Consuming and the American Dream?

When I started reading the first few pages of Fiske, I was looking for a picture of myself in a text box, because many of the things he was writing reminded me so much of the way I personally use a mall. I am exactly a mall’s worst nightmare, especially in today’s market. The endless variety of online shopping options has seriously curtailed the likelihood of my ever actually buying something from a store in a mall! Malls do serve a purpose – I can go there to see and touch, and sometimes try on things that I’m going to buy cheaper on line. Plus, the mall always has the best pretzels and sometimes, the movie theater, too. I thought Fiske’s discussion of typical masuculine/feminine expectations (p. 313) was spot on.  Even as women’s roles in the home and the workplace have evolved, the preponderance of consumer responsibilities still falls to Mom. I also thought that his discussion of department stores/malls as public places was interesting, but I’ll hold off further comment on that for now. I suspect we’ll discuss this more in later units – perhaps the Downtown America unit. Finally, I thought his points on consumption and power were interesting. I’d never really evaluated many of the scenarios he mentioned before and looked at them in the light of “me, exercising power”, but isn’t that exactly what a DVR is? This section was quite enlightening. Fiske was definitely the best read this week.

- Sara

Tags: Consumerism, Reflection Blog

This reading by Fiske is a very interesting topic not only within America ,but in other countries as well. I really liked how Fiske defines consumerism as a religion. It allows to reader to relate it to more of a personal level of understanding. One main argument that Fiske makes is the point that “woman shop.” I like the statement too that he makes about woman in the mall being self-sufficient and independent woman. I am not exactly ok with the statement that woman spend all their husbands money by being sly or tricky. What about the woman who work full-time or have two jobs? Aren’t they spending their own money? And contrary to whatever man says he doesn’t spend money and like to shop. Men LOVE to shop especially when it is for something that they want like a tv, ipod or anything electronic. All and all people love to spend money no matter what or where.  Shopping areas don’t only use slogans and logos to attract women they do it to attract men as well.

While reading John Fiske’s, article “Shopping for Pleasure: Malls, Power, and Resistance”, I was struck by the concept of domestic slavery.  In this section Fiske writes about the role of women in a patriarchal, or male dominated society.  The concept of women being trapped in domestic roles and comparing that to slavery is a good way of describing how some women feel.  Fiske then starts to talk about the mall and how shopping also plays a role in a woman’s life.  “The mall is where women can be public, empowered, and free, and can occupy roles other than those demanded by the nuclear family.”  After reading this sentence common phrase retail therapy popped into my head.  Women go to the mall to escape very hectic and demanding lives.  However going to the mall is process in itself. For women being seen in the mall with bags in hand, sets up the persona that everything in your life is fine and that you have money to spend even if it is there or not.

When Fiske describes that malls have become not just centers of mass consumerism, he also reveals that the serve as centers for social interaction. In part because of the iconography associated with offering an interactive melting pot of several advertised commodities and the sensation consumers receive when attaining a certain product or various products in a “one stop shop” sort of destination. Consumers are able to interact with various merchants and fellow shoppers and are exposed to several different styles of business and marketing strategies. Patrons of the mall usually shop there because of the people and the availability of certain commodities that would otherwise not be common to come across without a high volume sales destination. This what i believe Fiske is describing when he mentions shopping malls being the Cathedrals of consumption; due to their various but effective strategies to draw mass consumption.

Tags: Reflection Blog

Reading this article stretched my mind in a few different directions, and taught me to think about the meaning behind shopping.  John Fiskes’ take on how marketing is done and how people respond is what really caught my attention in the article.  It’s seen in almost every marketplace or mall that the advertisement is clearly directed toward anyone and everyone—thus canceling out the barrier of class status, ignoring the means of money to the end goal of owning the item. The mall is regularly used to make social statements.  While the mall deceivingly markets itself for anyone and everyone, it is demanding a response from the different status groups. People who can’t afford to purchase, but window shop instead, are some of the most frequent faces seen in malls. Pressdee gives a title to people like this, namely, “proletarian shoppers”. It was interesting to think of the mall as not simply a place of commerce, but a place to make social statements, gain female empowerment, or any other sort of playground one wishes to make it.

This article was very interesting to me. While I did agree with some points — specifically that shopping bridges the class gap — I did not agree that it is a male-driven entity. Nor did I necessarily agree that women are narcissistic. If we are to agree that women shop for the benefit of their husband, they would not shop for their own benefit. Nor would shopping give them a sense of release from the drudgery of domestic duties.

I did agree that many who shop, including younger shoppers, are concerned with the newest and most up-to-date consumer items.

I did not feel that window shopping was a negative thing. As an avid window shopper, I do so with no mal intent against producers.

I found it interesting that as shopping has evolved over the years, it has been directed toward women because they do most of the shopping. That it true, as most displays, etc. are designed to interest women consumers rather than men. Also, displays are arranged in ways as to specifically gain the interest of the consumer (i.e., colors are specific times, designs, etc.).

I enjoyed the examples of the cards – it gave the reader something to consider the next time they shop.

My favorite part was the closing sentence…”Thus it is that buying commodities offers a sense of freedom, however irrational, from the work involved in working and loving under patriarchy; working and loving are conflated as chores from which shopping offers an escape.” I think that’s why I like window shopping – it’s just a nice way to get away without spending too much money (ha-ha).

See you in class tomorrow – Felicia.

At first, I thought it weakened his argument to begin his comparison of shopping and religion with hesitancy, however I could see how he was doing so to justify  it and answer those who might disagree with it before going into how it is true.  Fiske uses the metaphor to explain the power of consumerism.  Shopping malls are economically discriminating, yet open to influence all.  This power holds not only over the specific goods, but the space as well.  I had never really thought of the impact of the space before, especially it’s impact on window shopping, but thought it was too true.

Friske then spends a fair amount of the article talking about women.  Women are the target of shopping’s advertising, as they do the majority of shopping.  Advertisements appeal to women by arguing that the shopping mall empowers women.  While it may do so in allowing women to have choices and be able to spend money, shopping  in fact can trap women with its power.

People can choose what they buy.  Their choices speak to their identities, or at least how they want others to perceive them.  This expression provides them with a sense of individuality and of power.  Still, clothing choices are social and vary based on the person’s class, age, or culture.

Tags: Reflection Blog

In the very first sentence, the metaphor of shopping malls as cathedrals and consumption as a religion was interesting. Fiske then compared religion with consumption saying that religion had no power while the power of consumerism is endless. While I can’t say I agree with this statement, I do think that the game between advertising and consuming is a very powerful one. Consumers are given an individual power to negotiate or to discriminate. Malls serve as a place to practice this power for those who suffer from a patriarchal or otherwise oppressive world. Fiske explains that malls are a place where women can be public, empowered and free. Malls are also an escape for restless teenagers who practice forms of popular culture and pleasure. In a mall, many people are ‘users’ rather than ‘consumers’.

This reading by Fiske begins by defining consumerism as a religion. I believe consumerism is way out of religion’s ballgame, from what he describes. The American market is far too powerful to compare. As Fiske states, in religion, the congregation is “forced to ‘buy’ the truth on offer, all the truth, not selective bits of it.” In the Market, 90% of new products fail. A religion couldn’t survive if the followers only bought 10% of it’s ideals, but the capitalist market thrives.

As quoted in the text, “Women Shop.” This is certainly true. It follows in the reading that earning is typically masculine and spending is typically feminine. I disagree with this statement for most of the American population. It’s possible that the upper / upper middle class families may operate this way, where the patriarch makes the money and the wife and kids spend it, but it’s certainly not this way for most middle class families where both parents work and therefore both parents spend money, or single parent households where the mother earns all income for her family. We all know women love to shop, but I’m offended by the notion that women will develop tricky ways to spend her husband’s money! (Not to mention the households where mom works and dad stays home.)

Something that hit home for me in this reading is the idea that slogans are commodities. They are not contributing to the economy financially, but are “texts in the cultural economy.” I never considered how slogans, logos, and other basic propaganda put out by companies encouraging us to spend money are actually SOLD to the public, and we BUY it every time. (Well, 10% of the time.)

Tags: Consumerism, Reflection Blog

This reading touched on a lot of concepts but it seemed to focus on controlling the “system” and this control was possessed by the manipulation of the system through the ways a person chooses to consume or not to consume, the rebel or dare I say mall walker. And the way these products are consumed determines your social status. The example of the mother trying on dozens of shoes, making the store attendant run back and forth only to return the shoes the next day. She was asserting her control of the social situation giving her this wonderful power that I assume she is lacking at home.