Weekly Response 6

Levester Williams

ADP III

Reed-Esslinger-Payet, GSI

Lasn Takes on Consumerism…

Lasn critiques capitalist consumerism and analyzes its effect to instill a vivid image of its degradation on our culture. He states that a cult of consumerism has been integrated into our lives. The transition of Americans from citizens to consumers is relevant since we either blindly follow the rules set by the media or acquiesce but maintain our role as blind consumers (Lasn 63). Moreover, we are “governed [by] a corporate state” (Lasn 69), which “embraces the value of More” (Lasn 11). We, as cult members, are being programmed to fulfill the roles that corporations demand us to be. For example, I possess more than ten pairs of sneakers. Even though I still wear my worn-out shoes, I purchase new shoes since it has been embedded in my mind that more can never be enough. I momentarily feel content after the purchase, yet it always fades away into a dull void that is resolved by buying more sneakers. This plea for more derives from the cult “promising a kind of boundless contentment”(Lasn 54). However, this idealism of plenitude is detrimental to our growth as a nation since our ecosystem and our personal lives are impinged by it. Ecological economists claim that the world cannot expand more without having an ecological apocalypse (Lasn 86). For example, the world cannot sustain when First World countries and some developing countries are operating at a First World level, creating a plethora of ecological problems as seen in China (Diamond 376). Within ten years, this obsession with consumer capitalism seems not to have receded, yet people are becoming more concerned about their consumption—not only due to the current recession, but to conserve our environment and save energy.

Lasn generalizes our relationship with our possessions by assuming all people have a relationship with their products that identify us. For cars example, he explicates our relationship with cars as a complimentary asset to ourselves: “…they reinvent us” (Lasn 81). Yet, not all people buy cars to complement their self-image. Some may buy cars only to have transportation. These people may only look at the quality of the car, price of the car, warranty, and gas mileage as a referral to buy it. The type of car brought is to accommodate their roles in society, and the corporation may be minute factor in its purchase. For example, I may only buy a Macbook Pro due to its capabilities to create high quality designs and not due to its ability to reinvent my self-image. However, within these ten years, products are being created to match the diverse personalities of people by becoming equipped with more functions or having a variety of custom-made elements. For examples, Ipods are introducing numerous applications to satiate the personality of people.

Works Cited

Diamond, Jared M. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005. Print.

Lasn, Kalle. Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America. New York: Eagle Brook, 1999. Print.