible. Advertising and our society's fast pace lifestyles are only two of the many reasons that America's obesity rate is continually increasing. Unfortunately it will take a lot of effort and education to decrease the rate of overconsumption of fast food, and there is no evidence that this trend is occuring in America
I think people that buy shoes in excess is crazy. I am definitely someone that is always wanting and/or attempting to buy new shoes, but I don't think people (men or women) need as much shoes as they sometimes purchase. I understand that people need at least a couple of dress and casual shoes, a pair of sandals, shoes to workout in, and maybe an extra pair of shoes to do yard work in but when people buy 10 to 20 more pairs of shoes I believe that they are going overboard. I do understand that people have niches for buying a lot of shoes but I believe that there are many people out there that can take it way too far when buying shoes. Buying a pair of shoes to match all or most of the outfits you own is going too far I believe. I think that there are many times when people could get a little more use out of their shoes before they go on buying another 3 or 4 pairs of shoes.
I think that one of the biggest problems that our consumer culture faces today is credit card debt. Even though millions of people fall victim to credit card debt every year, the danger of credit cards never seems to sink. One of the biggest causes for credit card debt are the pressures that people receive from society to be materialistic. Everyone has to have the newest clothes, jewelry, electronics, and car. It is a dangerous competition and addiction for many because it offers a sense of gratification. Also, credit card debt has a large effect on a person's credit, which sticks with that person for the rest of their life and can effect future purchase opportunity's.
Today in society, people continually strive for the glamorous celebrity lifestyle. The obsession with the celebrities of our age allows producers to brainwash us through these celebrities. It is unbelievable how much influence a celebrity such as Tiger Woods or any of the current rappers can have on the products people choose to buy. Advertisers jobs gets easier and easier every day because of this. All they have to do is throw a Nike shirt on Tiger Woods or pay a rap artist to say a certain item such as Grey Goose Vodka in their song, and their sales rise instantly. Nike wouldn't be making 100 million dollar contracts to athletes like Tiger Woods and Lebron James if this method didn't work. Our obsession with overpriced brand name products can be credited to these celebrities. Nike's products could easily be worse quality than a cheaper substitute, but advertisers trick us into thinking that buying Nike golf balls and Nike golf clubs will make us golf like Tiger does. It seems we aren't a very intelligent society as well, seeing that Tiger is 2-0 so far this year in his tournaments. Obviously Nike can't make that much of a difference if no one can even come close to competing with Tiger even with their products, yet their sales continue to rise. If we continue to allow Hollywood to play these mind games with us, the problem will just continue to get bigger, and the prices of these products will continue to get bigger along with it.
I think that buying fast food all the time is crazy. Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner from McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy's is absolutely crazy. It has been proven that most fast food chains are unhealthy and contribute obesity and other health problems so why are these places some of the most heavily advertised products. It makes no sense why this is the case. Eating at these places is convenient and they save time and effort but it's really decreasing the value of a home cooked meal and a family dinner. It just seems as if people are wasting their money on food that is not really that good for you. Also I see more commercials for McDonalds and all the other fast food chains than I do for things that are truly needed. But advertisers are smart because they make the food look so good on the commercials but we as consumers know the food never looks that good in person. The real question is then why do we eat so much of it.
A crazy aspect of our consumer culture is the social and advertising emphasis on always being up-to-date on electronic products, such as the latest gaming systems, computers, cell phones, etc. I watch as my little brother and his friends lead to large expenditures, usually for their parents, as they try to obtain the latest video game systems and/or games. Yet, this process becomes continuous, as there is always another product coming out that they desire.
Such continuous output could lead to people always expecting and wanting something different, and therefore they feel unable to rest content with what they have. Furthermore, the emphasis on electronics could serve to alienate people from others, as they come to rely more on electronic ways of communication rather than making the effort to meet face-to-face. Also, games, computers, and televisions, when used in excess, could help make the growing problem of obesity worse, as more kids grow up in front of a screen, rather than outside in play.
I thinks that it is crazy that so much advertising on TV is for people with bad credit. I work here locally at Dave Edwards Toyota and for the most part we tend to stay away from this type of advertising. What I believe this is doing is causing many people to fall victims of home Foreclosure and vehicle repossessions. This is very evident in the current Mortgage crisis that we are currently seeing. We are basically taking advantage of the less fortunate and instead of educating them our main goal is to put them in another situation where we can take advantage of them again. The media puts out advertising such as "bad credit, no credit, foreclosure, repossession" you are approved!!! This plays right into the hands of our society where we buy, buy, buy. Yes, bad things do happen to good people but I believe that if we really want to help, we should focus on education to ensure that the situation will be avoided in the future. I recently had a customer who was interested in a vehicle. After further investigation the vehicle that they were previously driving was repossessed the day before. I could not believe that this customer after only one day would be trying to purchase another car. After talking with the customer I asked them why would they not try and make arrangements so they could keep their vehicle. The customer stated and I quote “I see advertisements everyday that say repossessions are ok so I figured it wouldn't be a problem getting another car.” Who's to blame?
This might not be considered "over consumption" but I think society has a serious problem with Reality TV. The number of these shows is nearly impossible to count and yet we are still not tired of them. Personally, most of them are driven by the egotistical nature of Americans and in the end only amplify our self-centered ways by broadcasting a "normal person's life" across the nation and giving them their 15 minutes of fame. The amount of money spent on making someone who is fat to skinny, ugly to beautiful, and single to dating/married/later divorced is unreal. If anyone has ever paid attention, the houses in which these people live in during the shows are enormous and lavishly decorated. People are given hundreds of dollars to go out and buy a new wardrobe or to survive on "remote" island. Almost everyone looks picture perfect. We enjoy laughing at their stupidity and yet for some reason we want to be like them. This is what keeps the show alive- people continue to sign up to be on the show and people continue to watch. The way the "stars" dress, do their hair, and wear make up makes viewers want to look and be like them because after all, they are "normal" people put into outrageous situations so it is possible for anyone to look that way. The shows then become an advertisement for make up, clothing, weight loss programs, etc. If any of this makes sense it is easy to see that we are obsessed with something that is basically worthless and I think society would be doing itself a favor if Reality TV is erased from entertainment.
I don’t understand how some women can find so many different “reasons” why they need twenty or thirty pairs of shoes. They will have multiple pairs of the same shoe but the straps x across this pair and come straight back on these. Then they have to have the multiple colors so they can match any dress. Then the four pairs of new balances in pink, blue, brown, and grey. Oh and the old pair to wear when they could get dirty. The uggs, the boat shoes and the list could go on and on. Then I try and rationalize how they would justify the need for so many pairs and I relate it to my passion of fishing and the multiple rods and lures and so on. But all of the tools that I use for fishing serve a specific purpose. It does me no good to buy all rods is weight 5 but a variety can help me in many situations. I will grant the need to have assortment for all occasions but ladies do we really need six pair of black stilettos which serve the same purpose. Its ridiculous.
I agree with Justina's evaluation on overconsumption in our culture, but I would like to focus more on cell phones.
Almost every day we witness countless commericals on the lastest cell phones to buy. If you buy one type of phone in a certain color one month, cell phone companies release the same phone in a different color the next week- which somehow makes the phone better and more amazing. Each month cell phones advertisements are promoting more and more features, such as: internet, text messaging and picture messaging, and the prices for these types are phones are astronomical. However, no matter the price, our society is ready and willing to buy. A perfect example of this is the IPhone. As you can recall, there were people standing outside the night before the release of the phone waiting for the doors to open. I truly thought that was insane but yet thousands of people were willing to stand outside just to wait for a cell phone that did not come with insurance. One of my best friends has the IPhone which she dropped within months of owning it. She paid hundreds of dollars for the phone but now the screen is cracked and the only way to be rid of it is to buy a brand new phone. I believe this type of consumption is crazy and asinine.
One of the things that I feel strongly is absurd ini our crazy consumer culture is the buying of expensive SUVS, succh as the Hummer. Starting at around $50,000 and going up quickly, I just don't see the point of the average American buying such a clunky, large vehicle if they do not have a special use for it. Hummers are horribly destructive to the environment. With an Environmental Protection Agency rating of two out of ten, because of the Hummer's average gas mileage of nine miles per gallon, it is not difficult to see how Hummers hurt the environment through their huge consumption of fossil fuels. Oil consumption is a major contributor to pollution and global warming. I think that Americans should think twice before spending this much money on anything, but especially something that is this detrimentalto our environment that they don't really need.
I think that it is extremely crazy that technology continues to grow at such a rapid pace. By the time a person buys a product, industrialists have already created a new, more effecient product. Competition drives companies to constantly upgrade their technology in order to beat out their competitors in regard to releasing new products at a faster pace. This causes society to constantly upgrade for the purpose of keeping up with advancement in the working world. If industry based its progress on innovative products intstead technology advancement, then there would be no need for the purchasing of new technology. Industry wouldn't push technological advancement, therefore consumers wouldn't need to buy new technology to keep up. The consumer would think that their new piece of technology is all they need for the rest of their life. Instead of having to buy the next best thing every two years in order to keep up with the pace at which society advances, consumers would be satisfied with the pace at which they are currently functioning. In essence, consumers are forced to buy new technology to keep up with the industrial advancement.
I believe Americans' purchases of SUV's and large homes are crazy aspects of our consumer culture, as well as celebrities being a "role model" for buying the most expensive cars and the largest homes. MTV shows "Cribs," a TV show that idolizes these people, showing many musicians' 10 or 15 cars and taking an entire show to show their huge homes with rare and expensive furniture, huge widescreen TV's, and, as I've seen in one show, a gold toilet. I think it is crazy that not only do Americans continue to buy cars with low fuel economy, such as SUVs, but that Americans build huge homes and strive for for this "super consumer" lifestyle because celebrities and other famous people that encourage it through the media every day.
One facet of our contemporary consumer culture that to me is crazy is the over saturation of advertising within movies, tv shows, video games , etc. More and more movies these days have gratuitous product placement and in-scene advertising. In many movies it is to the point where it is distracting. Not only in many cases does it serve as a distraction but it detracts from the overall legitimacy and credibility as a crafted artistic piece. The most recent installment in the James Bond film series comes to mind. The following exchange is between Bond and an associate on a train:
Associate: "You're wearing a Rolex, right?"
Bond: "No, it's an Omega."
This took me out of the setting completely and interrupted the progression of the plot. This is seriously blurring the line between a commercial and an artistic endeavor. This to me is a crazy invasion of consumer culture into what should be a separate field.
There is a large variety of things that society demonstrates that is rationally absurd, but one of the things that stick out to me is our love for materialistic display without having any financial stability as a basis. There are so many people out there with all this "bling bling" living in the government assistant living facilities or having no where to live at all. It is sad that the main thing that the entertainment pushes is look like you have, but even when people don't have they have that mentality. I find that it gets sickening when parents have all these brand name clothing items and the kids have to wear the same clothes over and over until the get so old they are like filthy rags or they grow out of them. Why look like you have instead of working to actually having something?
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