http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_gerzema_the_post_crisis_consumer.html
John Gerzema’s lecture discusses a positive future for the U.S. economy even in this time of crisis. Simply put, when the economy goes down the tubes, consumers adapt their needs from a culture of buying everything they can get, to responsibly consuming what they need. Through several slides and statistics, Gerzema predicts first that our culture has changed its value system to a “less is more” outlook. Secondly, consumers are judging the businesses they buy from more strictly and expect them to hold up an empathetic value system similar to their own. Thirdly, American consumers are being intelligent about living off of products that are cost efficient, last longer, and have multiple uses. Finally, Gerzema believes Americans are connecting to their communities and social networks more like buying organic meat in bulk with your neighbors for instance.
For generations since the end of WWII and the suburbanization of America, the middle class has lived a life of spending disposable income that in turn, created a culture where having more makes you better. One could argue that this mindset of the WWII generation was passed on to the high consumer’s of today. Unfortunately, the economy has been slowly declining since then, and with the advent of credit, consumers have somewhat gone off the rails with their spending habits. If Gerzema is correct in his assessments of how our culture is changing, than the behaviors that have been building and building into what Blaszcyzyk illustrates in his book are at least slowly going in to hibernation and making way for the reformed consumer. What I fear may keep this new population of consumers from setting a national standard and ideal for everyone is our celebrity culture. We generally look to celebrities for our fashion and lifestyle choices. The famous have the money to dress extravagantly, while the average Joe does not, but we all spend the money to look like them anyway. As Blaszcyzyk explores eighties fashion, she points out that a popular actor, “Sonny Crockett, wore silk t-shirts under Armani sports jackets… this look set a new standard for dressing down” and as hip hop music took off, “When Run-DMC rapped about Adidas sneakers in 1986, they scored a $1 million endorsement contract from the manufacturer” (227). The second quote leads me to believe that Adidas made a huge jump in sales just because the Run-DMC rapped about them. Sonny Crockett’s style created the idea that even in casual settings, you have to spend money and look good. The Yuppie culture still has a foothold in our culture today even though few people now make “too much money and spend it conspicuously”. Brands like Polo and Tommy Hilfiger are just as popular as they were in the eighties. So, do we have the discipline in ourselves to transform into a culture that focuses less on how much we buy, but what and why we buy?
Matthew Valenzuela section 01
The concept you bring up about our present "celebrity culture" is really on point. Even our television entertainment revolves around celebrities famous for doing nothing or pseudo celebrities in reality shows. Our whole mindset needs to be refocused on what is real and what is important.
ReplyDeleteAs a new member of “The Unemployed,” I started watching my spending habits and paying more attention to what I want versus what I need. If I wanted new music for my iPod or a novel on my Nook, I thought nothing of instantly downloading whenever desire struck. I was immersed in the “gimme gimme” of our disposable culture. After I finished working, I spent my summer at the family cottage, where I had very little contact with mainstream society and spent more time playing outside than I did playing music on my iPod, realizing that “less is more.” That new mindset followed me back to NJ, where it looks like I might be following Gerzema’s predictions, right down to buying organic meat in bulk with the neighbors.
ReplyDeleteOne of the subtle, yet most interesting points John Gerzema made in his speech was about the fact that people no longer want to walk out of stores with a bag stamped with a brand name. It seems it has become almost shameful for an individual to flaunt wealth in a time of economic crisis. As an avid viewer of the TV series Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it has become apparent to me that even women with an estimated net worth of $300 million find it shameful to brag about the cost of clothing and accessories. As one woman on the show brags about her $25,000 sunglasses, the other housewives express disgust with how an individual could both spend so much on sunglasses and also brag about it to others. Those who have money no longer seem to be proud of having expensive goods and are instead ashamed that they are able to spend so much, while others are barely making ends meet.
ReplyDeleteGerzema's other points about the fact that people have turned to more durable forms of consumption don't seem to represent the overwhelming majority to me. While many people are participating in these acts of community and long-term purchases, there is very clearly still a large portion of our population that will drop everything to get the new iPhone. It is nice to think that people are cutting back and learning to consume goods more modestly, but it does not seem to be the largest portion of the population that is participating in this.
Matt you bring up a great point in that celebrities play a major role in influencing our lifestyles and culture these days. Blaszcyzyk also illustrates as you’ve mentioned in your blog that as early as 1940s people aspired to resemble the celebrity look when she states, “In 1944, the word teenager was coined to describe 13 to 19 year olds, who became market segment in their own right with fads like the ‘sweater girl.’ When pinups like Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe showed of their ‘assets’ in tight sweaters, teen girls competed as to who could look the most voluptuous…” (218). As then, now as well people seem to iconize celebrities for their fashion trends and their lifestyle (houses, cars, music, etc…) to mimic in their own way. Perhaps a part of our society has discipline in controlling how much to buy, but we do not have the discipline to control what we buy. We are so tied to media and scrutiny from social factors that we are encouraged to keep up with the trends of modernity, which in fact means constant purchases of new styles and innovations.
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ReplyDeleteMatt your question brings up a very good point. With the current status of our economy, i think people are less inclined to purchase the things we actually want. However, this mood towards our wants I feel like it can be compared to a balance. At times we are hesitant on whether or not to satisfy our wants and sometimes we do indeed spend our money without even thinking about it consciously. A good example was last years Christmas shopping. Many experts thought that there would be a decrease in sales for Black Friday" and see an increase in internet purchasing. After the weekend, it seemed like we were not in an economic downturn. Everyone was spending, spending, spending. During that time, I was a cashier for Target it had me wondering if we were in an economic downturn at all with the millions of people who flocked to stores early in the morning. To answer you question, I feel like society can't be disciplined enough on how much we buy. We are always bombarded with advertisements, sales in stores that are made to entice the consumer to want their products, and the new productions of new products.
ReplyDeleteMiles Kong Section 01
I don't necessarily agree that consumer culture is now about buying more. American Consumer Society argues that Americans always cared about what they bought and had some thought process as to why they bought it, If not a rational one. They bought multiple products such as TVs for a reason, so everyone in the house could watch their own programming. Extravagance and overindulgence have never really been accepted by the mainstream culture as accepted values and ways of life. Now it is about what you buy as opposed to how much you buy.
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