Click on the image for the photo credit. It's a piece of photographic artwork by Alexander Aristotle.Though there is a debate about whether this is true or not, there is a lot of evidence that Americans define themselves, today, as "consumers." Check out Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff, for a report from the front lines of our "consumer society."
If I am right, and we ourselves actually create the world that we most immediately inhabit, self-referencing ourselves as "consumers" is a fundamental misconception of the nature of our situation.
It also leaves us profoundly vulnerable to the manipulations of advertising, which is what the photo is all about, at least according to the website at Fine Art America.
We teach our children to be "consumers" from an early age. Perhaps this photo should have been entitled "School Daze."
I agree is some respect, although I think it more than "we" teach our children to be consumers. Advertising plays a big role in that, and our part is more controlling our children's exposure to advertising, and, of course, giving in to it ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAll is not lost, however. Jean and I are decidedly NOT consumers! Most of what we use comes from the free table in our mobile home park, or, at most, from thrift stores in town. Mainly, we just don't buy stuff.
It's a matter of choice.