Lury and Galeano (1/15/20)
Lury provides a fresh take on the impact of material goods in developing, perpetuating and
changing cultural norms. The increasing culture of consumerism has coincided, she notes,
with the development of a decidedly post-modern cultural framework that impacts the way we
consume the world around us. The revolutionary idea is that consumption, like matter, in
Lury’s definition, isn’t created or destroyed, but it appropriates and transforms it’s environment.
Like salt mixing in a bowl of water, it changes the composition of the solution while retaining
some recognized qualities. Lury also coins a new phrase, immaterial culture, that accounts for
products birthed by physical or intellectual labor. Such products resist consumption in the traditional
sense because they are organically produced, and they are not used up. They can also be
self-perpetuating. An interesting point about consumer culture is its indirect relationship to
poverty. Unlike consumption, which is governed by traditional economic models of price and
income, individuals can participate in consumer culture without wealth or status to gain some
semblance of status in society. Often, consumable items themselves become symbols of status
or achievement in society to the point that they foster identity. Rituals of gift and divestment
prove that consumption elucidates identity, as people often become defined by new objects
they purchase or receive as gifts, such as a new car, new clothes, new shoes or a new home.
Consumerism sometimes connects to the natural world through the concept of totemism,
which is the symbolic association of plants, animals or objects with individuals or groups of
people. Some examples include comparing Satan to a roaring lion seeking to devour, or the
association of Central America with bananas through the moniker “banana republics.”
changing cultural norms. The increasing culture of consumerism has coincided, she notes,
with the development of a decidedly post-modern cultural framework that impacts the way we
consume the world around us. The revolutionary idea is that consumption, like matter, in
Lury’s definition, isn’t created or destroyed, but it appropriates and transforms it’s environment.
Like salt mixing in a bowl of water, it changes the composition of the solution while retaining
some recognized qualities. Lury also coins a new phrase, immaterial culture, that accounts for
products birthed by physical or intellectual labor. Such products resist consumption in the traditional
sense because they are organically produced, and they are not used up. They can also be
self-perpetuating. An interesting point about consumer culture is its indirect relationship to
poverty. Unlike consumption, which is governed by traditional economic models of price and
income, individuals can participate in consumer culture without wealth or status to gain some
semblance of status in society. Often, consumable items themselves become symbols of status
or achievement in society to the point that they foster identity. Rituals of gift and divestment
prove that consumption elucidates identity, as people often become defined by new objects
they purchase or receive as gifts, such as a new car, new clothes, new shoes or a new home.
Consumerism sometimes connects to the natural world through the concept of totemism,
which is the symbolic association of plants, animals or objects with individuals or groups of
people. Some examples include comparing Satan to a roaring lion seeking to devour, or the
association of Central America with bananas through the moniker “banana republics.”
Galleano’s brilliant synopsis of Latin American dependencia illuminates the necessity of the youth to consider the consumer culture of previous generations. While the productive capacity of Latin American countries has, on the whole, remained stagnantly dependent on world powers, the influx of consumer culture widens the inequality gap. Governments continually betray the interest of the people to insulate themselves from the volatility of markets dependent on resources and trade with world powers, while those at the bottom suffer for the sins of those at the top. The hypocrisy of Europeans regarding birth control measures is one point on which Galleano focuses attention. Countries with lower population density than half of the European countries are encouraged to control births. The question remains as to whether this urge comes from the inability or unwillingness of the Latin American and European elite to contribute to the point it hurts their own stability. Galleano’s sobering conclusion is that history will continue to repeat itself until those that control its repetitive circuitry are forced to rewire it.
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