We are opening our Sociology of Consumerism course this semester by having a little eye opener on what "stuff" is--and what it means to us. Today we did some introductory stuff and the normal 1st day of class BS. However, on Friday and next Monday we will be watching the movie "The Story of Stuff" and just talking about the concepts discussed. I felt like it would be good to look at this basic view before we got into all of the theory stuff later on. And especially before we started the "Disenchanted" Ritzer book.
The Story of Stuff Blog
The Story of Stuff Blog
It was a nice, witty take on consumption and the work spend treadmill but unless you were completely naive you pretty much already knew that was going on. I'm sure not one moderately educated person believes that places like walmart are not evil. However, we like our cheap goods. We may feel a little bad or ashamed for supporting such a system but at the end of the day we are going to do it all over again..and again..and again. The consumer (we) cannot be blamed for merely working within the established system. Yes I would love for equal wages across the board, zero exploitation, healthcare and all that other good stuff that should come with working, but who among us is really ready for that hit to our wallets? Are we as consumers really ready to pay way more than we already do to stop exploitation? Sure, a select few in our society can surely afford to shell out a few extra dollars but can the everyday average Joe or Jane??
ReplyDeleteThose are all great questions. I think that the "Consumer Diaries" article that I gave out in class today is a pretty good attempt to explain the consumer as a victim of an establish system. We'll see more of that later this semester in the "No Impact" text as well. Are there solutions for every day people? And if there are, what are they? I have no idea. I have to admit that I have privileges that allow me to be more conscious and aware, and despite that, I often ignore them. I can afford a hybrid vehicle, I work in an institution that promotes recycling all the time by placing recycling bins next to every hallway trash can. I also have a car that can carry me ALL the way to Target so that I can peruse the lesser of two evils.
ReplyDeleteI think that this video serves as a major eye-opener to this issue of consumerism over all and give a frame of reference for all of the topics that we will discuss this semester.
I think if everyone had a little experience working in a factory setting, say...1-2 years, they may consider not partaking in unnecessary consumption habits. Those families that such environments destroy, are not so easy to hold oneself accountable for. Who seriously wants to ruin their own day??? I personally have had such experience in factory settings, and I try to keep in mind those men and women who so desperately devote their waking hours in order to simply consume it all away in the ultimate game of 'dog chasing tail.' Circles, nothing but non-satisfying circles; boats they never have time to use, motorcycles that they only ride from work to home and home to work, it's a freak show of idiosyncratic behavior out there. It's all good though, the medical world takes care of everything with increased milligrams, and the street level dealers, hey, they get their share too. Oh, and the bars are all flooded--especially during these 'recession' type eras; while the beer companies seem to be increasing their alcohol content, the states lower the legal limit. Nice!!!
ReplyDeleteoutzskittish