Commercialism, Greed, and Fear
Nov. 3rd, 2002 04:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
judecorpI always thought that commercialism was what this country revolved around. I was always sickened by it, the way people would buy and buy and buy, and collect useless stuff, and horde stuff, and talk about who has more stuff. We're guilted into buying stuff - for birthdays, for holidays, so that everything in our home matches in some silly way, to show how "well off" we are, to support our country, etc. Grossness. As a socialist (and a former Young Communist, sorry Dad), I was always appalled by this sort of thing. I remember in September of 2001 standing aghast at the idea that for most of the students at OSU, "returning to normal" meant loading up when Gap and Aeropostale brought outlet shopping to campus.
But perhaps there's something else /behind/ commercialism. In watching Bowling for Columbine, one message pounded over and over again - fear. The writer/producer (Michael Moore) went to great lengths to show that what is different in the United States compared to other countries is the fear we live under - that someone will rob you, beat you, attack you, try to steal your job, on and on and on. The author believes that this culture of fear (fueled by sensational and skewed media) drives the citizens of the United States to guns and violence.
What is interesting to me is how this pervasive fear is used to spur the commercialism that drives our lives as Americans. On an obvious level, this fear leads to the sale of home alarms, car security systems, weapons, self-defense courses, and other such things. Because we're so afraid that all of the ridiculously biased things we see on reality television shows like "Cops" (why /aren't/ there any caucasian criminals on those shows?), we are lead to believe that these things happen in our neighborhoods, on our streets. Look, the images say, this road could be your road. This house could be your house. Look at what is going on in Anywhere, USA. Now lock your door and buy an alarm system.
On a larger scale, though, fear is used to make us buy /anything/. People, women especially, are frightened into buying hosts of beauty products, from makeup that will cover up "flaws" to creams that will reduce aging to medicines that will clear pimples to surgical procedures that will give you bigger breasts, smaller chins, smaller butts. Fear tells us that if we do not look a certain way, do not cover our "blemishes," that no one will love us, that no one will be with us, that we will die alone. (How Jeff Ott.) Fear tells us that if we don't spend money to hang American flags in front of our houses, to stick patriotic bumper stickers on our cars, to place red, white, and blue tshirts on our bodies, then we are "letting the terrorists win." Fear continues to tell us that if we stop spending so much money on houses and cars and expensive toys, the economy will collapse and we'll all die horrible, penniless lives.
I work with people who deal with real fear on a regular basis. They are afraid of their illnesses, of their addictions, of their poor choices, of uncertainty. They aren't solving their fear with stuff, with things, at this time because they don't have the money for them. But what about when the paychecks come in? What then? Then, out of fear of not fitting in, out of fear of being "back where they were in the shelter," out of fear of being alone, being unwanted, being replaceable, it will start all over again.
What happens, I wonder, when we choose not to be afraid? Sometimes I go to the grocery store and I don't lock my door. What if someone stole my television, my computer? I would make do, I suppose. What if someone stole my car? I have two legs and a bus system. I work downtown. It's not a stretch. Do I think that life will end if I don't have expensive things, if I don't have shiny toys and hordes of objects? Life will end if I don't have groceries, a coat, some heat. Right now, I feel like that goofy kid in Donnie Darko: "I'm not afraid anymore!"
A little voice just popped in my head
It said, "what does a child need."
Does she need industry?
Does she need a daddy who's gone 40 hours a week?
Does she need TV to tell her that she's ugly?
Does she need a school to tell her that her only value is her future productivity?
But perhaps there's something else /behind/ commercialism. In watching Bowling for Columbine, one message pounded over and over again - fear. The writer/producer (Michael Moore) went to great lengths to show that what is different in the United States compared to other countries is the fear we live under - that someone will rob you, beat you, attack you, try to steal your job, on and on and on. The author believes that this culture of fear (fueled by sensational and skewed media) drives the citizens of the United States to guns and violence.
What is interesting to me is how this pervasive fear is used to spur the commercialism that drives our lives as Americans. On an obvious level, this fear leads to the sale of home alarms, car security systems, weapons, self-defense courses, and other such things. Because we're so afraid that all of the ridiculously biased things we see on reality television shows like "Cops" (why /aren't/ there any caucasian criminals on those shows?), we are lead to believe that these things happen in our neighborhoods, on our streets. Look, the images say, this road could be your road. This house could be your house. Look at what is going on in Anywhere, USA. Now lock your door and buy an alarm system.
On a larger scale, though, fear is used to make us buy /anything/. People, women especially, are frightened into buying hosts of beauty products, from makeup that will cover up "flaws" to creams that will reduce aging to medicines that will clear pimples to surgical procedures that will give you bigger breasts, smaller chins, smaller butts. Fear tells us that if we do not look a certain way, do not cover our "blemishes," that no one will love us, that no one will be with us, that we will die alone. (How Jeff Ott.) Fear tells us that if we don't spend money to hang American flags in front of our houses, to stick patriotic bumper stickers on our cars, to place red, white, and blue tshirts on our bodies, then we are "letting the terrorists win." Fear continues to tell us that if we stop spending so much money on houses and cars and expensive toys, the economy will collapse and we'll all die horrible, penniless lives.
I work with people who deal with real fear on a regular basis. They are afraid of their illnesses, of their addictions, of their poor choices, of uncertainty. They aren't solving their fear with stuff, with things, at this time because they don't have the money for them. But what about when the paychecks come in? What then? Then, out of fear of not fitting in, out of fear of being "back where they were in the shelter," out of fear of being alone, being unwanted, being replaceable, it will start all over again.
What happens, I wonder, when we choose not to be afraid? Sometimes I go to the grocery store and I don't lock my door. What if someone stole my television, my computer? I would make do, I suppose. What if someone stole my car? I have two legs and a bus system. I work downtown. It's not a stretch. Do I think that life will end if I don't have expensive things, if I don't have shiny toys and hordes of objects? Life will end if I don't have groceries, a coat, some heat. Right now, I feel like that goofy kid in Donnie Darko: "I'm not afraid anymore!"
It said, "what does a child need."
Does she need industry?
Does she need a daddy who's gone 40 hours a week?
Does she need TV to tell her that she's ugly?
Does she need a school to tell her that her only value is her future productivity?
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Re: Bowling for Columbine.
Date: 2002-11-05 07:29 am (UTC)Fascinating movie.
Date: 2002-11-05 07:32 am (UTC)