Does Consumption Equal Freedom

Sitting in my usual backrow seat in Brad Frey's class yesterday, we were discussing the book Freaks, Geeks, and the Cool Kids (such a good title) by Murray Milner, Jr., for our Deviant Behavior class. The book is basically summing up everyone's typical highschool experience. Milner reflects status powers, and cliques through the Indian Caste system:

"In traditional India, members of one caste did not usually marry or eat with members of another caste. The higher status castes tended to minimize their contact with lower castes and expected to be treated with deference by those from lower castes. These patterns are common for teenages...Instead of sharing simply a common economic or political location, members of a status group share a common lifestyle, that is, common patterns of consumption and use of common symbols and rituals..."

How, almost, exact is this system to the "normative" highschool lifestyle? There are some objections from those who went to small schools, or, like my friend, who was the most popular in her school to the nerdiest in her school (she was homeschooled). Anyways, there is a bit of reality in this caste system everywhere either in small or large outlandish batches.

In class, however, we picked at this consumer idea. Milner pointed out that, "Some postmondern theorist see advertising not as manipulation or even as a necessary nuisance, but as a central and legitimate part of contemporary popular culture." Bascially these theorist are saying that advertisment is what the world is, this is who we are, stop complaining and accept it (our schemes and ploys will never change--it's a way of life)! (as Brad Frey tried to point out and analogy he said-- it's like the American view of abstinence, saying that it is of the past and things have changed so just accept it).

Milner goes on about this idea of consumerism through a postmodernist view.

They say, "Consumption is not seen as frivolous activity but something with 'emancipatory potential.' It is a key aspect of personal and social identity formation....it is a means of shaping how they define themselves and what constitues an appropriate lifestyle for that self--because choosing and creating one's own lifestyle is seen as the crucial form of 'emancipation.'"

So sum this up, postmodernist believe that consumerism is freedom (at this point my ears sort of purked up in class). Freedom to be who you want to be with what you buy. Now stop for a second here. I can see their point (a small dim light of it). Yet who, at one time or another in their life (and still so), bought something that adapts to one's character--or what one's desires their character to be? And how many times do we not buy something because it may harm or hinder that desired identitiy? My point being that buying things does form an identity--who has compartmentalized someone by their music or the clothes they wear (it's a natural human characteristic--sinful or not...it's still there).

Freedom. Talking to Brad about this after class, i told him, "I can see this idea of identity and can somewhat agree with the postmodern view BUT i believe the more we consume the more we are bounded by them. To have everything we want and more slowly takes over who we trully are and tied down we become." I wish people in the class had more to say about this subject, but the conversation in class ended with me not fully thinking and raising my hand, to say "i find it a bondage" at this point Brad was still looking at me waiting for more. But i said, "yeah...umm that's all--i just think it is a bondage...." There goes some brains for you. Hence my conversation after the class, because the topic seemed left in the air and i was unsure of his view.

Now i am just appaled at the idea that theorist could contrive such a view. Yet more so, I realize how this thought could (and has) slowly creep into our society and honestly taken hold. Buy more because you will be free...it fits you...or as my mother has said numerous times, "allyson, these look just like you!"

So what is freedom (that is for a whole other day, i guess)...