A Broad Critique of consumerism as a political ideal and dream that ultimately makes us happy and content but ultimately docile.
.Analyse the rise of us consumerism
.discuss the links between consumerism and our unconcious desires
.sigmund freud
. Edmund Berneys
Sources for greater depth of subject examination.
'a century of self adam curtis'
'no logo'
Sugmund freud (1856-1939) the father of psychoanalysis
. identification of unconcious desires and how we restrain and control them, this is first detailed in ' te interpritation of dreams' (1899).
the basis for much of freud's theories is looking at the fact that we are unaware of the working of much of our own minds.
The ego is the only self aware part. The id and the super ego are all deep in the sunbconcious.The id is where the deepest desires and levels of animalistic instinct are stored and repressed.
In civilisation and discontents argues that we retain the violent and instinctive instincts as a throw back to our evelutionary past. Thes desires are completely at odds with modern social civilisation. In that case civilisation is a represive force that stops us realising these instincts that we want to act on. This creates a fundimental frustration inside us all. This is the origin of a lot of neurosses and other mental conditions that are a dissplacement of these desires.
Freud introduces the idea that when any of these desires are acted on we experience docile contentment rather than discontent.
The first world war can be seen as a global form of the the release of these desires as had been repressed for so long.
Edward Bernays (1891-1995)
He was employed to create propaganda material during the first world war. He realised that if you could find a way to attatch some sought of instinctual meaning to consumer products you could make people want, desire and need object. If buying things can make people content by making them feel their instinctive desires are being met then they will be more content and docile and create a demand for these products to fuel the consumer machine.
He worked with cigarette companys particularly to get rid of the taboo of young women smoking. He arranged a publicity stunt where he payed the debutants in the easter day parade to light up ciggarettes at a particular point. The newspapers were tipped of by Bernays suggesting that it was a suffroget stunt for teh equality of women. But the fact that they were extremely beautiful and glamorous too. He has managed to attach instinctive desires to the cigarette. Being sexualy desirable, independant and beautiful.
Over night Bernays became famous overnight for the effectiveness of this stunt and made people aware of the new field of public relations. Even governments started to pay attention. He also looked at celebrety andorsments, he looked at them as symbols of success, everything we strive for in our lives symbolised in one person, making people see them selves in the celebrity.
Fordism (1863-1947)
Hebery Ford, Fordism describes the way of making things on the production line with people making one small piece of the complete whole. This increased the production rate and the rate of proffit. One of the results of the birth of mass manufacturing was that after investments the products made some much money that the people that owned the company had enough money to pay the workers decent wages. This for the first time meant that they had disposable income to spend of consumer goods. As this method became refines the production time was cut from 12.5 hours to 1.5 hours.
However, there is a finite number of things that you could by at this time, yet what happens when everyone has a car? they don't need another one, so why would tey by them? It became important for companies to distinguish between their product over a rivals. This is where branding first started to come onto the role that it takes today. The introduction of poeple as mascots came into its own, creating products that appear more personal and relatable to the customer.
An example of this is the car advertising culture that has grown up. (show slide) The link is made between the idea of masculinity and the desirable nature of a mans role in society. Suggesting that by buying this car you get the sexual potency of this male ideal. Very quickly the brands move away from themselves or the actual products to the actual desires of our instinctive id.
The idea of the self is replaced by the idea of the consumer self in the desire culture. No rational need is referenced we are made to think (we need that product).
Vance Packard 'The Hidden Persuaders'
Examines the marketing of hidden needs, arguing that adverts do one or more of the following:
.selling emotional security
.selling reassurance of worth
.selling ego gratification
.selling creative outlets
.seling love objects
.selling a sense of power
.selling a sense of roots
.selling imortality (life insurance)
An example of this is the fridge freezer. We buy them thinking they are useful but in fact they cause a lot of food waste. We are sold them through the means of security (we know we have food at home for the family0 whether we are going to use that food or not.
Aunt Jemima's pancake flour- selling increased after the add on the slide. The batter is just add an egg. They sell it suggesting that this autonomy of adding an egg is what will allow you to be independent and a creative indevidual in your life.
Public opinion (1920)
A new attitude to the governing of society started to emerge. Walter Lippmann argued that a new political elite is neede to herd the masses and 'manufacture consent'. He argues that research should be done into what people desire and then returning to the government in an attempt to make it happen. This is the first time these techniques were being used to controlle the masses. Make them docile and happy while maintaining the system as was and create the illusion of freedom. The fear mongering worked in the shadow of the first world war and in comparison to the soviet structure as a chalenge to this consumerist society. The fear was that a revelution would occur in America and the politicians were almost in the pockets of the pr merchants. The wall street crash was an obvious marker that capitalism depends on constant profit, there is a limit to how much profit the markey can take. If you have a market where businesses an do what they want then the whole system will fall apart. So the political class decided to take a new angle. Rosevelt came up with 'the new deal' the was where they started to regulate the profits of businesses and started to redustrubute the money to the poorest. Seeing the capacity for money making liited paoplelike edward bernays started a giant PR exercise (new York Worlds Fair) 1 and 1/4 miles wide. Pioneered by Edward Bernays. It was supposed to be a celebration of everything that makes America Unique in comparison to the other contries of the world (soveit union especially). What makes america great is te quantity of things taht americans can buy if they want. They show a representation of the possible future of this free and great contry. Participation in consumerism is made to seem good and helpful in the development of the contry. It really is a giant bit of propoganda for consumerism.
. Consumerism was designed as a project to keep people happy an idealogical project.
. We believe that through consumption our desires can be met.
. The consumer self- Pr can bee seen in all aspects of society
. There are still comflicts of different interests on the elite of society looking at different models of social structure.
. Are we truely free at all?
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