Consumerism - America's Pastime
You know it. You love it. It's the right thing to buy and will make your life complete. Welcome consumerism.
Consumerism can be defined as the theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial. We use the term also to refer to an attachment to materialistic values or possessions. Recently, it also refers to a movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by enacting laws that affect honest packaging, advertising, and safety and quality issues.
Culturally, America is often blamed for rampant consumerism. Recently, the government encouraged Americans to "go out and buy" stuff to help the economy. But does this really help? And what is it doing to us as a hegemonic group of people and our culture?
Please read the following articles and view the clips. For each article, jot down a brief summary of the article. Prepare to discuss the articles on Tuesday, Oct. 6. To hand in: write a question you want to ask about the points made by these authors (probably about consumerism) (or something you didn't understand in the articles) AND a quote from one of the articles.
: America's Crazed Consumerism (Newsweek, 2001)
Consumerism in America
McCulture
Zombies, Malls, and the Consumerism Debate
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (remake, 2004)
And just for fun:
A Guy's Guide to Zombies
Consumerism can be defined as the theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial. We use the term also to refer to an attachment to materialistic values or possessions. Recently, it also refers to a movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by enacting laws that affect honest packaging, advertising, and safety and quality issues.
Culturally, America is often blamed for rampant consumerism. Recently, the government encouraged Americans to "go out and buy" stuff to help the economy. But does this really help? And what is it doing to us as a hegemonic group of people and our culture?
Please read the following articles and view the clips. For each article, jot down a brief summary of the article. Prepare to discuss the articles on Tuesday, Oct. 6. To hand in: write a question you want to ask about the points made by these authors (probably about consumerism) (or something you didn't understand in the articles) AND a quote from one of the articles.
: America's Crazed Consumerism (Newsweek, 2001)
Consumerism in America
McCulture
Zombies, Malls, and the Consumerism Debate
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (remake, 2004)
And just for fun:
A Guy's Guide to Zombies
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