Blog Entry 4: "Setting the Course"

"new white collar employees increasingly won status and a sense of betterment through their consumption and leisure activities rather than their work" (22)

This quote brings us back to the point from last week where people gain gratification through their purchases. The article goes over how laborers from the working class could make the same purchases as those in the middle class. And workers from the middle class were working less and so they had a lot more leisure time. They could now buy things toys that they could use with all of this new time, whether it was a necessity or not. Leisure time was a new thing to them and people were discovering new ways to use it with the influx of consumer goods. It was a new reward for all of the hard labor that they had put in over the course of their life. Now they could indulge. Less working on farms was responsible fo the decrease in labor time. People were moving into the cities and getting more industrial jobs with more regular hours. There was not a lot us need for these products though, but they paved the way for a new way of living that accelerated into the future.

"...second-generation immigrants distanced themselves from their parents while participating in American society” (32).

This quote hits particularly close to home for me. When my parents, first-generation Mexican immigrants, met here in California, both were still what I call fully Mexican. I was raised with their conserved Mexican ideals: utmost respect for your elders (call them by Usted not tu), the Catholic faith (the true practice of religion), REAL Mexican food (not tacos and burritos), working from a young age to earn my luxuries (toys), etc. But as I grew up, I was slowly bombarded with the notions of the American consumerist society. The Americanization of my very essence was inevitable, as consumerist influences were much more dominant than my two poor parents. And my brothers are even further detached from the culture that my parents each brought with them, we are now all Americanized. For my dad, back in Mexico, liking baseball meant actually physically engaging in the playing of that sport. For me, it means sporting my favorite Dodgers jersey or even attending a pro baseball game. For my brothers, to play FIFA Street is to play soccer. The same thing that the immigrants’ children did purposefully to their respective parents then is what happens unconsciously now because the American culture is so dominantly based on consumerism.

"Prosperity meant a shift from purely utilitarian to symbolic goods. Fashionable furnishings, packaged products, domestic appliances, and cars expressed new versions of self and community, new understandings of past and future. Through their packaging, display, and advertising, consumer goods came to embody a distinct and eventually dominant alternative to political and even religious visions on American life." (22)

I thought this quote was interesting because it showed the beginning of when inanimate objects began to have a meaning for how individuals saw themselves and how they wanted to be portrayed and thought of within the society. This has carried on into present day: the need for extravagant yet utterly useless items, expensive cars, etc. This need to "keep up with the Jones's" drives consumerism and is the reason why so many products are on the market and why, in our society, the more you have the better you seem.

"Consumption had become a substitute for conversation in a society where rituals of communication were already weak and growing weaker." (23)

I found this quote appealing because it demonstrates how consumerism relates to social behavior. First of all, it requires communicative skills for a salesperson to persuade a customer to buy a product. Advertising strategies have become the key tool in a consumerist society. In effect, the more their is to sell, the more convincing there is to do.
Consumption is also what structures society, as it is further advanced in the article ("through goods and services, Americans found a way to understand themselves, others...") (25). Groups are generally defined by their appearance and interests, which are themselves defined by what is consumed, be it clothes, music, cars etc.
Consumption is a way for one to express oneself, but also a way to find something to express.

"In 1900, almost any labor, service, or property, 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" (23-24).
This quote by Cross is very interesting because it showed how the rise of consumer society exposed the shifts of the social classes. Before this time period, a person of a lower class could not use the same items as one of the upper class because society didn't allow for it. As Cross says, the early 1900s made the change obvious from older ideas to our more modern society. I always find it interesting that the social construct used to be so strict, even in our democracy of the United States. The greater rise of capitalism in the United States and the shift in class showed how even people in the lower class could appear to be rich without any problems doing so. In addition, consumer society increased production, making previously more expensive items affordable, heartening the lower class in their pursuit of a higher social status.

“Consumer goods became innovative and often create building blocks for the construction of different identities and new communities when the old ones were in decline” (22).
This quote reveals how important certain commodities became in the 1920’s, and how material items are still important today. Objects are not only used to only be used improve our standard of living. Commodities cars and clothing, used to be bought solely for utilitarian used, but now have become a part of consumers individual identity. Modern day consumers feel that the items they buy are like an extension of their personality. With so many personalized options on anything we buy these days, it’s no wonder people are trying to express their identities through objects.

"...through goods and services, Americans found a way to understand themselves, others, the past, and the future. They might well have preferred an alternative if it had been available. For good or ill, the consumerist system created meaning for Americans far more effectively than politics and civil society." (page 25).
This quote not only exemplifies the power of consumer society, but it also shows that Americans (durring the turn of the century) were very open to large scale change. They were looking for an alternative to the way of life that they had been living, and when consumerism came along, they latched on. One of the reasons consumerism was so accepted was because it gave Americans a way to measure themselves against their peers even if they did not have great wealth. Consumerism produced a system where everyone could fit in and feel up to par with their neighbors.

“Advertising innovators...advocated that modern psychology be used to link products with the desires and insecurities of consumers, thus creating a longing for particular items.”
It seems that in the modern day these techniques are used by advertisers to draw in customers to buy their products. Advertisers draw upon all of our emotions in oder to sell their products. They make such products appear almost irresistible. Ad campaigns target specific people and prey on their emotions in ways that sometimes are unnoticeable. I will admit that even I at times have falling into advertisers’ traps and bought products due to the way they are advertised.

“ ‘the way to spur the consumption of material goods was to dematerialize them. A food was not just something for breakfast, but rather something to inspire confidence, an indication that you were doing a good job as a mother.” The personality on the label was a bridge from the manufacturer to the customer”

This quote clarifies how consumer society helped people adapt to the changing world. In buying Quaker Oats, a mother could pass on the hard working morals of the past. While neither she nor Ben Franklin had much connection to the combine harvester, packaging plant, advertising, distribution, or retail that actually composed the product, his lookalike endorsed it and her kid ate it. Connecting oats to Quaker allowed a mother to ground her child’s day in a more comfortable time; no matter what other new fangled business the day got up to, Quaker Oats were a wholesome necessity in a child’s diet.

"In 1900, almost any labor, service, or property, 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." (23-24)

It seems that this quote portrays the lower class man/woman's need for recognition. Instead of being based off of social standing, anyone was able to purchase the newest style of clothing and/or comfort. This is when the "status symbol" really took root in this consumer society. Instead of buying clothes to impress co-workers, friends and the like, consumers started buying clothes, cars and other things to impress people they didn't even know. They started to thrive off of what other people thought of them.

"As economic historian Stanley Lebergott notes, consumers used electric lighting, cars, prepared foods, and even medicines and health care to extend the greatest scarcity in life--free time." (26)

I thought this quote made a very important point: that consuming the newest and necessary products was crucial since they helped the consumer to get through their day more easily and more quickly. The main motive for using cars, medicine and health care and prepared foods is so the consumer can spend less time during daily tasks like transporting to work every day, going to the doctors, or making meals. This also allows for more time to relax and enjoy hobbies. The article also states how family size declined in order to save parents time that would have been spent rearing another child and that recreation increased around this time as well. This further explains how consumer society's main goal was to obtain more "free time" in order to either spend that time being bored and consuming new technology (as the article before this had stated) or performing fun activities (as opposed to those not so exciting daily tasks).

"Although it is easy to exaggerate the point, American society was not based on the myth of fixed stations but rather on the myth of mobility."

This quote reminded be of an Intro to Black Studies course I took last spring, where we talked very thoroughly about this embedded perception Americans have of America. One could say that this "myth of mobility" began with the origins of our nation: Puritans coming to a New Land from a rowdy and lazy Europe so that they could really devote themselves to work and spirituality. Work in our culture is seen as one of the most valuable things a person can do, and Americans believe we have set up our society so there are no limits to any individuals dreams as long as they work hard for them. The presence of racial discrimination, xenophobic tendencies, and exclusive groups that occur so often in our nations history should be able to prove this myth wrong. However, even today if someone is down-and-out, most people automatically assume it is all that person's fault, without a single influence from societal pressures and limitations.

At some point this article makes somewhat of an argument that consumerism further perpetuates this "myth of mobility". The increase of cheap production allows for people of all classes to buy the same products, giving a feeling of equality in quality of life. Even though the wealthy will do what they can to separate themselves from other people of lower class, those of lower class can buy products and objects of relative quality with the decreased prices. In one way it gives a boost with the idea that one can have what the higher classes have, and in another way it is fooling a person into believing they have the same standard of living as those of the higher class.

"The point is not that Americans had more goods and were happy with a system that delivered them; rather, the key point is that through goods and services, Americans found a away to understand themselves, others, the past, and the future."

What defines who we are in society today? Is it how we interact with the people around us? Or how we act in public? I think that it's much more simple than that, it what we have on our backs. What a person wears, listens to, and has all make up who we are in society today. Because of the easy access to all the goods we could ever imagine is at our finger tips, we define people in our society based on if they have expensive cars, jewelry, and clothes. And in this article, we find that since our consumerist society first started to sky rocket in the early 1900's, what we have has defined the common person as either upscale or shitty.

"While ads were controlling and copy writers self-consciously set themselves above their audience, these messages were more cynical appeals to status consciousness or insecurity" (35)

I choose this quote because its talks about the people behind the propaganda and advertisement. The people who create these messages focus on the population they are selling their ideas too even though the message or goal is not always good. For example in current ads, ProActive focuses on acne, however, they use celebrities to endorse their item to get the message to the customer, being covered in acne is not attractive and to be beautiful and have a better life one must by this product. ProActive focuses on helping people with their acne problem. However, to sell the product they focus on people that are insecure about their acne problem.

"Americans joined "consumption communities" that did not require an active citizenry but were comprised ,according to historian Daniel Boorstin, of "people who have a feeling of shared well-being, shared risks, common interests and common concerns that come from consuming the same kinds of objects." Americans defined their status and dismissed boredom an anxiety by joining the crowd who bought Life Savers...or Lincolns.

This is definitely a great analysis of consumer society, and I think it's still very true today. People cultivate a feeling of togetherness and connectedness through this consumerism. It's why we all buy the same kinds of things. I think it's why fads happen in fashion, in electronic gadgets, etc. Unfortunately I think it's a bad way of connecting. As the previous author said in "The True Cost of Gadgets" in his example of Christmas, we seem to be trying to fill some kind of lack of purpose/fulfillment with consumerism - and yet it's not very fulfilling at all.

“Despite their diversity, these packaged goods offered Americans similar new personal freedoms. They were hygienic, freeing individuals from other people’s germs; portable and self-administered, liberating people from the barber or communal stew pot;” (30)

This reminds me of the gadget article and how people’s use of technology has ended up physically separating them from the people around them. This quote shows that this goes back to even before everyone had their own computer and gadgets. With everything in labeled packaging, people know exactly what they’re buying, so there’s no need to ask anyone for help, possibly removing some social aspects from a shopping trip. Even if there is some question about a product, we now have search engines. No one needs to talk to anyone about what they’re buying because there so much more information online. That people could buy their things all wrapped in plastic and not touched by anyone would also appeal to the germaphobes of the world. However, it’s funny to think that maybe people’s idea of how everything needs to be super clean may have come from advertisers trying to sell soap or similar cleaning products.

“Commodities gave immigrants tools for coping with an alien culture and offered new meaning of democracy during a time when politics was becoming ever more remote to average citizens “. (pg. 18)
The nation's immigrants are adopting American ways very quickly. This quote reminded me of immigrant assimilation; when immigrants arrive to the United States they are bombarded with advertising. With time they start understanding the social dynamics of the American society. They start to “assimilate” in many ways, from owning homes to wearing “American clothing” and by moving up the economic ladder. Products were made so they could be affordable to most. Cross says “The Italian peasant or country black could avoid some humiliation and establish an identity with a new suit of fashionable cloths and new products as easy to find as canned soups or the movies” (pg. 19). Goods were cheap and affordable it helped immigrants with their hope of belonging to this society and being part of the American experience.

Instead of simply gluing mixed emotional metaphors onto soap,cars, and clothes, copy writers associated these feelings with admired characters. 

This tactic of making something more desirable by adding a popular face to the product is still used today. The success of this is the primary reason why many musical artists start producing and providing consumer society with perfumes, clothing, shoes and even headphones with their name on it. For example Beats by Dr.Dre, a brand of headphones and speakers have become the new hottest fad. " With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do."- Dr.Dre says in their advertising slogan. During a trip to Best Buy recently I was told that these head phones actually have a high returning rate; maybe because their price does not match their quality. Yet people still fall for these advertising schemes, mostly due to consumer culture acceptance and desire. 

“The decline of a political vision of social equality made a culture of mass consumption seem a natural and inevitable alternative”

I think that this concept may help explain the differences in political interest that have existed between economic and ethnic classes. In a recent sociology class that I took, we examined the disproportionate amount of political influence experienced by whites (who, historically, have acquired more wealth and status than other ethnicities). This quote made me think that perhaps (part of) the reason that whites have been much more involved in socio-political policy making was due to the consumer freedoms that everybody could indulge in. If everyone can elevate their perceptual status, or find community with others by buying and using the same products, then an interest in legislating political equality may seem less significant. Consumer freedom may have been, in part, a superficial alternative to political equality.

"Consumption became a means of waging class war - but at a personal level and with a minimum of overt violence." (24)

This quote comments on how consuming became a form of status. To demonstrate your status you had to buy whatever was fashionable at the time. It was also a way to separate you from those unable to buy the latest trendy outfits and home decorations, and allow people to make distinctions of class based on purchasing power.

"Still, a fundamental change had occurred since the days of court aristocracies and sumptuary laws: in 1900, almost any labor, service, or property, no matter how low in status, could be converted into money to purchase the latest dress or flashy suit" (21).

One structural cause for our consumptive nature that Cross cites is the different class levels present in our society. This reflects a feat of human nature; we always want to be different from everyone else, but at the same time, we want to "fit in." When consumerism first came around, people were able to buy common goods and blend in as one level of society. However, the goods started to gain more range, and the classes started to become broad again. Now there are so many options for any item on the market, and people still have the mentality of "buy, buy, buy."

"On the one had, modern appliances freed time for leisure and service activities outside the home. On the other hand, housework, aided by modern appliances, was not really work and the middle-class homemaker could do it herself without loss of status" (p.36)

Although products are still often sold on the basis of being faster or less strenuous to operate than previous models, I find that a very interesting phenomenon has been the marketing of 'do it yourself' products that you must completely assemble yourself and often take far more time get working. For the sellers of such commodities, it is quite a lucrative decision. They do not have to pay to assemble the products, and yet get paid the same if not more for not carrying out the extra labor. My first exposure to these kinds of products was a crystal radio kit that I remember having a good amount of fun setting up, but I only ended using the radio one time only to make sure it actually worked. Although the excitement of setting up the product still remains as an incentive for adults to buy these various commodities, I think that the primary incentive is something different. To me, the main attraction of these do it yourself projects is the preservation of self-sufficiency in a capitalist market. Back in the day, a person could fix a car, repair a leak, and do many other general tasks. Today, we have become cogs in a machine who specialize in precise fields at the expense of the self-sufficient knowledge to carry out many practical tasks. Do it yourself products do teach people some of these important skills, but they mostly sell the illusion of self-sufficiency, which still perpetuates the capitalist market and our reliance upon the system to live out any sort of decent life.

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