Consumer Society Essay

Write an essay that outlines the view that a con joiner troupe is a divided society. In response to this statement, there needs to be shape as to whether or not a consumer society, like the one we know in in the UK, is a divided one or not and if so and then where these categorys be displayed. Therefore throughout this essay, Im overtaking to explore some potential divides indoors society, specifically looking at division betwixt the rich and poor, able-bodied and less(prenominal) able, and lastly the division created between those who collapse power to influence where we shop and those that do not switch as much power, drawing on the example of super marketplaces vs. small shop keepers on the high street influencing the consumer public. I get out be using ideas from social scientists much(prenominal) as Bauman and Susman to further illust invest my points. As I examine attest on potential divisions I hope to conclude that the consumer society, in which we live in, is further a divided one. nigh, well done a cracking introduction here Gwen. This is just fine. Firstly, it could be argued that a division stub be seen in a consumer society between the rich and poor. Because we live in a society where you are judged by what you consume, if you do not have much bills to consume in the first place then its easy to see how someone who is poor may feel lesser or on the outskirts. What we are in to and therefore what we consume not only gives us our identity and personality in the contemporary UK (Susman, cited in Hetherington, 2009, p 42), but in like manner gives us our value within society. Kevin Hetherington in chapter one of the material lives strand, shows us a graph that displays what the average weekly theater expenditure on main commodities and services in 2007 (Hetherington, 2009, p 24).*1* Transport is seen to be the top weekly expense, as its an essential.People competency need to travel to prune in order to make money for a consumer li festyle however the second highest expenditure was, surprisingly, recreation and culture. This category was higher than food and non-alcoholic drink. Hetherington describes this piece of evidence as noteworthy presumably because it highlights how our society has become a consumeristic. We spend more money on things we are in to than groceries in a week. If you are poorer than the average person in the UK, then it would be very difficult to fit into a society that revolves around consuming when you croupnot. *2* Zygmunt Bauman depicts this division between poor and rich in his concept of the seduced and the repressed (Bauman, cited in Hetherington, 2009, p25+26). According to him, tribe that live in contemporary western society can be roughly put into two categories.The seduced being those who are able to consume effectively they are employed, or young and good looking or have a particular skill that is valued financially within society. The repressed might be those that are old wi thout a good pension, or the homeless. These multitude are repressed as they, more often than not, do not have the pith to consume effectively and are therefore valued less in society. This causes a division as they are likely to not feel accepted by the majority who are able to consume. *1* Good depicted object but try to be briefer, no need at all to refer to the module Hetherington displays a graph showing average household expenditure in 2007 (Hetherington, 2009, p 24).* *2* Here is where you could helpfully split this paragraph, the first section could have your main point emphasised again and then this would make a good paragraph on its own.People with disabilities might also be seen to fit into the repressed category Bauman speaks of, as they are not always able to go shopping for themselves and a lot of their money arguably goes on facilitating a life in which it is hard to get around. Furthermore, people who are mentally disabled might not have the capacity to know what sorts of things to consume in order for them to fit in with the latest look or with the people theyd like to be friends with. Additionally, people that are physically disabled might not only feel excluded by not having the means to consume effectively and therefore fit in with others, but may also be physically excluded as most shopping malls or places of social activity do not cater for someone who is physically impaired. Most shopping malls in particular have escalators, or stairs, or walkways without railings which means those who are disabled are not able to go into these places.This creates a divide between those who are able and those who are less able and can be seen to convey, whether its fair or not, that in society, there are winners and losers, people who lose out and people who are winning in the capitalist race. Excellent content, I appreciate this is your own approach but it is relevant. However, if you find a suitable brief quote from the course it would be better e videnced, you can always do this appropriately but paragraphs without references just show you are not using course material and drop your marks down. This depiction of winners and losers within society is further seen in the tension between supermarkets and small shop keepers on the high street, which can also be described as those that have the power to influence where we shop and those that do not have as much power. This tension is evidently seen in the local market statistics and the falling pattern of independently own shops, as well as factory surveys and local case studies that highlight pauperisation and hardship (Allen, 2009, p93).Farmers markets and independently owned shops on the high street were once the most popular places to shop and were seen by some to contribute to the feeling of community in towns and small cities. *2* However in contemporary consumer society the majority of people are shopping a lot more at big supermarkets and chain stores, resulting in small er shop keepers going out of business. Consumers may argue here that in supermarkets theres a lot on offer and for a cheap price. Furthermore, supermarkets sell a huge range of different products, ranging from food to furniture to DVDs (Evidence in the social sciences, 2009, track 1). People these days trust all the trappings that come with a consumer lifestyle, and at supermarkets they can get these things for cheaper prices compared with independently owned stores, which appeals to the masses. *3* It is obvious to see how independent store owners and market stall owners may feel some animosity towards supermarkets, causing a power-play division.Excellent content and referencing from various sources, well done *3* You have in any case much of your own opinion in the next to last sentence here, also you need to mention Dennis Wrongs theory of zero-sum and positive sum games ( Allen, 2009, p. 70). On the other hand however, supermarkets may argue that their shops contribute to rege neration on the high street as people who might not live in the area are drawn to it because of these mega stores and therefore more people are drawn to high street shops. Furthermore, national market statistics could also be seen as favourable to supermarkets. *4* People are drawn into buying more through these big chain stores therefore the economy is not going downhill. Although, the question arises to what expense? *5* Supermarket owners say that the exploitation of people working in sweatshops still benefits the workers, as factory visits and local wage level comparisons educe improved living standards (Allen, 2009, p93).However one might argue that this is true yet the workers are not in a position to protest as, if they do, the supermarkets will always find other people who are desperate to earn money, in that same country or another, who will work for them. *2* This might create a divide in consumer society between those who want to carry on consuming without worrying whos expense it might be at or if the environment is suffering because of it, and those who care about the exploitation of people from third world countries and how the exportation of goods from countries that are far away increases our degree Celsius footprint. *4* We may be a consumer society, but more and more people are becoming aware and active in world-wide issues like poverty and global warming. This creates a divide between those that are environmentally aware and retailers/ shop owners that have workers in third world countries and are exploiting them. Again, excellent content*4* needs referencing more, quantitative evidence can be shown by the inclusion of a few relevant figures with a reference rather than a word discussion *5* do not include extra questions here, just answer the one set In conclusion, it plausible to say our society is seen to be divided in many different ways. The points I have explored, not only show the many divisions that come up in a consumer society, b ut also propose the question is a consumer society a sustainable one? Furthermore, is all that we consume globally sustainable? It is possible that our rate of consumption will one day come to a halt. Additionally, one might argue that the many divisions that are created not just between the worldwide public but between shop-owners show that there are cracks beginning to form in our society.