FREE Consumerism Essay (original) (raw)
Good Morning Mrs Parkinson and fellow students today I will try to better your knowledge of consumerism. First of all, what is Consumerism? The Macquarie Dictionary defines consumerism as a movement that aims to educate and inform society and protect them from dishonest trading practices. .
During my study of Consumerism I have found two related texts along with two of Dawes poems, which aim to criticise, caution, persuade and educate readers. The texts include "Enter Without so much as Knocking", "Abandonment of Autos", an article from Sunday Metro "A wacko spend by Jacko" and a Leunigs cartoon.
Dawe wants us to analyse ourselves and the way we live, being aware of how the media and our material society manipulate us. His poetry explores aspects of our contemporary world that concerns all life uncertainty, our achievements, war and love, our values and weaknesses.
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"Enter So Much as Knocking" is a poem that both criticises and cautions readers to the nature of consumerism and the effects of a consumer society. Dawe uses satire to show his disapproval of the way consumer society values possessions and material objects over life. .
Also the use of exaggeration informs us that consumer society offers no spiritual values, which can lead to the dependence on consumables. The poem shows the life cycle of a man exposed to consumer culture and how meaningless his life was. .
In this related Leunigs cartoon, we see a father and son watching TV rather than out the window. This relates to the poem Enter Without So Much as Knocking as it shows that society is so caught up with consumables, they would rather watch images portrayed to them by a TV instead of witnessing the real thing. .
This cartoon shows how dependent society is on materialistic objects and how entrapped society has become in consumer cultures. In the cartoon the baby is brought up in a consumer culture from a very young age.
The article "A wacko spend by Jacko" from the Sunday Metro, London relates to consumerism.
Essays Related to Consumerism
1. Our Consumer Society
The rise of the consumer culture is a phenomenon characterizing the 20th and 21st centuries, where the economy depends on the population's spending on goods and services. ... There is a psychological impact of consumerism that promotes destructive values. ... Increased consumerism evidently comes at a steep price: in pursuit of acquiring a higher social position in such a way, consumers might not have the necessary financial support and go into debt, which can potentially lead to serious consequences. ... Consumerism encourages a highly wasteful behavior, eventually leading to a lock ...
- Word Count: 653
- Approx Pages: 3
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Graduate
2. Consumer Product Safety Commission
BACKGROUND The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent federal agency established in 1972 by Congress under the Consumer Product Safety Act. ... (Certain other consumer products are covered by other federal agencies. ... (Consumer Reporting) Since the CPSC has been established for consumer protection, consumers should take an active role in supporting that mission. ... It's important for the consumer to establish a line of communication with the company in order to determine will tell the consumer whom they need to contact to get the situation remedied...
- Word Count: 1759
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3. America and Mass Consumerism
At the heart of all these problems is mass consumerism. ... The standard of living of the time was simply too low for mass consumerism to thrive. ... Instead for trying to sell automobiles by telling the consumer that they needed to buy the product, Bernays bred a new idea in which you would sell automobiles by telling the consumer that if they bought the product, they would feel happier. Thus mass consumerism, as we know it today, was born. ... Bernays led advertisers to begin to put their efforts into trying to change the way the consumer thought of their product. ...
- Word Count: 2068
- Approx Pages: 8
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4. Advertising and Consumerism
Effective advertising can lead consumers to believe they understand what the good life is and how they can achieve it. ... Consumerism, therefore, is perceived as the definition of progress. ... Here comes the consumer market, serving as playground for these needs and wants to be satisfied. ... Past consumers, and consumers today, are purchasing subjective effects rather than a mere product. ... Essentially, this means when a consumer is asked about an industry or specific type of product, the importance is placed in how quickly a consumer can identity a specific brand. ...
- Word Count: 1787
- Approx Pages: 7
- Grade Level: Undergraduate
5. Consumer Rights
Consumer Rights Businesses have never denied the fact that consumers have rights. ... After all, people do have the right to consumer education (Antony 115). ... However, there are also laws protecting consumers, "[w] hen [consumers] borrow money from a bank or deposit [their] money in a bank account, federal laws say [consumers] have a right to clear information on all terms and conditions. ... However, many consumers think they have rights they do not really have. ... However, some organizations make attempts at cheating consumers. ...
- Word Count: 1505
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6. Samsung Brand Audit
This audit provides us with a snapshot brand picture of Samsung mobile and how consumers conceptualise it to be. ... The research undertaken revealed different results for sub-components of Consumer based brand equity for the Brand; Samsung Mobile. ... A brand audit needs to be conducted with both the perspectives of the consumer, as well as how these products are being marketed and branded. ... Lassar, W., et.al., (1995) also indicated the result is consumer loyalty and a willingness to pay a premium price for the brand. ... Therefore the threshold of development of technology ought to...
- Word Count: 2958
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7. Consumerism
CONSUMERISM Consumerism is the desire to acquire objects and possessions often beyond our essential needs, just for the sake of acquiring them. ... This shows their life is uneventful and controlled by consumer products. ... The two reconcile their love again through a consumer product. ... The consumer belongings "crammed" into a carton symbolises the consumer products being forced onto the public. ... Finally the Bebe add suggests a positive attitude towards consumerism. ...
- Word Count: 1435
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8. Consumerism
The Myth of Consumerism Every society has mythology. ... Our religion is consumerism. ... Now consumerism fulfills this role. ... This is the consumer ideology and, just like every religion has some "golden rule" that pervades all of its lessons, consumerism too has its own golden rule, the consumer ideology. ... This sort of idoltry is exactly what consumerism offers. ...
- Word Count: 1778
- Approx Pages: 7
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9. Consumerism
That is essentially the basis of what consumerism was in its early days. ... Businesses beckoned consumers with flashy neon signs. ... Consumerism survived this movement. ... A few organizations have been formed to fight consumerism. ... Consumerism is a lesser-known epidemic but an epidemic nonetheless. ...
- Word Count: 1391
- Approx Pages: 6
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