Hi all:
"Why the Self is Empty" is an academic article. It's too long, the print is too small, its full of citations and names you won't (and don't have to) know.
Forget that stuff and read for the main idea. Cushman is trying to talk about how consumerism shaped identity as older and more traditional forms of identity formation slipped away.
Do as you did with the last blog comment. Pick a quotation you find interesting and then write about why you found it interesting (you agree/disagree; something you had not thought about before; important to over all argument; no clear or confusing).
Thank you.
"Why the Self is Empty" is an academic article. It's too long, the print is too small, its full of citations and names you won't (and don't have to) know.
Forget that stuff and read for the main idea. Cushman is trying to talk about how consumerism shaped identity as older and more traditional forms of identity formation slipped away.
Do as you did with the last blog comment. Pick a quotation you find interesting and then write about why you found it interesting (you agree/disagree; something you had not thought about before; important to over all argument; no clear or confusing).
Thank you.
“From slavery to manifest destiny to Vietnam to the struggle over reproductive rights, we are often a nation at odds with itself. Now a new paradox has arisen: One of the wealthiest nation[s] on earth is also one of the emptiest” (26).
I find this quote to be very interesting because it captures a truth I had not taken into full account before. Throughout the history of the United States we have been looking for the most profit and have ruined the lives of others on the way. We have been careless with others people’s emotions and state of being as long as the end result is more wealth and power. We went a long way and got to the top in rank of wealth among nations. We have even gone to the extent of intervening with other nations to promote our way of living and so called freedom. There are times when we feel bad for people in other countries because they don’t have as many riches as we do. However, I begin to wonder whether people who may not have as many riches as we do are better off than we are. What is better: to be materially rich or to be rich at heart? The article talks about traditions and families breaking apart. Could it be that people in other countries who keep the traditions and have stable families could be living a happier life? They don’t have these idealistic models to show them what they don’t have materially so what else could matter in the world than to be happy with one self and have people you love and care about you with or without a good fashion statement?
"the self was conceived of as capable of personal change; impressing others and gaining their approval became an important aim in life, far outstripping the value of doing the morally correct act, which was dictated by ones character."
Fake. Fake ideals. Fake morals. Fake. We have come to live in a society where inhabitants have came to an overwhelming conclusion that it can be acceptable to lie to oneself in certain situations. At times we are found in situations where we put on a fake smile or a fake personality and inform others of a personality that is not our own. This fake personality results in the chronic abuse of consuming unnecessary products. This personal change towards certain items has a great impact on our everyday lives; us Americans tend to buy certain products due to the manipulation of advertisers. The sad part is that we know we are being manipulated and tricked by false advertisements, yet we still consume those products in order to present a fake self. By doing so, these persons hope to fit in with a certain society or simply to be accepted by those surrounding them. Have you ever looked at an old picture and questioned to yourself what and most importantly why you were wearing a certain combination of clothes or outfit? Then you realize the clothes you are currently wearing and you start to ponder what was the transition from a certain style to another. The reason is that we try to impress others and gain their approval and ultimately we put on a fake smile to gain that ultimate goal.
“Culture 'completes' humans by explaining and interpreting the world, helping them focus their attention on or ignore certain aspects of their environment, and instructing and forbidding them to think and act in certain ways.” (p. 19)
When I first read this quote I was offended because I thought the author was trying to say that people can't form their own interpretations of the world and that we are so dependent on culture that we lack our own identity. I think what the author is really trying to show, is that culture is both helpful and damaging to our experience of being a self. Without culture, people would lack a shared perspective of society and the world. Although culture can be seen as controlling and manipulative, it's what links groups of people together and gives them rules and guidelines to live, think, and express themselves by. Culture specifies what is relevant and irrelevant in society. Based on the things deemed as relevant and irrelevant members of the cultural group can decide whether to behave as those in the society do, or to rebel against it. Although rebels think that they are not conforming to the society and its pressures, they still are. They become a culture of rebels that all think and act in similar ways, therefore proving that culture completes humans. I do not completely agree with the argument the author is making, but I do believe that people feel a sense of dependency on culture, to show others that they have support and belong to a group that have the same values, religious beliefs, or interests. People do vary within a culture showing that self identity is still a large part of humans lives and how they choose to live them.
“It emerged at the same that the modern state was faced with the necessity of developing justifications and techniques for controlling a modern populace.
…
The products of the social sciences, and of psychology in particular, have often worked to the advantage of the state by helping to construct selves that are the subject of control and to develop techniques that are the means of control.” (pg.18)
This quote was extremely fascinating. It made me realize how we are slowly, but surely, becoming an unofficial fascist country whose economy is based on product-consumption. The reason I say fascist is because we are all consuming for the same exact reason: to be, or at least seem to be, of a high class citizenship. Since fascism opposes class conflict, wouldn’t you think that since everyone wants to be of the same class, our country is seeping into that form of government? Consuming and advertising is being used as a form of control. In a fascist government, everyone is “equal”, and in our society we all follow the same trends, strive for the same goals and want the exact same product, which in some definition makes us “equal”. In the video we watched the other day, we saw that even some political parties used advertising (such as celebrities) in order to convince society to vote for them. This is a form of control because it uses what we like to persuade us into the same political opinions. I always thought that consumption was just a means of developing a better economy, but after reading this quote, it made me think that the perhaps the real focus of advertising and consuming is so that the government can have more control of the population. They are able to see what we buy, by seeing what we are wearing or what gadgets we are carrying around; in this case they are able to see how much we spend, and if it’s not enough, they persuade us to spend more. They advertise things that can change our lives, and of course everyone wants their life changed for the better. They advertise equality with materials, for example: I saw on TV. the other day of a hair straightener which straightens white people’s hair and black people’s hair, so that both ethnicities can have the same products, no more and no less. If you really think about it, this is some form of equality advertised by consumption. And if everyone is equal by having the same exact products, and seemingly being of the same class, it is some kind of fascism. Unofficial, yet officially discovered.
“Again, I am speculating that it is the formation of the empty self that has made this situation possible; a sense of meaningless and absence feeds these businesses” (22).
I interpret this quote as Cushman stating that our society has slowly lost its’ identity to who they really are. It has sold itself into the consumer industry as a scapegoat to alleviate from an identity absence. I can agree with Cushman due to the fact that individuals seem to have difficulty assimilating individuality and don’t feel confident enough to not mask over their natural selves these days. We have all sold into commercialism! There are very few, who can honestly admit, they have not been persuaded to buy into some ad to boost their self-confidence or self esteem in some way. I can openly admit that I have been sold into the make-up industry. The commercials and advertisements convincing me that “make-up doesn’t hide your face, it simply extenuates your beauty,” has become my excuse to why I wear make-up. As pathetic as it sounds, ever since I started wearing it, I feel self-conscience and insecure when I don’t. There is a plethora of marketing goods that fill society’s emptiness as a distraction, sense of enjoyment, form of self-fulfillment, etc. We have become extremely dependent on these businesses to fulfill the self-emptiness we think is missing.
“…the quest for developing a secular personality came to take precedence over building religious character. Unlike character, which is centered on personal moral integrity, advice manuals of the time taught that personality was synonymous with becoming liked by others.”
“…popularized forms of psychology and religion began to offer advice on how to impress others, become popular, and achieve monetary success and peace of mind.”
One of the biggest issues I feel in the times of today is the lack of self worth. We can see it all around us that individuals are looking to be someone else instead of taking pride in whom they are. The people of today are losing character, morals, standards, and beliefs, in order become a Character instead. In other words, instead of taking pride in being an individual with personal beliefs, having morals, and being “yourself”, it’s more important to try and be someone else; someone who is assumed better than “yourself”. Today the majority of people do just this. We search to be who we feel we want to be without having a goal in doing so. To me it seems that since everyone is trying to become someone else, there are not any real people out there, and if there are no real people out there, how do we ever recognize when we have become that “real” person? A person looks for character in another, longing for recognition of self worth that can be shared. Thus if everyone is becoming a character searching there is no hope for finding self worth because there will be no one with character to be recognized.
"The late 20th century has thus become an advertising executive's dream come true: Lifestyle has become a product that sells itself and the individual has become a consumer who seeks, desperately, to buy."
Although this is an unfortunate assessment, it exemplifies how our society has evolved and how it functions today. Society strove for individualism at the expense of family, community, and tradition and in the process not only lost individualism but lost its self as well. The Post World War II era was supposed to achieve personal fulfillment because we finally had the opportunity to dictate how we would live our lives. However, we now find ourselves empty and directionless and advertisers have seized this vulnerability and used it to their advantage to raise sales. I think we have come full circle and not in a positive way. We won the right to our individualism but now we are conforming again, in a way, by allowing ourselves to be manipulated by the “life-style solution.” Instead of paving our own paths, we are wasting time trying to keep up with the latest fad, in the vain hope of achieving self-worth and self-satisfaction. Due to this fact, I agree with the article in that a majority of us have become empty.
"The awareness that they are falling short of society's central expectation is a further wound to the self-esteem of young adults, increasing the dichotomy between their outward presentation of self and their internal sense of self." (23)
Since I am part of the young adults, this quote related to me drastically. With being a college student and success being our main goal, I can relate with society’s expectations and sometimes not living up to them. It is true that young adults’ self-esteem is wounded; especially relating the source back to advertisements and consumerism. Ads shout to the world the proper way life should be lived. According to Cushman, humans are empty inside, emotionally and without guidance. If we do not know how to live, then we look for guidance to advertisement and their manipulative products and services. What is ironic is that when young adults think they found a way of life and a path of direction, it ends up hurting them towards the end. People’s desires will always be infinite, so why is it that humans want to chase an unrealistic dream of a life?
"My understanding of their historical interpretations is that an increasingly bounded, masterful self was constructed after the collapse of feudalism."(18)
I strongly disagree with this interpretation of the "empty self". To my understanding this implies that we are "empty because of the lack of connection that we have with other people, community, and emotions. That for this reason we look to consumerism to "fill us up". I believe the contrary; the reason as to why we are so disconnected to things like emotions and community is because we are caught up in the selfishness of consumption. I think that the selfishness that is brought up in consumerism is something that was not provoked by feudalism but instead put to light by it. The truth is that people have always been interested in the self. That the impulses and rebellious acts that happened in the post war era were a relief of repressions that were finally put in the open. The only difference between letting impulses than compared to how openly it is done now is the cultural pattern that has been created at this specific time era. Society has always been about pleasuring the self. Consumption makes the opportunity for people to express that selfness.
"[The self] is empty in part because of the loss of family, community, and tradition. It is a self that seeks the experience of being filled up by consuming goods, calories, experiences, politicians, romantic partners, and empathetic therapists in an attempt to combat the growing alienation and fragmentation of its era."
This quote stood out to me particularly because its true. Its very true when you really think about it. I will argue that Americans themselves have no culture. We have baseball,NASCAR, and that's about it. But these sports are hardly "ours"; these are things we share with the world. Americans do only one thing that we can can call our own, that make up true "American culture". That's spending. Buying the latest, watching TV, going to dance clubs. Spend spend spend. We don't have rituals, or holidays that we participate in that don't require spending one way or another. I will agree that America is one of the most divers lands out there, and I have high regards to those who keep their ancestry cultures alive through traditions and morals. For the majority, however, this is hardly the case. Perhaps the reason most Americans have lost this sense of tradition and community is due to the diversity here in this country. People aren't born into traditional roles any more: the gender binary is slowly becoming more fluid, races are mixing, and more people are going to college, providing their families to raise to a "higher class". Of course the self is empty; we arent born knowing exactly how we fit and what we want. We have to learn these things. Do I think people are filling themselves up by consuming? For some, yes. But if youre born into a society thats constantly "buying happiness", thats all you"ll ever know. People want instant gratification, and I believe thats the root of the problem.
“But as difficult as it is, the study of the self is also a crucial element in interpreting an era. By studying the configuration of the current self, we will come to have an enlarged perspective on the forces that shape it, the discourse that justifies it, the consequences that flow from it, the illnesses that plague it, and the activities responsible for healing it.”
During Monday’s session we discussed how society is being manipulated and persuaded by advertisements and new products that define a person. We talked about how people who immigrated to the Unites States went as far as what their money allowed them to. For example, if they had enough money to buy a house, they would have bought a house. If they had enough money to buy all the things that identified them as upper class people, they would have probably bought all those items. The reason why I chose this quote was because it relates to Monday’s discussion. For instance if a brand is in style and most of upper class people (or simply important persons) wear them, it is likely that people (middle class) who have the money to afford to dress in that specific style, would spend the required money to obtain the look. Now, chances are that the majority will dress and wear outfits that gave them that specific look (style). With that in mind, a person can be able to interpret the era that a person is living. I am not sure if I am making sense or not but this is what I thought when I came across this quote.
“Individuals do not wish to buy if they do no perceive a need for a product. But with an empty self people always need.”
If ones’ self is defined by social and cultural factors then in fact we as a society have come closer to the verge of no self and in place, an emptiness waiting to be filled; leaving us vulnerable to manipulation. We as humans, especially anyone ranging from middle class and under do not buy unless there is a need but with a never-ending sense of emptiness every product becomes a need. It all goes back to the idea of consumerism: “money can buy happiness;” if you can purchase then you can engage in society and finally be 1 out of the masses, if not than you are sure to live an empty life. The ability to consume has become a centralized part of our society that if unable to do so, happiness can never be achieved. This reminds me of the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” which ultimately seems to be the pursuit of money on the account of the whole movie is based on a father finding a stable job in order to have money to consume. Though society has grown overly obsessed with consuming we must remember that our nation was based on the idea of ownership which is ultimately consumptio; thus our declaration of independence which was originally to read “the right to the pursue of land.” Our nation and most other western societies run on the idea that a person’s worth is measured by how much they own; there by creating a need to own as much as possible. In all, I agree with the article that society has moved more towards people of empty selfs in need of products to fill the void. However I do not believe that the need to fill our void with material goods is new but rather that it’s just recently exploded due to the people with the goods new found manipulation skills (advertisement).
The consumer society has resulted in great capital growth for many corporations and the individuals who manage and invest in these large corporations but it has also resulted in the loss of character, morals and sense of self of the consuming public. The post WWII world had the technology to mass produce goods. This led to a generation where everyone could have the same shoes, shirts or home goods. Professional advertisers took it upon themselves to make sure the excess goods were bought up. People were made to believe the only way to be beautiful and accepted was to have the goods that were being mass produced. Those without it felt left behind and unwelcome in mainstream society. Through this pattern people have forgotten that it’s “what’s on the inside that counts”. We are eternally caught up in keeping up with the trends that our character has taken a backseat so much so that when it comes time to reflect on ourselves we feel empty because most of us are. Americans are dependent on their material goods at one level or another. We are constantly in need of more and MORE material goods that do nothing but leave our wallets and inner selves empty yet we believe that the goods will fill the emptiness of our lives. Are Americans doomed to be stuck in this downward spiral of emptiness and consumerism? Will we always be stuck going through the motions of trying to fit in but never knowing who we are?
“The economy’s need for an industrial labor force caused traditional rural communities to be uprooted, populations to become urbanized, and work to become increasingly compartmentalized and alienating.” (20)
This particular quote immediately stood out to me because it reminded me of a Law and Society class I took during spring quarter. The class, entitled Capitalism and Racism, gave an overview of the rise of capitalism and the accompanying changes in society and the everyday lifestyle of citizens. Believe it or not, before the rise of capitalism the number of workdays in a year was substantially lower than the amount of leisure time. As a result of emergence of capitalism, urbanization, and industrialization people were expected to drastically alter their lifestyles. Because of such a high demand for productivity, people were expected to separate themselves from their human characteristics; workers were essentially transformed into machines. Pregnant women were kept under close vigilance by policemen in order to ensure nothing would be done (by the woman herself or by another person) to cause the loss of the child because every human had become one thing, and one thing only: labor. Therefore, what else could come of urbanization and industrialization but a group of people who are completely detached from all that isn’t simply for the sake of production? Interactions with other people within the workplace (which is where most everyone spent the majority of their time) were scarce and the time to enjoy such interactions outside the workplace was scarce. It is no wonder we have come to think of our selves as being empty.
“…the life-style solution has become such an efficient form of advertising, particularly in political campaigns. Kohutian social critics would argue that the life-styles portrayed in advertising have become larger than-life, glamorous selfobjects.”
This quote sparked my interest because I believe it holds truth. People are influence by the advertisements they see on television, billboards, bus stops, etc. Advertisers make things look very pleasing and appealing that is why people, especially children, are influenced by what they see on television. We see people trying to be like someone or something they have seen being advertised (i.e. models, super-heroes, pilots.). In political campaigns we see how the advertisements try to sway their audience to support one candidate rather than the other. The politician advisers pay others to make these ads in order to gain support. The things portrayed in advertisements are what people find the most acceptable. They believe if they can obtain those objects/life-styles they will obtain a place in society. The advertisements portray these life-styles as “must haves” which push people to be easily influenced and want to obtain that certain life-style and/or object.
“Humans do not have a basic, fundamental, pure human nature that is transhistorical and transcultural. Human are incomplete and therefore unable to function adequately unless embedded in a specific cultural matrix. Culture “completes” humans by explaining and interpreting the world…”
I strongly disagree with this passage; I genuinely became angry as I read this article because I couldn’t believe that another human being could be so unintelligent. Looking back at history you can observe a cyclical pattern whether it is the rise and fall of nations, the start of wars, rebellions and revolts or simply trends in fashion. History repeats itself. If history had been strictly linear with each event being purely new and unlike any other then I might be able to believe that human nature is not transhistorical or transcultural, but that is nor the case. The fact that events reoccur is proof that human nature not only surpasses time but it also surpasses space because similar event occur in different part of the world. The second issue I saw in this passage is that Cushman states that culture “completes” humans. Again, Cushman’s thought process is too linear and ridged; he sees “culture” as set rules that explain the world. In reality a culture is a dynamic set of principals and ideals that are continuously changing and being revised by people. The culture does not complete the person, the people complete the culture.
"The material objects we create, the ideas we hold, and the action we take are the consequences or "products" of the social construction of each particular era. However, these artifacts are not only the expression of an era. They are also the immediate "suff " of daily life, and such they shape and mold the community's generalized reality orientation in subtle and unseen ways. (19)
"That sweater is so last year" or sometimes you may hear that something was so last season. Like fashion, ideas about the world and material objects are constantly changing. The way we now think and behave in America, is almost, if not, completely different from the way American's thought and acted in the early 20th century and before. We are products of our society. We are not born with ideas about ourselves, we learn and are taught them, and although we may not realize it, we are performing the ideologies of our society everyday. When I was born, I did not know what a girl was, and how she was to present herself. Like an outsider looking in, I observed the world around me. I now understand what it means to be an American girl, or even less broad than American, I know what it means to be a California girl. A California girl, believe it or not, is much different than a Kentucky girl or even a closer state like Washington. I can take it a bit further, I know what it means to be an African American California girl. What it means to be an African American California girl is much different than what it means to be an African American Atlanta girl. The way not just ourselves, but the way others view us within our society, have been constructed by our society and there is no escaping these ideas. I also know that what it means to be a lower middle-class African American California girl is different than what it means to be a upper middle-class or a poor African American California girl. I am presenting the differences because I am trying to make a statement about social constructions. If you think about we are all girls born in the United States or even all girls born in California, but the ideologies constructed by society, have shaped the way we are seen by others and also the way we live our life. We are guided by society, and in our current era, societies everywhere are telling us that these material things make us who we are, therefore, when we are unable to "keep up" we feel "a sense of meaninglessness and absence."
"The material objects we create, the ideas we hold, and the action we take are the consequences or "products" of the social construction of each particular era. However, these artifacts are not only the expression of an era. They are also the immediate "suff " of daily life, and such they shape and mold the community's generalized reality orientation in subtle and unseen ways. (19)
"That sweater is so last year" or sometimes you may hear that something was so last season. Like fashion, ideas about the world and material objects are constantly changing. The way we now think and behave in America, is almost, if not, completely different from the way American's thought and acted in the early 20th century and before. We are products of our society. We are not born with ideas about ourselves, we learn and are taught them, and although we may not realize it, we are performing the ideologies of our society everyday. When I was born, I did not know what a girl was, and how she was to present herself. Like an outsider looking in, I observed the world around me. I now understand what it means to be an American girl, or even less broad than American, I know what it means to be a California girl. A California girl, believe it or not, is much different than a Kentucky girl or even a closer state like Washington. I can take it a bit further, I know what it means to be an African American California girl. What it means to be an African American California girl is much different than what it means to be an African American Atlanta girl. The way not just ourselves, but the way others view us within our society, have been constructed by our society and there is no escaping these ideas. I also know that what it means to be a lower middle-class African American California girl is different than what it means to be a upper middle-class or a poor African American California girl. I am presenting the differences because I am trying to make a statement about social constructions. If you think about we are all girls born in the United States or even all girls born in California, but the ideologies constructed by society, have shaped the way we are seen by others and also the way we live our life. We are guided by society, and in our current era, societies everywhere are telling us that these material things make us who we are, therefore, when we are unable to "keep up" we feel "a sense of meaninglessness and absence."
"In the decades immediately following World War II, the United states developed an economy that depended on the continual production and consumption of nonessential and quickly obsolete products, celebrities, and experiences" (pg 21)
As I read this passage, I came to realize how our economy has based its sales on our citizen’s lack of confidence and insecurities. For instance, advertisements hold and show products that make people believe are essential. These sales appeal to our emotions and create a sense of necessity, leaving us craving for more. Businesses and corporations tend to portray an image impossible to achieve. For example, using fit and attractive models. These type of advertisements create a perfect world where the average citizen is challenged to fit in.
You raise the right points, yet unfortunately I reckon your personal analysis is very much off base, pleasant piece of content though, congratulations are in order. Cath