Your comment has me contemplating some of the underlying implications of the term “consumerism”. I can see the argument that it’s used to indicate a societal ethos in which individuals are viewed as consumers before living human beings, but more often than not we see it being used as a scapegoat/placeholder for criticisms of capitalism. “Consumerism” abstracts the meaningful power dynamic between “consumer” and “producer”, i.e. proletariat and bourgeoisie, and lays blame on a cultural idea ostensibly being propagated not by the actual powers that be, but by an ignorant, materialistic, and otherwise greedy underclass. “Our collective obsession with the newest iPhone is pushing Apple to make bad decisions in the name of profit” rather than, you know “the profit motive is capitalism’s very nature, and the capitalists are making shittier products to save a buck”.
Jim Stephanie Sterling (Jimquisition) refuses to use the word “consumer” in reference to people who buy video games as they see its use as a dehumanizing psyop that’s intentionally cloaking class dynamics and shifting blame to victims. Seems about right to me. Wonderful comment, entirely spot on.
I completely agree. I prefer to use the term to address it in it’s essence because it’s a word that’s heard by workers a lot but yeah it definitely works as a cloak for exploitation and oppression. Thanks for the beneficial addition
Your comment has me contemplating some of the underlying implications of the term “consumerism”. I can see the argument that it’s used to indicate a societal ethos in which individuals are viewed as consumers before living human beings, but more often than not we see it being used as a scapegoat/placeholder for criticisms of capitalism. “Consumerism” abstracts the meaningful power dynamic between “consumer” and “producer”, i.e. proletariat and bourgeoisie, and lays blame on a cultural idea ostensibly being propagated not by the actual powers that be, but by an ignorant, materialistic, and otherwise greedy underclass. “Our collective obsession with the newest iPhone is pushing Apple to make bad decisions in the name of profit” rather than, you know “the profit motive is capitalism’s very nature, and the capitalists are making shittier products to save a buck”.
Jim Stephanie Sterling (Jimquisition) refuses to use the word “consumer” in reference to people who buy video games as they see its use as a dehumanizing psyop that’s intentionally cloaking class dynamics and shifting blame to victims. Seems about right to me. Wonderful comment, entirely spot on.
I completely agree. I prefer to use the term to address it in it’s essence because it’s a word that’s heard by workers a lot but yeah it definitely works as a cloak for exploitation and oppression. Thanks for the beneficial addition