Herbert Marcuse in “One-Dimensional Man” states that “the people recognize themselves in their commodities; they find their soul in their automobiles, hi-fi sets, split-level homes, kitchen equipment.” This is a very common tactic used in marketing/advertising. Luxury car commercials portray owners of the specific luxury car brand as interesting, sophisticated, and adventurous. Big homes are symbols of success and goals to achieve happiness. The consumer good becomes an extension and representation of our personality and/or buying it can help us reach our ideal self.
I’d like to take this quote a step further and argue that sometimes we rely on our commodities to communicate/express value instead of meaningfully acting upon our stated values. I went to a Voices 4 Women meeting today, Rollins College’s feminist organization. One person brought up the issue of the commercialization of feminism. Feminism is sometimes treated as a trend. Companies that may have practices that are highly anti-feminist sell shirts that say “Feminist” and “Girl Power” on it. People post pretty social media graphics or use hashtags stating that they are a feminist, but they haven’t necessarily thought about what it means to be a feminist and what actions they should take. They might also not look inward and critically think about their own actions to see if it correlates with whatever movement/identity they claim to support. A person may buy an item with the LGBT+ flag on it, but not actively stand up for LGBT+ rights. Wearing a t-shirt claiming you’re a feminist is enough because it becomes more about presentation and self/public affirmation through the commodity than about finding ways to bring about change. You buy/own, therefore you are.
Marcuse was one of the more cynical philosophers in the reading, claiming that people are soulless and that our needs and dreams aren’t our own. The masses are “programmed to produce exactly those desires that the social system can satisfy and no more.” The fact that activist movements and marginalized communities are fighting back and that they have allies in places of power and privilege in a way could challenge this. People do desire for things that could potentially destroy or totally alter the current social system. Consumerism can make these movements on a surface level more visible, but in a way, it can detract from these movements and communities by minimizing activism to appearance, consumerism, and aesthetic, thus maintaining the social system.
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