Are you a mother or a father of young children or teenagers? Are you thinking about starting a family, growing in size? Are you wondering how we became caught up in “consumerism”? Do you feel our capitalist system is over burdened and obsessed with spending, spending, spending? Then THIS article is for you! Please read the brilliant article written by Henry A. Giroux, who has written numerous articles and books dealing with the issues facing us today?
I must admit, I was some what taken back after reading this important and informative article about how our children, from birth to teenage years are brainwashed to become consumers. The gigantic advertisement and marketing industry spends up to 17 BILLION DOLLARS a year in shaping children’s identities, fears and desires.
We are living in a society where ones success and/or failure are judged through the lens of economical standing. We must first look at how adults came to be consumer freaks that judge themselves with outer appearance through financial wealth only? The roots lie in our childhood….
Children from day 1 are bombarded with logos, images, characters, brand names which define, how cool, funny, witty, confident individuals they perceive themselves to be. Disney, Nickelodeon and other mega companies now provide web sites, luring them into virtual world of potential consumers. Children visit stores and malls long before they enter elementary school.
But there is more at stake here then just simply making money for these companies. Children are increasingly viewed by co-operations as commodities, products or consumer slaves. Co-operations like Disney not only have huge economical power but also have enormous political power. They funnel unprecedented sums of money to political parties and officials, which in return create and regulate laws preferable to them. In a way, these multi billion dollar companies have colonized the consciousness of the daily lives of millions, not only in this country, but also around the world. They are shaping the future generations of how and what they will feel and think. These companies have hijacked the conscious minds of our children in order to keep the perpetual cycle of consumerism.
This article is a must read for those who are the next generation or bringing up young minds who will be the lawyers, doctors, teachers, nurses, policeman/woman, policy makers, congressman/woman, professors in our universities and many other important positions in our societies. We must be aware parents, who should at least try to control to some extend, how much TV our children are watching, how many hours are spend on video games or how many useless toys do they have lying around our homes. We should as parents, try to instill some kind of self control in our children where they have the ability to say “No” to many products that are useless, which become clutter after some time. They should be able to limit their wishes and desires to some extend. They should grow up to become mature adults, where consumerism and monetary wealth should not be the most important goal in their lives.
Basically what I am trying to say is, criticizing the market, co-operations or just simply pointing out to the commercialization of children is not enough. Denouncing the market society does NOT go far enough in fixing the future of our children. What is equally necessary is developing public spaces and social movements that help young people develop healthy notions of self worth, identities and visions of their future no longer defined by market values. We as parents must take the matter into our own hands in promoting and creating the right environment for our children to strive in.
I know it is not an easy task. I know it can be time consuming and requires a lot of energy on our part…. BUT it is not impossible!
PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE
