Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption

In "Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption," Diana Kendall blames the media for the "hedonistic consumption" that is prevalent in America today through their misleading portrayal of the social classes. She asserts that because the upper classes are glorified, while the middle and lower classes are degraded, we have a false sense of reality and are encouraged to spend money so we can be like the wealthy.

I agreed with a lot of what Kendall asserts. From the beginning of our children's lives, they are constantly bombarded with messages to consume, through commercials on children's shows, to advertising in schools, to "licensed character" clothes and toys, etc. My kids are constantly asking me to take them to McDonald's or Wendy's for a kid's meal, simply because they want the latest toy that comes with it. Also, the fads these companies create, such as my son's new favorite, Bakugan, or that "gotta have" clothing brand really set our children up for this hedonistic consumption that Kendall speaks of. "More children [in the United States] than anywhere else believe that their clothes and brands describe who they are and define their social status. (p. 340) I remember being in high school and feeling less than my friends because my parents couldn't afford to buy me Guess jeans. Did my friends think less of me because I wore an "off" brand? I don't think so, but I still had a problem with my self-esteem because of it.

Kendall also makes the point that television networks are only after the bottom line, so their incentives to portray classes in a more fair and balanced manner are hampered. Their goal, according to Kendall, is that their audiences criticize "the content of popular culture," rather than "question the superstructure of media ownership and the benefits these corporations derive from corporate-friendly public policies."(p. 345) She claims that civic journalism has largely gone by the wayside, and that journalists have now turned the news into something "thinner and shallower" to keep the bottom line. I can see how she might have a point here. Our local news stations do seem like they are just unloading a bunch of facts, rather than truly reporting the news. Who knows, maybe this type of reporting is what most people want in this fast-paced world. Who really has time these days to sit and watch a 10 minute segment on a particular social issue? I know that as I look for news, it is usually in passing or scanning the headlines on the Internet. I don't really have time to sit and watch an entire news program.

I guess where I might disagree with Kendall is that it seemed like she was stating that all media is bad. While I agree that a lot of the programs do promote consumerism and are biased toward social class, I don't think it is all this way. Also, I think we are ultimately responsible for how we interpret the messages we see, and what our children watch. We can combat a lot of these problems simply by having open discussions among our families and those we associate with. Also, monitoring the amount of time our children spend on the Internet and watching T.V. (and what they're watching) can go a long way to help them realize the fallacies they might encounter with regard to consumerism.