The Egalitarianism Of Society

The Egalitarianism of Society The "Parable of the Democracy of Goods" works to make society more egalitarian in that it stresses the fact that even middle class consumers can lead the lifestyle of the wealthy by purchasing products that are said to be used only by the "upper class". The advertising strategies used by manufacturers gave common people the feeling of "sharing an experience" with the wealthy, because they lowered prices of so called "upper class" products, allowing the middle class to afford them. The parable was intended to make every person believe that they could enjoy every pleasure, benefit, and convenience of society, due to the "wonders" of mass production and distribution. The most common form of advertising according to the Democracy of Goods stressed the fact that although the rich may enjoy many of life's greatest luxuries, acquiring one of these luxuries would provide one with "ultimate satisfaction". Also advertising and consumerism played a major role in the acceptance of the capitalist vision and its associated inequalities. Roland Marchand in his book Advertising the American Dream argued that advertisers repeatedly used “the parable of the democracy of goods” to sell their products to the middle classes. In this parable, although there was a social hierarchy with wealth concentrated at the top, ordinary people could enjoy the same products and goods that the people at the top did. Joe Blo could drink the same brand of coffee as the wealthiest capitalist. Mary Jane could buy the same soap as the lady with the maid in waiting. The most humble of citizens (although not the poor who were not the targets of these advertisements) could afford to purchase the same quality products as a millionaire.[38] The social message of the parable of the Democracy of Goods was clear. Antagonistic envy of the rich was unseemly; programs to redistribute wealth were unnecessary. The best things in life were already available to all at reasonable prices... Incessantly and enticingly repeated, advertising visions of fellowship in a Democracy of Goods encouraged Americans to look to similarities in consumption styles rather than to political power or control of wealth for evidence of significant equality.[39] If the Parable of the Democracy of Goods is essentially a description of the democratization of exclusivity, how does this system sustain itself? ... While flipping through a magazine, most of the time advertisements go unnoticed. Surprisingly, if you really look at them there is a lot more than just selling a product involved. An image an idea, and then lastly a product are trying to be sold. In Marchand’s “ The Parable of the Democracy of Goods”, he writes, “Thus, according to the parable, no discrepancies in wealth could prevent the humblest citizens, provided they chose their purchases wisely, from retiring to a setting in which they could contemplate their essential equality, through possession of an identical product, with the nation’s millionaires” (130). What he is describing is this idea of equality between classes being represented through a product. While flipping through a magazine, most of the time advertisements go unnoticed. Surprisingly, if you really look at them there is a lot more than just selling a product involved. An image an idea, and then lastly a product are trying to be sold. In Marchand’s “ The Parable of the Democracy of Goods”, he writes, “Thus, according to the parable, no discrepancies in wealth could prevent the humblest citizens, provided they chose their purchases wisely, from retiring to a setting in which they could contemplate their essential equality, through possession of an identical product, with the nation’s millionaires” (130). What he is describing is this idea of equality between classes being represented through a product. Popularity Sold Separately By Lydia Montgomery Looking around in the media these days, one can quickly become overwhelmed by all of the advertising out there. Advertising in this country constantly bombards Americans from every angle with catchy slogans, tempting images and guarantees of immediate satisfaction. The campaigns are as diverse as the products they attempt to sell. An advertisements main function is to present a product in a way that persuades potential customers to buy it. Many different tactics are employed to reach this goal. Depending on the intended audience, advertisers carefully create their campaigns to accommodate the changing climate of popular culture.

Some campaigns take the “populist” approach, addressing the majority of the population. Others use the “elitist” approach, aiming their focus on a small and specific portion of consumers. Both of these approaches are discussed by author Jack Solomon in his essay entitled “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising.” He states, “The American dream [...] has two faces: the one communally egalitarian and the other competitively elitist” (Solomon 138). Some companies attempt to appeal to both. I found this to be the case in a print advertisement for Unionbay, a brand of sportswear targeted towards youth. This particular ad ran in a recent issue of Seventeen magazine. It has the look of a typical fashion advertisement aimed at teenagers. However, the methods that it uses to reach its audience are somewhat unconventional. This ad uses techniques that are a combination of “populist” and “elitist.” The most obvious way that an ad appeals to the viewer is by visual appeal. The two-page spread pictures a group of young people modeling the clothing line. They pose with arms linked together, draped in loose embraces, one girl rests her chin on another’s shoulder. Their body language suggests a casual and friendly mood. The expressions on the models’ faces are smiling or otherwise complacent. The group is apparently having a great time just hanging out together. One characteristic that is conspicuously absent from this picture is sex appeal.

The clothing is conservative, yet fashionable. The garments themselves vary little from one model to the next; they are almost unisex in style. One girl wears a “lumberjack” plaid button-down shirt, the others are dressed in modest turtle neck sweaters. This is not typical of most modern fashion ads. “Everywhere else, sexual fantasies, which have always had an important place in American advertising, are beginning to dominate the advertising scene” (Solomon 143). In recent years, this trend has begun to turn up in ads pitching everything from beer to breath mints. Fashion is usually a major culprit in the use of sexual imagery in advertisements. It is refreshing to see an ad that does not use sex as its focus. Unionbay succeeds in marketing their brand without making use of bare skin or provocative poses. In doing so, it appeals to the populist sensibility. This ad does not seek to offend the viewer or exclude them based on their appearance. While visually this ad is quite different from the norm, perhaps an even more unusual aspect of it is the copy. The written copy of the Unionbay ad incorporates a method known as a homily. Author Diane Barthel introduces this concept in “A Gentleman and a Consumer,” an essay that explores techniques of advertising, specifically those aimed at men. In that piece, Barthel defines a homily as “a short sermon, discourse or informal lecture, often on a moral topic and suggesting a course of conduct” (Barthel 157). The written copy of the

Unionbay ad follows this definition to the letter. In the lower left corner of the page, “Love Thy Neighbor” is spelled out in bold white lettering. This statement has obvious religious reference, evoking the biblical command. The connection between homilies and the populist approach is presented by Roland Marchand in the essay, “The Parable of the Democracy of Goods.” Marchand proposes that advertising uses homilies “[...] as a secularized version of the traditional Christian assurances of human equality [...] Promises of the essential equality of those possessing the advertised brand recall the promise of equality of access to God’s mercy” (Marchand 136). Advertisements that use this type of message have the potential to reach a large audience. Messages that create a feeling of equality appeal to the populist majority. Homilies, to some degree level the playing field, or at least convince consumers that it is level. “Many of the advertising homilies have a self-congratulatory air about them; after all you do not want the consumer to feel bad about himself” (Barthel 157). At first glance, this ad appears to present a scenario of brotherly love and acceptance. Upon closer inspection, a disturbing image appears. In the background of the picture, looking past the crowd of smiling faces, a solitary figure stands. Their face is masked by a shadow, their identity unrevealed to the viewer. While the inclusion of this mysterious person

may seem odd, actually, their presence and position plays a crucial role in the ad. The models in the ad are doing more than showing off the latest style in clothing, they are telling a story as well. In an essay entitled “Creating the Myth,” author Linda Seger discusses the role that characters play in telling a story. There are various specific roles, known collectively as archetypes. These roles apply to advertising as well. The person in the Unionbay ad represents an archetype known as the “shadow figure” (Seger 314). Shadow figures are usually present for the contrast they provide to the rest of the scene. The presence of an oppositional role serves to enhance the status of the “hero.” In this case, the crowd represents the hero. At first the crowd seems to represent the populist majority, however, now it appears that it represents the elite. This advertisement recreates a scenario that is a real part of many young people’s lives. Young people can be fiercely competitive within social circles. This behavior creates divisions between groups. Often, part of the appeal of the popular crowd is their exclusiveness. The elitist approach is effective for this reason. Youth look to symbols to represent who they are and what they aspire to become. Brand names and popular icons become associated with status. The Unionbay logo is prominently displayed on several articles of clothing pictured in the ad. This is no coincidence; outward appearances are important. Clothing styles are often the

“common thread” that a group uses to distinguish itself from others. The proud display of high-status brand names recall the practice of cattle being “branded” by their owner’s mark. Groups that consider themselves to be elite affiliate only with others who share the marks of prestige. It is a natural human desire to be accepted as part of a group. Advertisers exploit this desire to their advantage by promoting their product as they key to gaining acceptance. Just as homilies suggest the promise of equality, elitist ads operate on the belief that buying status objects will make the owner better than everyone else. The origin of these completely opposite methods of appeal is explained by authors Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon in their essay, “Brought to You B(u)y.” “This swing between elitist and populist approaches in advertising reflects a basic division within the American dream itself, a mythic promise that at once celebrates democratic equality and encourages you to rise above the crowd and be better than anyone else” (Maasik & Solomon 125). Looking in depth into the system of advertising reveals something about the culture that constructs it. American culture is structured around a diverse set of ideals that cannot be reduced to one common denominator. This accounts for the wide variety of strategies that are used to sell products. Advertising will always be as fundamentally different as the individuals that it caters to. Understanding the methods

of advertising does not change this reality, but it does provide insight to help make sense of it. Works Cited Barthel, Diane. “A Gentleman and a Consumer.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 3rd ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 149-159. Maasik, Sonia and Jack Solomon. “Brought to You B(u)y.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 3rd ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 117-128. Marchand, Roland. “The Parable of the Democracy of Goods.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 3rd ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 129-136. Seger, Linda. “Creating the Myth.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 3rd ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 308-316. Solomon, Jack. “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 3rd ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 137-148. Advertising was the medium and it recommended that people disregard the old-time Protestant ideals in preference of a new truth which was that people could only be happy in proportion to the amount and variety of goods they consumed __________________________________-___

Masters of Desire http://fall06engl306-11-group-b.wikispaces.com/americanparadox That seductive arrangement of arresting words and images is meant to involve you, but never intellectually. Usually, but not always, to analyze an advertisement is to debunk its message, to deflate its enormous power to persuade us Indeed, we are bombarded on a daily basis with several thousand advertising messages. We can choose to ignore them, but their pervasiveness is indisputable. In fact, ad-meisters are counting on slipping into our consciousness through the back door, safe from critical questioning and rational thought. Very few people when queried will respond that they take advertising seriously or that it effects their behavior or beliefs. And increasingly, the line between product advertisement, infomercial, news report, and political campaign are blurred. For some to say that all this has no effect upon the way we live our economic lives and relate to the environment is to reveal the depths of our denial and the apathetic lack of desire to critique and question. But there is a certain level of dis-ease in people nonetheless that needs to be channeled into constructive discussions about visual and media literacy, as well as economic alternatives. There is a growing sense of the discrepancy between media articulated reality, and the details of people's daily lives. Paul Hawken addresses the tension created by this gap by citing, "… a type of despair that people feel when they experience the gulf between the grotesqueness of the world and the business-as-usual tenor surrounding it. At the level of the family, the gap between what a child feels and knows is right and reasonable, and what Mom and/or Dad tells the child is right, can lead to schizophrenia. A similar dysfunctionality can affect an entire society that knows the state of the world is one way, yet is told over and over again that the world is something else. That disparity finds its most powerful and pervasive form in advertisements" (p. 131). In the marrow of our culture, this contradiction is embedded in the matrix of our In the international arena of today, there have been unprecedented, frequent shuttle diplomatic activities carried out around the question of how to solve the Iraq issue, and hot line phone calls have kept ringing among heads of state. The world, once full of great expectations on the new century, is now experiencing global anxieties-what does the war to be unilaterally launched by the United States against Iraq mean to the future of the world? He hops on the Communitarian bandwagon without critical analysis of how one compels community and whether it would be worth the price.