Entry 3: Respond to "Setting the Course"

“Between 1900 and 1930, many young people extended their schooling beyond the eighth grade and a relatively large number went to college. The effect was not only a better educated citizenry, but an ‘extracurriculum’ that became a peer culture of consumption.” (pg. 13)
I picked this quote because it had sparked a crazy thought in my head; are people going to college just to become better consumers? While reading this particular paragraph, it struck my mind that perhaps the reason why so many youngsters wanted to attend college was to live off the high life instead of following their passions. I asked myself, “Why did I come to college?” and surely enough, I had answered my own question: because I want to be wealthy. I asked my roommate why she wanted to be a doctor and she replied no different, “Doctors are rich and I want to be rich to buy stuff.” Not only has technology affected our everyday lives, but apparently it has also affected our long term goals. From what I learned, people went to college to be wealthy and to be able to afford those tip-top gadgets that made you “fit in”. I had never thought that we would come this far as to have consumption affect our dreams. I strongly believe that this statement is correct. If you ask many students what their ambition was for going to college, only one thing comes to their mind: money. And money buys goods, and those goods mainly consist of technological advances that help fast-forward our lives. This statement is highly critical to the theme of “Generation, Gender, and Goods” because it highlights the affects that consumption has had over the years; perhaps to the point to where it has been inscribed into our unconsciousness. Now ask yourself, why did you come to college? And if you think of something that has nothing to do with money, then I applaud you because you truly followed your dreams.

"we need to understand the triumph of consumerism and how it has shaped our lives"

the reason i chose this particular quote is quite simple; it calls out to all Americans, from past, present and future generations that we need to harness the potential of being concrete consumers, and take full advantage of its capabilities. it is quite obvious that the author's intention as to give us a way up call and us Americans should take the initiative and become great consumers not only to better our individual lives, but to better our economy as a whole. This statement could be debated among between persons regarding its true importance. Each individual has a particular perspective towards the consumer market, and whether or not it's a good aspect of American life. This quotation sums up this reading in a nutshell. From a personal standpoint, I agree with the author and understand his argument. He is targeting the American audience as a whole, and by this it seems as though he hopes this will serve as a wake up call. Personally, I believe consuming has become a foundation of the American standard of living. Critics of abusive consuming can clearly use the argument of our current economic disaster, yet I believe that with the right amount of education about consuming, and being responsible consumers, the consumer market can be a significant aspect and utility for the future. As a college student, I am aware that I soon will be in the working force, and I will have the ability to consume at my own will. Evidently, so will every other American, not only college students. As a firm believer of consuming, I show great faith in that consuming can better our lives, if used correctly.

“Ads in the 1920’s declared that anyone could have the luxury of a vacuum cleaner or a radio, no matter if they lived in a bungalow or a gabled mansion. Consumer goods were supposed to end class envy by giving the common American access to the world of luxury” (pg 11). I picked this quotation because it seems a bit oxymoronic to the actual outcome that the Industrial Revolution had on society. The new consumption of market goods only expanded class envy so that the average American would constantly be stressing to fit in with the majority of those who could afford the glamorization of how the average American ought to look. The trickle down effect of this new revolution only caused a more competitive race for this new marketing phenomenon. I would have never assumed that the big boom of the Industrial Revolution would be seen as the attempt to balance the equilibrium of class envy. I find this quote debatable, because, although ads hyperbolize the truth, it is easy to rebuttal the fact that one who lives in a bungalow could not be placed on the same pedestal as one who lives in a mansion due to the purchases of the same consumer goods. Class envy has always been a problem in America because even if there are products that perform the same task, there will always be that more desirable brand named product out there to belittle what one already has. To this day, Americans are constantly pressured to have the most modern technological advances or other top of the line expenses in order to keep up with majority’s interest. Although consumer goods allowed the average American to experience some of the luxuries of the rich and famous, it has mainly worsened the marginal difference of social class standing. It is hard to believe that there will ever be a sense of satisfaction amongst Americans to be grateful for what they already have, rather than what they don’t.

"Such ads may have made people more superficial in their judgments of others and themselves, these were also rational and advantageous. In an increasing mobile society, such reliance on 'externals' was a sensible way of communicating because many people important to Americans "really" did not know them(their families, personalities, or characters."

This quote caught my attention because it captures the depth that consumerism has dominated our individual lives. We have come to judge not only others superficially but also ourselves. We tend to want to build relationships with people who "look better". The way a person dress nowadays tells you what kind of music the person might like, whether they are up to date with the latest fads and therefore a person that probably has a lot of friends, and whether or not they come from a good family. To makes matters worse, we judge ourselves accordingly and may underestimate our own value. If we don't live up to the expectations of the latest fads then we tend to have a lower self-esteem which in return brings about other miseries to our lives. What is interesting is that Gary Cross keeps telling us how consumerism was an object to calm anxieties but consumerism is what created them in the first place. By making this point Gary Cross underlines how consumerism truly did bring a change in the American life up to the very core of every individual.

“Keeping up with the joneses meant less emulation of the rich than not falling behind one’s own crowd… ‘When you are sitting a White Castel, remember that you are one of thousands; you are sitting on the same kind of stool; you are being served on the same kind of counter; the coffee you drink is made in accordance with a certain formula.’ This meant a predictable and inevitably bland hamburger, but also a sandwich that was no better or worse than anyone else’s—further evidence of consumers’ democracy as well as their manipulation by retailers (Cross, 4-9).”
This passage described consumerism in a way I had never thought about before; it is a race. However, the goal of this game is not to win or be first as in traditional races, each person merely tries to keep up with the pace because winning is not as important as not being last. Consumerism is a self-feeding and never ending cycle that is propelled by the constant urge to “keep up.” I wish I knew where that urge came from because in today’s society it appears to be almost primal, as if as it is a survival tactic since people act as if they might die if they have the latest consumer goods. I can see the appeal of White Castle to someone in this “race”. Although, a person’s burger may be flavorless, that person can take comfort in, knowing that everyone dinning at that location is temporarily equal to him since everyone else’s burger is just as bland. I find it it slightly disturbing that the only time a person can be happy is when he or she knows that everyone else is just as miserable as he or she is. Whether or not the race will ever end completely is debatable but the fact remains that individuals can remove themselves from the cycle by choosing to stop competing.

“Advertisers, he claimed, took advantage of the contradictions besetting the individual consumer who, in response to the frustrations of social change, found comfort in consumption.”

As I came across this quote I realized that advertisements are only mirroring necessities that society seems to be in need of. Most advertisements offer “solutions” to imperfections, defects and other demands that consumers appear have. Through the reading, we can notice that the goal of advertisements is to sells goods. In other words, the amount of sold products depended on how well the companies manipulate society through their advertisements. As the reading pointed out, “…ads also gave meaning to consumption, showing how products could be used to shape personal identity and social relationships.” It is as if the goal of each advertisement is to satisfy the needs and desires that consumers have in order to give them self-confidence, to feel accepted by those who surrounded them and to fit in a social class. Many times people buy unnecessary items that instead of satisfy their needs and thus provide them assurance lowers their self-esteem as they realize that the advertised promise was nothing but a lie. Other times consumers buy unnecessary items to try to fit in and be well judged by people from a higher rank. This is what I though as I came across this section of the reading. Even when I want to convince myself that I am only thinking meaningless thoughts, the more I think about it the more it makes sense.

"The Italian Peasants or country black could avoid some humiliation and establish an identity with a new suit of fashionable clothes and new products as easy to find as canned soup or the movies. Indeed, these cheap goods and experiences promised symbolic entry into an American world that many immigrants could only dream about.” (2)

America searches within the department store shoe racks, the front cover of Cosmo magazine and the newest advertised gadgets to find their identity. Americans have a social identity determined and facilitated by the convenience of inexpensive consumerism. Consumerism has risen above politics and democracy redefining a society reputed by consumption. In this Modern America, I believe that as things fall into place immigrants attempt to blend in with the American society by following the life of consumption. I find it interesting that many immigrants attempt to acculturate by keeping up with the consumer society. The inexpensiveness of consuming goods and the high productivity correlated to its high demand have made it affordable for immigrants who have less money. They now have the opportunity to feel equity between more dominant people. It is shocking to reflect on how important consumerism has become in the American society and realize that it is part of what is considered the American Dream. I would not have imagined that the struggle of second-class citizens to find a place in American society would be through means of consumerism. I feel that the American dream is being lost within the vanity of individuals and the interest of self. Consumerism is converting America into a country where people have lost a sense of unity to accommodate the self-absorbed. It serves the want of people who look to feel as if they fit in. Consumerism is about choosing luxury vs. necessity in order for citizens and even immigrants to feel that they can be as good as their neighbor. Although it is arguable that immigrants become part of the consumer cycle with intentions and hope to be recognized with as much respect as any other American, it is unavoidable to recognize that immigrants have indeed become caught up within the self-interest cycle of consumption.

"The Italian Peasants or country black could avoid some humiliation and establish an identity with a new suit of fashionable clothes and new products as easy to find as canned soup or the movies. Indeed, these cheap goods and experiences promised symbolic entry into an American world that many immigrants could only dream about.” (2)

America searches within the department store shoe racks, the front cover of Cosmo magazine and the newest advertised gadgets to find their identity. Americans have a social identity determined and facilitated by the convenience of inexpensive consumerism. Consumerism has risen above politics and democracy redefining a society reputed by consumption. In this Modern America, I believe that as things fall into place immigrants attempt to blend in with the American society by following the life of consumption. I find it interesting that many immigrants attempt to acculturate by keeping up with the consumer society. The inexpensiveness of consuming goods and the high productivity correlated to its high demand have made it affordable for immigrants who have less money. They now have the opportunity to feel equity between more dominant people. It is shocking to reflect on how important consumerism has become in the American society and realize that it is part of what is considered the American Dream. I would not have imagined that the struggle of second-class citizens to find a place in American society would be through means of consumerism. I feel that the American dream is being lost within the vanity of individuals and the interest of self. Consumerism is converting America into a country where people have lost a sense of unity to accommodate the self-absorbed. It serves the want of people who look to feel as if they fit in. Consumerism is about choosing luxury vs. necessity in order for citizens and even immigrants to feel that they can be as good as their neighbor. Although it is arguable that immigrants become part of the consumer cycle with intentions and hope to be recognized with as much respect as any other American, it is unavoidable to recognize that immigrants have indeed become caught up within the self-interest cycle of consumption.

"The truth is that the modern consumption helped individuals contend with social conflict and ambiguity, evade clear-cut choices, and even hold contradictory desires." (p.3)

I chose this quote because it made me consider how consumption has affected my individuality and the way I perceive myself as well as others. I believe that the author's statement here is accurate because society and advertisement ploys practically make our decisions for us. Magazine advertisements, television commercials, and radio ads provide us with details on the most popular goods and encourage us to purchase because they will give us a false sense of belonging. Sometimes we make our decisions based on what is popular or desired even if we are secretly opposed to it. For some the decision may be to buy the latest pair of shoes when we secretly find them hideous. We buy things that won't cause others to criticize us or look down on us even though we may not need them or want them. We also want to avoid as much social conflict as possible, so we give in to the consumer society and purchase the latest fads to eliminate any chance of humiliation or embarrassment. Modern consumption does, however, give consumers a sense of security and normalcy. We take pride in knowing that we belong to a large group of people who share the same style, values, and desires as we do, even if our belonging stems from purely superficial means.

"Much advertising was one-sided, selling goods with sophisticated and manipulative appeals. But ads also gave meaning to consumption, showing how products could be used to shape personal identity and social relationships.” (9)

From an outside perspective, ads could be seen simply as manufactures showing the public their goods and services. Until I read “Setting the Course,” it didn’t occur to me that ads are a reflection of our social and material desires. Advertisements will never show you the life that you already have, or else they would not be very appealing. Instead, they either manipulate an ordinary situation with the product or service the manufactures are trying to sell, or show an exaggerated life completely transformed because of the product or service. Ads manipulate society into believing that it is not only beneficial to buy from them, but it is necessary to acquire their merchandise to live a comfortable and fulfilling life. Since this piece is about consumerism, it makes perfect sense to include the influence that advertisement has made throughout centuries. The author of “Setting the Course” refers to very important factors that gave consumerism its boost among the people, one of them being the advertising industry.

The myth of mobility was more humiliating to the relatively poor American than permanent low status would have bee to a member of a caste society. Low income and a dead-end job was clearly “the penalty for and the proof of personal failure.”…Americans endured the humiliation of poverty only because it was supposed to be temporary and to spur the individual on to achievement and a seat nearer the head of the table.

America has long been known as the home of dreams, the land of plenty, and a place where immigrants can come and have a chance at a better life than was ever possible for them in their native country. This image, this conception is fueled by a few extraordinary rags to riches cases such as John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and a more contemporary example Chris Gardner. Few people fail to realize that these stories are extraordinary because these people were able to achieve something close to impossible. Americans who have a low income are not necessarily failures, unless of course they have chosen a drunken vagabond lifestyle. The truth behind the fallacy of social mobility is that while it is possible to move through the ranks of society it is very unlikely they will become a multi-billionaire if they started as a homeless person. Just because millions might not be in the immediate grasp of most of us does not mean we should just give up on life and quit trying altogether, rather we should continually strive for individual achievement because although we might never reach the head of the table we can move just a seat closer and that is a lot better than no seat at all.

Both advertisers and critics believed that consumers (especially women) were passive and the function of ads was to manipulate rather than to inform. (pg 10)
The reason why I chose this quote was because it shows the way advertisements persuade us into buying products other than to inform us about the products being purchased. In this quote, the author specifically targets women and later in the article he compares them to children. He states that both women are children are vulnerable to manipulation and emotional appeals. As I read this article, Gary Cross explains how women became the spenders of the household. By this, Cross means that women are in charge of purchasing the essential household items. With this quote, It is clear to see how advertisers use psychological techniques in order to keep consumers addicted to buying unnecessary goods. Over time, this way of selling has changed society and the way we perceive each other. Advertisements make us believe certain goods are the foundation of wealth and power. This misleading belief has created a deeper gap between the rich and poor, gradually creating labels and class status.

“The percentage of the workforce on farms dropped from nearly 53 percent in 1870 to 37.5 percent in 1900 and 21.4 percent by 1930. The broad pattern is clear: Americans took industrial and service jobs in which incomes were often higher but autonomy was lost.”

This quote opened my eyes to how much the people here in America have evolutionized. In the 19th century, “Americans had tried to define themselves through possession of land, job skills, and businesses,” but moving on to the 20th century, America became industrialized. Thus, Americans adapted to living different lives than they were accustomed to in the 19th century. At the start of every century, we can expect to go through some changes, but the changes people were going through at those times were very drastic and life-altering. Americans at that time began to realize that life could be lived at a more liberal pace and that they could be free with their money. However, it seems as though people at that time were too liberal with their money and they had not saved up for what happened to them in the early 20th century.

"Social status and birth were no longer relevant in this ultimate democracy of spending...They aided immigrants, the young, the newly urbanized, or the simply insecure to avoid the humiliation of being nobodies and the anxiety of facing a world of strangers."
During the early 1900's when high-volume production was beginning, lower priced goods were available to a higher number of people from all different backgrounds, races, and classes. Before this mass-production society, only the wealthy and higher class were able to afford these products. Consumerism before the 19th century was a symbol of wealth and high class. Those at the "top" showed off their amount of dispensable income by displaying cars, fur coats, and perhaps even simpler, less expensive items that weren't available to most back in those days. When these goods started to be produced in higher quantities due to factories and industrialization, they became cheaper, and more readily available to all kinds of people.
I agree with what the author is saying, and I think this is an important quote because it symbolizes how we as Americans define ourselves through material goods. People want to buy things to be assured that they are "keeping up". Being able to buy goods was an important thing to lower class and immigrants because it helped them feel more "American" when it came to symbolic goods.

“The automobile and the airplane, motion pictures and radio, the electric light and appliances, bottled soft drinks and canned soups, all so prosaic and common at the end of the century, were new wonders of 1900. While these were hardly all American inventions, the United States was poised to take advantage of them on a massive scale.”

This quote caught my attention because they are the things that sparked the “spending” in the Unites States. When I read this it triggered a thought, the United States benefitted from inventions that weren’t just American. Like the quote states “… take advantage of them on a massive scale,” that’s exactly what the Americans did. For example, Henry Ford was able to mass-produce the automobile because of the assembly line, which allowed for hundreds of vehicles to be manufactured in a day. This increase in car production also increased the number if cars being sold. Not only did we have Henry Ford to promote consumerism but there was also a man named Richard Sears. He found of a way to get rid of the “middle man” and sell goods/products at a relatively cheap price. Sears built stores on the fringes of cities, which made it a lot more accessible to all people. The ability to purchase was becoming easier by the day. Packaged goods were also going to through a phase of revamping, where products of a vast and diverse processing industry were replacing the older products. The United States prospered from all these innovations thanks to the vast number of consumers willing to spend some money. People were willing to spend money in order to have objects that made it seem like they were part of a higher social class. This was important to people in that time period because things that were once only affordable to higher social classes were affordable to all with a steady paycheck.

Before reading this article, I hadn’t really contemplated nor acknowledged the extent to which consumerism influenced, and continues to influence all aspects of our society. This quote embodies the major changes that resulted due to the rise of consumerism, that can still be seen in our society today. From the simplest gadgets like electric pencil sharpeners to the phone books on cellular devices, the never-ending improvements of technology unquestionably contribute to the decline of self-sufficiency. We have become so dependent on technology to the point where hardly anyone memorizes phone numbers because they rely solely on their cell’s phone book. In addition, consumerism also influenced the decline of neighborliness and family interactions. Instead of spending quality time with the family, or playing games with the neighbors’ kids, the youth of America is now consumed with video games, computer games, and the latest reality tv shows. Although this article stresses everything we have gained from consumerism, I was more affected by what we have lost due to consumerism. This realization makes me wonder what else we will lose to consumerism in the future.

“Still, a fundamental change had occurred since the days of court aristocracies and sumptuary laws: in 1900, almost any labor, service, or prosperity, no matter how low in status, could be converted into money to purchase the latest dress or flashy suit. Social status and birth were no longer relevant in this ultimate democracy of spending.” (3-4)

I chose this quote because it seems to rap up the majority of the reading; it describes the end to a caste society and the birth to a class society. An individual’s status was no longer relevant to their birth but rather to what they amounted to or rather what they appeared to amount to. This new system also enabled the American Dream; America was the ground for infinite possibilities where anyone could amount to be “somebody.” The novel “The Great Gatsby” is great representative of the idea the American Dream; Gatsby our main character was born poor and gradually eased in to the elite, an unimaginable idea previous to the 1900’s. I find the article slightly debatable in the fact that though we moved past a cast system and in to a class system; traces of a cast system remained. Though more people were able to achieve a high standing the tension of old money vs. new money blossomed.

"The growth of the consumer society coincided with the decline of self-sufficiency, neighborliness, and family interactions. It replaced traditional social roles and identities with those purchased in the market" (p.5)

Before reading this article, I hadn’t really contemplated nor acknowledged the extent to which consumerism influenced, and continues to influence all aspects of our society. This quote embodies the major changes that resulted due to the rise of consumerism, that can still be seen in our society today. From the simplest gadgets like electric pencil sharpeners to the phone books on cellular devices, the never-ending improvements of technology unquestionably contribute to the decline of self-sufficiency. We have become so dependent on technology to the point where hardly anyone memorizes phone numbers because they rely solely on their cell’s phone book. In addition, consumerism also influenced the decline of neighborliness and family interactions. Instead of spending quality time with the family, or playing games with the neighbors’ kids, the youth of America is now consumed with video games, computer games, and the latest reality tv shows. Although this article stresses everything we have gained from consumerism, I was more affected by what we have lost due to consumerism. This realization makes me wonder what else we will lose to consumerism in the future.

Make-up allowed the "new woman" to assume innovative, diverse, and multiple images: a young mother by day could transform herself into a belle of the ball by night. (pg. 14)
I chose this quote because I think cosmetics is an underlying advancement that helped women become more independent as well as break down social barriers, classes, and even racism. When a woman is able to dress herself up and give herself a “new face” confidence comes into the picture. Confidence allows a person to expand from there norms; allowing social barriers to be broken. A self conscious girl who may feel inadequate can be now be beautiful and back in the hunt for the man she wants; all because of make-up. As mentioned in this same paragraph, cosmetics also allowed immigrants and African Americans to look more Americanized. This brought down racial barriers as well as, in my opinion, contributed to mixed relationships. The biggest benefit of cosmetics though is the ability it has to make more people enjoyable to look at. That’s why this is America.

“It is hardly surprising that a French trade unionist in the 1920s might believe that American consumer capitalism was moving ‘toward some form of socialism.’ The point was not that the United States experienced some universal prosperity, but that high productivity made cheap manufactured goods quickly available down the social scale.” (5)
Surprisingly, I’d never noticed the parallel that could be drawn between American consumer capitalism and socialism. It’s interesting to consider how consumerism has thrived subconsciously under the guise of some sort of deterioration of class divisions. As illustrated in the quote, this wave of spending may have created an illusion for those overseas that America was slowly closing the socioeconomic gaps that existed between the working lower class, middle class, and upper class. This makes me wonder just how conscious the American public was of its own motives when purchasing luxury items. It seems pretty logical to assume that having the power to purchase gave Americans a perhaps skewed, yet comforting feeling of prosperity; thus, creating a complacent working class. Is this the true nature of consumption—a way of coping with the economic disparities and social/racial hierarchies in our society that appear to be out of our grasp? Cross mentions on numerous occasions in his article that many of those individuals who participated in this wave of consumption did so in the hopes of assimilating with a higher class culture, a way to separate themselves from the lives they lived and the lives they hoped to live.

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