Shopping as an American Culture Value - Essay Example

Shopping: The Cultural Value 'Consumerism' and the American Way of Life Culture may be defined as how a society developed ways of life that pass down through generations. These ways include skills, values, laws, habits, patterns of thought, institutions and so on, that go to make up the norms of the culture. Class, status, gender and ethnicity are given meanings within these norms. Values are an intrinsic and important part of any culture's beliefs and attitudes. They become absorbed into the mindset of the society, and inform both individual and group behavior. This essay will examine the cultural 'values' of commercialism, materialism and shopping in American society, using factual and literary sources, namely Henry Thoreau's 'Walden' (1854) and Amy Tan's 'The Joy Luck Club' (1989) to inform the discussion. The contention is that though American culture has been manipulated into accepting materialistic 'must have' consumerism as a cultural value, there are those, past and present, who provide a glimmer of hope for a return to the better, more humane values of the American way of life. According to Rao (2004), writing from an Indian viewpoint, the American Dream encapsulated "freedom," and "democracy" in a "land of opportunities." In reviewing the book, 'Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic', he cited figures from De Graff et al (2003): "Shopping has become the most preferred activity of Americans, with 70% of them visiting shopping malls each weektypically six hours a week shopping and only 40 minutes playing with their children." Embedding of this value was reflected in "one poll found that 93% of teenage American girls rate shopping as their favorite activity." (Rao, 2004). He further contended that only about one quarter of mall shoppers are seeking to buy a specific item, the rest use shopping as therapy, for amusement, or just for its own sake. Americans in general would seem to have adopted shopping as a cultural value, a way of life. A more sinister fact emerged in that "there are now twice as many shopping centers as high schools in America," demonstrating how values seem to have changed for the worse The question arises as to how this has happened, and its implications for society nationally and globally. There is little doubt that people are buying, not from necessity, but spending above their means in order to acquire possessions in a search for happiness and to belong to their culture. They must have the newest fashion, the best brand, the biggest house, the fastest car in order to feel valued. Social theory provides some answers as to how this has happened. In order for businesses to make profits, they no longer seek only to produce to meet needs, but make sure that demand levels stay high, and so maintain the growth of a capitalist system. By marketing and motivating people to buy, this is accomplished; a psychological manipulation appears to be in place. "Advertising, marketing and the mass media have become central to the stimulation of demand through the continual invention of new wants. The images and identities they disseminate promise satisfactions earlier generations never dreamed of. They suggest life-styles of endless acquisition and inexhaustible glamour, which can be had at the pleasurable price of merely buying more and more." (Noble, 2000, p. 231) This shows how people can be sucked into the shopping vortex, with little or no regard for its effects on the individual or the world in general. The impact worldwide, where poorer nations make the goods, on low pay (rendering American workers jobless), in sometimes slave-like conditions, to feed the greed of multinationals and consumers, presents an immoral and inhumane side of capitalism. Sanders (2000), in an article on Maytag and the North American Free Trade Agreement, stated: "The simple truth is that American workers cannot, and should not be "competing" against desperate workers in developing countries who are forced to work for pennies an hour." (Why Overcoming Consumerism) Such circumstances overturn the American Dream, where if you work hard, be good, pay your way, you and your children can aspire to any heights, with all you need and want to be happy and comfortable. But buying for the sake of owning 'things' does not make for happiness and deprives others in the process. In order to gain more possessions and so conform to the cultural values, people must work longer hours, use loans and credit cards, have less time for family, friends and community involvement. Having 'the best of everything' only lasts for as long as fashion dictates. Clever marketing urges people to discard what is often still functional and "get an upgrade" when none is needed. Henry Thoreau saw the dangers with prophetic clarity when he abandoned 19th century culture and moved to live in a small cabin at Walden Pond. Though written in 1854, in a time of slavery, conflict and economic expansion, his ideas are more pertinent and valid than ever today. The section in 'Walden' (Thoreau, 1854) most relevant to the topic is the long chapter on Economy at the beginning of the book. Vital messages are contained in the ideologies, comments and practical beliefs. In particular, he recognized the dangers of the American way of life and suggested a better philosophy and ideas on ways to live. With the townspeople who had inherited possessions, he considered this to be their "misfortune" and the work involved in keeping hold of material wealth, a huge burden on body and soul, preventing self awareness and development. "But men labor under a mistake...By a seeming fate, commonly called necessity,they are employedlaying up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt and thieves break through and steal." (Thoreau, 1854). The results of living this way meant that the worker "has not the leisure for a true integrity." The parallel between his observations and the culture value of the desire for possessions, and shopping to meet that desire, was well expressed when he stated: "I have no doubt that some of you who read this book are unable to pay for all the dinners which you have actually eaten, or for the coats and shoes which are fast wearing out or are already worn outIt is very evident what mean and sneaky lives many of you lead." (Thoreau, 1854) This could equate with how people use credit cards to buy what they think defines their status and identity in a materialistic culture. Thoreau's metaphorical comment is apt: "Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion." In other words, what a person thinks of himself defines his worth, so then, and now, having a job, owning the best of everything, no matter by what means, has become a core value for most Americans. The language in the following sums up the situation when such a way of life becomes the norm: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." (Thoreau, 1854). Translated to modern day, this reflects how people are driven to work harder and longer to buy more, to have bigger and better 'everything', to worry about debts. Things like relationships, human kindness and community spirit lose their importance or value; there is no time left for them in many peoples' lives. Nobody takes time to look into themselves, to develop their individual potential any more. They are driven and manipulated to follow the herd, to belong to the commercialized materialistic consumer culture that America has become. As stated in the article 'How Consumerism affects society, the economy and the environment': "Consumerism is driven by huge sums spent on advertising designed to create both a desire to follow trends, and the resultant personal self-reward system based on acquisition. Materialism is one off the end results of consumerism." (Verdant.com, n.d.) Thoreau's language may need more attention to interpret, it may be more classic and flamboyant, but the issues presented and the truths he identified are timeless. His purpose was not to cause huge social upheaval or set in place a model for society in general; he wanted to show what he learned from the past, and how this could be applied to the present and future. The simplicity of such ideas has definitely been abandoned in American mainstream culture. But the belief that change can be accomplished through the ways in which individuals think and act, is one that carries forward with great relevance today. "When one man has reduced a fact of the imagination to be a fact of his under- standing, I foresee that all men at length establish their lives on that basis." (Thoreau, 1854) If we can look at what we see, understand, and do, then we may be able to alter our values and change our cultural beliefs. There is no doubt that a simpler way of life, in which we recognize that meeting basic needs is enough, rather than accepting what some external force urges us to believe we should own, would result in a happier, more free-thinking and less selfish society. This in turn would reduce waste, help others, and ultimately have positive human and environmental outcomes on a global scale. As Thoreau (1854) said: "The necessaries of life for man in this climate may, accurately enough, be distributed under the heads of Food, Shelter, Clothing and FuelMost of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind." John Lennon's words reflect the ideals of Thoreau's philosophy in his song 'Imagine' (1971) "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people, Sharing all the world" This iconic song is still used today in the same context of hope for a better way to live. Such hopes drove the Chinese and many other immigrant groups to America in search of prosperity, freedom and a better quality of life. In Amy Tan's 'The Joy Luck Club' differences in cultures exposed the difficulties in reaching those goals, while retaining old values in a new world. Though the main theme centers on mother/daughter relationships, this can be taken as a metaphor for the differences in cultural values between Chinese and American societies. The Chinese belief, expressed by Rose, the 'American' daughter, regarding her parents, fitted well with the American Dream. "..he [her father] believed in his nengkan, his ability to do anything he put his mind toIt was this belief that brought my parents to America. It had enabled them to have seven children and buy a house in the Sunset district with very little money." (Tan, 1989, p. 121) When the daughters took on the values of American culture, without taking forward the mothers' Chinese values, that things are only useful when they are necessities of life, not for the sake of possessing them, communication broke down. The differences were apparent when Lena and her materialistic American husband show Ying-ying, her mother round their new and expensive converted barn with "a mildew lined pool on four acres". Ying-ying's comments expressed the difference in values: "Aii, so much money, so much" (Tan, 1989 p. 151) As Harold defends the purchase, "It's hand-bleached" and "it's hand sponged", Thoreau's views can almost be heard in the response ""Bleach and sponge cost so much". The parents' hard work and ambition for their children allowed them to partially realize the dream. The daughters were well educated, free and assimilated; this did not make for happiness, as Lena realized her marriage was an accounting system in which she was a less valuable asset with lower earnings. Rose Hsu Jordan had decided: "Chinese people had Chinese opinions. American people had American opinions. And in almost every case, the American version was much better." (Tan,1989, p. 191) Only in the process of divorce did she recognize the "serious flaw" in the American version, too many choices. Rose may have metaphorically represented the 'throwaway society' as her husband discarded her for another model. "He wanted the papers returned, signed. He wanted the houseBecause he wanted to get married again, to someone else." (Tan, 1989, p. 194) Though Rose told him, "You can't just pull me out of your life and throw me away", this is exactly what he did, in keeping with the values of American society. Though Tan portrayed the cultural values and differences with regard to Chinese people, there was a universal application to any culture which came seeking the dream and watched its children let go of the old and embrace the new, with negative consequences. The mother, Lindo Jong, in summing up her daughter Waverley, put this concept into words: "Inside - she is all American-made. It's my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination. American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix (Tan, 1989, p. 255) Being one's own person might mean the freedom to choose, to leave behind old ways and values. Sadly, this translated to the right to buy, discard, waste and define oneself by possessions. Shopping, consuming, purchasing anything, anytime and anywhere has become the norm. The perceived positives could be the huge amount of goods and choices available, the status symbols these represent, the rewards of hard work and the good feelings being able to buy generate - momentarily. That is, if the marketing and advertising live up to their promises. Yet today, writers like Amy Tan, musicians like Dylan and Lennon, journalists and pressure groups, to name only a few, are holding fast to Thoreau's philosophy. The manipulation towards materialistic consumerism is being recognized for its falsity; there is hope for a return to the true values of an American way of life, uncorrupted by greed. The Verdant website informs us what has been lost, how this has happened and how to address it. Melinda Jacobs (2007) warned of the unethical practices in multinational corporations. Articles like these, writers, musicians and those who care will enable positive change to occur. Surely, if a culture can adopt a value, as has been discussed, then given the right information and driven by a basic human instinctive morality, then Americans can change their world, and that of many others on the planet, for the better. As Thoreau so aptly put it: "All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant." (Thoreau, 1854) Works Cited Jacobs, M. (2007) Shopping for Political Values: Straight to the Source. Bowling Green News, website. 26 June 2007. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5534.cfm Lennon, John (1971) Imagine Parlaphone, Written and Recorded 2971 Noble, T. (2000) Social Theory and Social Change New York: St. Martin's Press Inc. Roa, B. (2004) The American Way of Life: Book Review of 'Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic, by De Graff, J, Wann, D. and Naylor, T. H. (2003) In Frontline Vol 21, 25. 2004. 26 June 2007 http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2125/stories/20041217000307300.htm Tan, Amy (1989) The Joy Luck Club London: Mandarin Paperbacks Thoreau, H. D. (1854) Walden [With Notes and Analysis] 26 June 2007 Kifer, K. (n.d) http://www.kenkifer.com/Thoreau/economy.htm Verdant (n.d) How consumerism affects society, our economy and the environment: Why Overcoming Consumerism 26 June 2007 http://www.verdant.net/society.htm Read More