Study Task 2

Society and Politics

Asaf Hanuka

This illustration depicts a man sat at an old type-writer. There are objects appearing from the wall opposite him, flying towards his open mouth. The way the man's mouth is open with his tongue hanging out suggests he is hungry. On his hat is the word 'press' and on the type-writer 'buy'. This suggests that he is some kind of writer, perhaps trying to make ends meet so that he can consume the next new thing. Are we all working just to spend, spend, spend?

As (Garland, K. 1964) says in First Things First, we have reached a "saturation point at which the high pitched scream of consumer selling is no more than sheer noise", we have become almost completely desensitised to the idea of consumerism. It has become so routine to purchase new goods on pay day because "the work of those who have flogged their skill and imagination" have convinced us to buy into particular lifestyles or have the latest gadgets.

However, the man in Hanuka's illustration is depicted as 'feeding' - this word suggests some sort of necessity as we must be fed to stay alive. (Beirut, M. 2007) suggests that all of the consumer selling, created by designers of different sorts might not be that bad, "What makes dog biscuit packaging an unworthy object of our attention...", "Don't dachshund owners deserve the same measure of beauty, wit, or intelligence in their lives?". Beirut also goes on to suggest that designers are just used for cosmetic purposes so that consumers are "hypnotized..." "with things like colours and typefaces". This would not work if humans didn't want to be surrounded by objects they admire in some way, which implies that consumerism was always inevitable - especially in the digital age when you don't have to leave your home to buy new things.

Returning to the earlier point that it is necessary to feed something to keep it alive, it could be indisputably argued that consumerism is necessary to keep our economy afloat. People often feel the need to give themselves a bit of 'retail therapy' to allow a little escapism from the lives they lead or perhaps just their boring office job. (Mau, B. 1998) says "Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives." so by buying into various products or lifestyles, people are taking control of their lives or at least making it appear so. "We can't be free agents if we're not free" - free to work to consume - whether or not we enjoy this idea, we are all guilty of it at some point.