Global Markets vs. Local Realities Essay

In the article titled 'Why Salvation is not Stuff,' Anna Quindlen uses multiple examples, statistics, and personal experiences to clarify her position on the topic of the culture of the consumer. Although the author did not directly state how she believes in this era people are creating a cycle of debt through electronics and discounted toys, Quindlen begins the essay with an example which effects the author emotionally. In addition, she clarifies not only her position, but also how she believes the reader should feel, too. Next, the author uses a story from her own experience to prove how the generation of the past relied solely on the present financial circumstances, rather than how the economy today relies on plastic credit cards. This then gives the reader a sense of respect for the value of even oranges 50-60 years ago because the items were earned rather than received when demanded.

This obsession of limitless consumption has simply blinded outsiders about the reality of the places they are visiting. This ignorance of reality is described by Sheller as a “gaze” which leads many tourists to focus on the superficial rather than to focus on what is occurring in regards to the locals’ lives. By the application of the lens from Mimi Sheller’s “Eating Others”, the exploitation of individuals from developing countries by developed Western countries has only harmed struggling countries instead of benefitting them. The concentration on profit that many western countries possess, such as the United States, has harmed more than helped countries with struggling economies such as

The term consumer society goes beyond the mere act of shopping and the functional use of goods with contemporary

Hunger for luxury items and people’s strife for the brands and items they associate with being beyond reach is paramount for this system. It is this drive for items one can’t have that the author feels is one of the benefits of consumerism. He declares, “…the aspiration of the poor to

The dominance of capitalist countries has facilitated the conformity of global civilization and cultural environments resulting in an increase of consumer cultures (Sarmela, 1977; Chaney, 2004). As capitalism experiences a natural and unavoidable expansion, consumers engage with consumer culture creating invisible products such as social status, identity, cultures, and ethical relationships (Sternberg, 2017). There are two sides to consumer culture that are the values held by society; those who conform and those who rebel (Turow & McAllister, 2014). All participants of society align with either submission or resistance to dominant ideas, values, and social structures. However, as a result of continued progressive diversity and fragmentation, the distinction between submissive and resistance are blurred. Nevertheless, those who resist and rebel are still participants of consumer culture. Instead they instead form sub cultures in society with alternative beliefs, values and ideas that challenge the mainstream (Chaney, 2004). In order to better understand the relationship between consumption practice and the resistance of consumer culture, theories of reflexive project of self, prosumers, lifestyle commodification, and incorporation will be analyzed in relation to the vegan movement.

The article The Political Ecology of Consumption: Beyond Greed and Guilt by Josiah McC. Heyman is about the moral and economic influences on resource consumption, specifically highlighting the differences between the United States and Mexico. Drawing on his experiences living in Agua Prieta, Mexico, the author uses interviews and candid interviews with locals to emphasize the fundamental differences in resource consumption between Mexico and the significantly more modernized United States. The author paints a bleak picture for the future of working class Mexican labourers, and insinuates that American consumption will eventually overtake the more traditional society that they have lived in for centuries. I was intrigued by one woman’s remark

U.S. stocks and the dollar exchange rate dropped and bond costs mobilized on Wednesday as financial investors run away from risky resources in the midst of instability about U.S. President Donald Trump's capacity to make tax changes after the threat of impeachment.

Ethnoarchaeology processes help to understand the conscious and subconscious human behavior and the implications in culture and the material structures of society. Actions such as consumption behavior, ethical choices among others define the conscious and unconscious behaviors. The ethnographic study of consumption in living communities in urban and rural societies can be used to relate to past practices in the same setting. The adaptation of environment is understood through artifacts, and they act as a mode of communicating human behavior (Torre 10).

A ‘commodity sign’ invests symbolic meaning in products or services as a signifier with an image as signified. In recent times, consumer culture is driven by our desire for superfluous wants, causing the production and consumption of commodity signs to become more specialised according to the notion of capital. Capitalism is characterised by economies that are based on open markets and the ethos of individuality over community. French Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (Distinction 1984) introduced the schema of subcultural capital, which ‘confers status on its owner in the eyes of the relevant beholder’ (Thorton, 2006: 100). Therefore people have the idea that they can buy subcultural capital, as it is seen as self-revealing, in order to impress people or become someone else (Frith, 1996: 5). Thus advertising was developed as a strategy in generating demand in a contemporary consumer culture. Mass marketing has split the unity of signifiers and signified into a language of appearances and images of which we realise as either visible, physical connections or indirect connotations to that which they represent.

The paper will explore the link between colonialism and consumerism and talk about how colonialism still has its impacts on the modern economy especially in the developing countries. The formation of a consumer based society which promotes capitalism in the developing world is a result of imperialism and colonialism. Consumer patterns throughout the developing world have been shaped by colonialism (Murphy, 2009, p: 8-9). Colonialism refers to a form of domination or the control by individuals or groups over the territory and/or behaviour of other individuals or groups. It has also been seen as a form of exploitation, with emphasis on economic variables (Horvath, 1972 p: 47). Consumerism is the idea that individual prosperity and joy depends

Consumption, we describe as the act of meeting basic needs with material goods and the practice of consuming as a way of life is ‘consumerism’ ( Kennedy 173). The ideology that the meaning of life is found in buying things has really caused majority to spend almost their monthly salary on goods and services in search of utility. This excessive recreational spending also plays a part in increase of inflation, also has made more money in circulation.

Understanding consumer buying behavior entails marketing, relationships, and consumer behavior. Consumer behavior comprises all the consumer decisions and activities connected with the choosing, buying, using and disposing of goods and services. Marketers must pay very close attention to consumer behavior that occurs before the purchase and after the particular product has been used. Studying consumer habits is one of the steps in marketing search and analysis. In addition to other basic principles of consumer buying habits, marketers also need to study the decision and actions of real people. Until recent history the study of consumer behavior was focused on generalized consumer decisions. With

The aim of this paper is to understand the movement for ethical consumption and reflect on its scope on the constitution of a new consumer culture, and its role in the “public space”.

Aspects of Globalisation The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defined globalisation as, 'The geographical dispersion of industrial and service activities (for example, research and development, sourcing of inputs, production and distribution and the cross border networking of companies (for example through joint ventures and the sharing of assets) Economic activity is becoming organised on a global scale giving a new international division of labour, with production, investment patterns and movements and technology transfers all becoming global. In this strategy, activities are established in many sites spread over the world, based on a country's comparative

From the perspective of production development, it is frequently stated that cultural expressions need to find their market in order to survive, but it is also the case that the sacrificing of cultural content with little market value lowers the value of cultural production overall. From the perspective of rights to and processes of identity construction, culture generates services that cannot be governed exclusively by the market, especially in view of the marginality of subaltern groups. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to think of cultural practices and consumption today without involving the market in some way.