Consumerism, It’s everywhere, whether we like it or not. Imagine a world where we live in a safe pleasant and an unpolluted environment. And we actually know our neighbors and are able to interact with each other, be it a small town, the suburban area or even a city neighborhood. That sounds far fetched as of right now, but if we change our ways of living, there may be a day where changes can be possible. In the reading “Fashion as an Institutionalized System” by Yuniya Kawamura she states that fashion in not only clothing but fashion affects and shapes individuals and society as a whole. I interpret this statement by saying that if individuals continue to be caught up in the expensive fashion world; the affects of individuals begin to go above and beyond to purchase the latest fashion available. In which this affects and shapes the individual negatively.
I think it is safe to say that we, as consumers purchase things that please the eyes and once we are unsatisfied with the items, we store it away in our house, apartment, dorm etc. And once the time of the year of spring cleaning comes along, we throw away our stuff into the trash. Have you ever wondered where our trash and all the things we do not need any more go? In a particular article, John Romano states that “anything you can imagine, anything you can throw out, is here (at the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority’s Mid-Connecticut Project)… Other people (in other countries) hold on to something for years. We change with the market. I buy my iPod today, but if next year there’s a better one, where’s that one going? In the trash” (Chief Engineer) Even from John, do we see the wastefulness of individuals throw away. An iPod that was purchased the first year for approximately $100- $200 will be thrown away the next year for an even more expensive iPod the next year, does that make sense? I’m not sure, but whether I’m cheap or not, there are other ways to save the first iPod that was thrown into the trash. There are many organizations that would happily except used clothing, electronics, furniture, etc. like the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, local churches etc. This not only makes the organizations and the people in need happy, these “acts of kindness” will make yourself happy with an accomplishment. Even an individual that cannot give up the “ways of consumerizing” than an individual can give away their belongings that they do not need any more to those that are in need.
Image #1- http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/images/2007/09/22/suburb_2.jpg
Image #2- http://www.whatcombetterskills.org/images/goodwill.jpg
Image #3-http://www.washingtonblade.com/2003/12-19/news/national/SalvationArmy.jpg
resources
- http://www.chiefengineer.org/content/content_display.cfm/seqnumber_content/2661.htm
- Kawamura, Yuniya. 2005. Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies. New York: Berg Publishers.
Yvonne Tran
Blog #5
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