Many of the products we see in developed countries seem really cheap. For example, consumer electronics in the United States are cheaper than in many developing countries although the income level is much higher in the United States. So, how do manufacturers provide consumers with cheap products? According to Leonard, manufacturers force workers and Third World natives pay the price. Distributors in giant supermarkets such as Wal-Mart pay their workers the minimum wage, while manufacturers that outsource labor pay Third World workers even less, forcing them to work in hazardous conditions. The natives pay for the cost of manufacturing (aimed primarily at consumers in rich countries) with their health, their environment, and sometimes even their lives (Leonard, 2008). Distribution leads to the major component of the material's economy: consumption. The facts associated with consumption are indeed frightening. It is estimated that 99% of finished products are trashed within six months. People in America today consume twice more than they used to in 1960s. And the increasing level of consumption is not a coincidence but a deliberate policy pursued by the government for the benefit of corporations. For example, in the wake of 9/11, President Bush's first advice was "go shopping." Government passes laws and regulations that allow corporations to increase their production capacities (at the expense of the environment and workers) and let advertisers propagate the value of consumption. Leonard explains that there are two concepts that explain the policy of advertising consumption. The first is "planned obsolescence," which suggests that goods are produced or packaged in such a way that they cannot be reused -- forcing consumers to buy more. The second concept is "perceived obsolescence," which refers to the perception that people need...
Film Passage Culture is a funny thing. When it comes to the national culture of any given country, the opinions and review of that culture can be in reverence and awe of the culture or it can be a complete and swift condemnation of the culture. Italian culture in particular is one culture that is either revered or condemned depending on who is doing the reviewing and what precisely is being
Barbie doll top ten viral commercials as of 2013 rely mostly on You Tube, Dailymotion, Facebook and Twitter. The third doll brand, subject to this study is Bratz. As evidenced from the four commercials assessed in the course of this study, Bratz deploys a slightly different mode of advertising, which involves marketing adult entertainment to kids. Social psychologists have argued that this strategy is very effective within the realm of
Individualization in America as Shown in Updike's "A&P" John Updike's short story "A&P" has been the subject of much scholarly debate over the decades since it first appeared. On the surface a simple tale of youthful lust and rebelliousness, there have been many attempts to read deeper meaning into the story and to assign certain symbolic importance to the adolescent protagonist and other elements of the story. Through an examination of
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Racist Beauty Ideals and Racial Self-Hatred This paper examines Toni Morrison's novel the Bluest Eye from the perspective of three different interest groups: Those who would interrogate the paper on the basis of issues related to gender, or of the feminist movement; Those whose interests lie in the book's treatment of children's issues or advocacy, and Those engaging in a dialogue centering around issues of race. It should also be understood that these topics
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