I really enjoyed today’s lecture on consumerism and the cold war. I liked how professor Hass kept stressing the idea of “buying stuff.” It seems that since the consumerism era of the 1950’s, American’s have been obsessed with having a mass collection of junk. We are constantly encouraged to buy things we do not need, and still manage to feel a sense of patriotism every time we reach into our pockets.
Unfortunately, with today’s economic crisis, we have lost this sense of spending. We have begun to question our real need for the items we purchase. We have not however lost this 1950’s ideal of “keeping up with the Jones’s.” This American ideology I find most fascinating. In connection with our lecture on shame and my last reflection, American’s will go as far as possible to maintain an image of a spender. Although they may be in debt, American’s refuse to let their neighbors and friends see that they have lost the ability to spend.
I personally believe this can be explained in 2 ways. 1 reason is the same we previously discussed. We as Americans are too proud to admit that we failed, and our sense of shame causes us to hide our financial difficulties. My second reason, is that the ideal American is one with a credit card and cash in hand. We think of malls, and Walmarts and Costcos where Americans are accumulating large quantities of junk they don’t need. Though some call it disgusting, and others extreme, most of us call it American and for that reason we have no choice but to continue spending in order to maintain our “American” identity.
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I definitely agree with the fact that many Americans, though times are hard, have difficulties with NOT spending for fear of seeming weak and unsuccessful. I also think your reflection has a great deal to do with what we are talking about in PoliSci now. It is apparent that Sumner's introduction of a new "American Conservatism" to American ideology the 1890s--in which it is each individual's responsibility to be successful--still impacts the way the people of the United States view prosperity and how one should get there. Many feel as though their financial failures are their fault because they feel as though they were the only ones that could have been responsible for their downfalls. This may explain the shame that so many people feel during the current economic crisis. I just think it's very interesting how philosophies from the late 1800s still greatly influence today's ideology about spending and being a successful American. The connections are hard to avoid...
ReplyDeleteI also agree that consumer spending has become a part of the American lifestyle. People have grown up with high levels of consumerism, and take this to be a part of everyday life. Combine this with the idea of "Keeping Up" with one's neighbor, and it is easy to see why we are the situation we are. Many Americans were so highly leveraged, living well beyond their means, never once even thinking about preparing for something like the current economic environment. I recently heard a statistic that broke down Americans by how long they can go without a paycheck, and the average numbers were horrifically low. A large percentage could not go more than a few months. With this lack of responsibility, it is hard to say that these people are not responsible for their current situations. While it is good to set high goals, we need to remember to keep an idea of what we are actually capable of in mind, and perhaps be a little better prepared for when the next recession occurs. Just something to think about...
ReplyDeleteI agree with pretty much everything in your reflection post. I thought it was especially interesting how you brought in the "keeping up with the Jones's" mentality in conjunction with the current economic state. I had never thought about it this way before, but it definitely makes sense. It's almost as if Americans can't come to terms with the fact that the country is in a recession. Even though everyone should be cutting back on their purchases, no one wants to be the first one to admit they are struggling. In order to continue appearing as if they are "keeping up with the Jones's" everyone continues spending, putting themselves, and the country, in even worse financial situation.
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