7) Markets shape social relations in certain ways
They detach production from consumption
Question: Do you know where your shirt was made?
How about where the last thing you ate was grown?
The detachment shifts attention away from wider social relations that are
associated with objects
Objects become what social scientists call COMMODITIES
8) For most of human history an object’s value was tightly associated with the social relations, not just by how it would exchange in a market.
9) A commoditized economy tends to generate consumer culture
Under our current system: Where do all our gains in labor efficiency go?
-the wealthy (materialist view)
-“gadgetry”
technology
To produce more stuff! Why not reduce hours of work?
10) Affluent Society
Paradox in our society, we consider ourselves affluent, but we live in
scarcity. We always need more, more money! A culture of consumption
creates scarcity by creating unlimited wants.
11) Our Affluent Society?
13) But some argue that consumerism has positive social effects.
14) CQ
We will be happier if we have more and closer social relations, NOT MORE STUFF.
16) Has all this added consumption made us happier? NO!
19) stumbling on happiness
book
People will sacrifice social relations for things that won’t make them happy.
Experiences tend to be share with other people and material objects do
not.
Monday October 10, 2017
Sugar
-industrial revolution
get people to work more
Caribbean- where sugar is sourced from
Central fixture in our cuisine.
CQ: lecture…most of human history production and consumption have been:
A: Closely Fused
CQ: Lecture…how can we define a consumer culture?
A: Where commodities become the center of social life.
4) Ever increasing ‘needs’
6) Consumer culture and solving environmental problems
-Question: What are some of the most important suggestions you have to help
achieve a more sustainable world.
INDIVIUALIZATION OF RESPONSIBILITY
-We’re missing collaboration!! Ex: road networks, cell phones, things built
into the system. “Be green FOR YOU and you will help everyone” (Adam Smith
invisible hand)
10) Major symbols of the individualization of responsibility
The message:
By acting alone we can solve environmental problems
Green consumption=social action
11) Problem with the individualization of responsibility:
Makes problem seem bigger, harder to solve
May convene only “This is a huge problem”
