Society continually changes due to consumerism; this is becoming worse as the years pass. The poet Bruce Dawe shows his criticism through poems such as “Enter without so much as knocking”, “Americanized” and also “abandonment of autos.” Another example of consumerism within our society would be the song called ‘fifty shades of grey,’ written by E. L. James. Within the last 30 odd years, consumerism has changed dramatically. We are born into consumerism and it’s no longer a choice we have to consume or not, it’s a part of life.
Television continually entraps society by advertising the latest fashion, the healthiest food to eat, and the latest fashion in homes. Chuck Palahniuk (1980) writes “Are these things really better than the things I already have? Or am I just trained to be dissatisfied with what I have now?” Palahniuk asks himself if he really needs to consume new things to have the latest upgrade to fit in and not stand out from society. Consumerism is training society to be dissatisfied with what they have now; therefore society is forever continually buying new things to try to feel satisfied and more ‘in’ with the crowd just like in Bruce Dawe’s poem, ‘enter without so much as knocking.’ The parents are “one economy size mum, one Anthony Squires- coolstream- summerwieght Dad.” The parents are ‘in’ with the latest style that’s going on and the boys two other brothers/sisters are “straight off the Junior Department rack.”
Consumerism is taking over society and most of us don’t even know it, do you? Bruce Dawe explains in his poem, “Enter without so much as knocking,” how the signs around him in the city tell him what to do and it’s normal, they might as well tell him to breath when he is told to breath. “WALK. DON’T WALK. TURN LEFT. NO PARKING. WAIT HERE. NO SMOKING. KEEP CLEAR/OUT/OFF GRASS. NO BREATHING EXCEPT BY ORDER. BEWARD OF THIS. WATCH OUT FOR THAT.” Bruce uses quick, short sentences to give the ‘rules’ no hint of emotion. ‘The extortion of consumerism’ created by steelemissary fits perfectly with ‘enter without so much as knocking’ because the image shows the man with his head as a computer also known as these days as a ‘mechanical brain.’ Out of the computer screen there are street signs, a train, traffic lights etc. This image represents the same thing that Dawe’s poem represents; society is continually changing and more people are going along with what they’re told by signs, Television, magazines, street signs, they are all telling society what to do, where to go and even how to speak.
'Americanized’ is another example of consumerism. This poem by Dawe is about a mother and child but as countries (metaphor); the mother acting as America and the small boy acting as an un-advanced country. The young boy (un-advanced country) in the poem is excited when the ‘mummy’ gives him permission to play with her things also known as ‘mummy’s things.’ “Mummy’s things! What could compare to that? Crammed in a carton on the nursery-floor are the varied treasures Mummy’s world contains from Pepsi-Cola figurines to Spam… Chewing gum, hot dogs, electronic brains- what child of simple orgins could want more?” Dawe explains the boys excitement with ‘mummy’s things’ because the boy has very little to play with, therefore, he consumes ‘mummy’s things’ because they are better than his, the mother has trained him to be dissatisfied with what he already owns. Like society, America is constantly inventing ‘better’ more advanced new products. In “fifty shades of grey,” (Author- E.L James, 2012) Christian Grey, who is one of the richest guys, is like America and his girlfriend, Anastasia Steele, is like a small country under the influence of America. Mr Grey constantly buys new things for Miss Steele, who is an average girl without the influence of technology. Anastasia loves the ‘toys’ like the little boy, but she soon, as well as the little boy, realizes that she has been captured by Mr Grey, America, and his technology and finds that he loves just like the Mother loves the Son. “’It’s taking all my self-control not to fuck you on the hood of this car, just to show you that you’re mine, and if I want to buy you a fucking car, I’ll buy you a fucking car’ he growls.” Mr Grey is overly obsessed with his money and has to have all the latest technology, just because he can, this is also known as ‘money hungry,’ Mr Grey consumes technology, not only for himself, but for his girlfriend, Miss Steele, as well who has to, throughout the book, get used to the idea of having money to spend and so much technology to use. Anastasia, throughout the book, is slowly being changed by Mr Grey with the new technology and money that is given to her.
Society soon realizes the fitness of things when the ‘diet’ ads appear on television, with famous citizens’ that inspires society, talking about the statistics about the overweight people within their country, making society look at themselves and taking action. “Here is someone who senses the fitness of things.” A man is explained in “abandonment of autos” when he respectively parks his car carefully and walks away with emotion for the very last time because finally, he is someone who sees the fitness of things. “Made free in the moment of loss, the one true test, only the licence-plate which he carries with him into the new life stating as clearly as any letter of recommendation: ‘Here is the one who sees the fitness of things.’” Dawe explains, within his poem, about how the man, who has a lot of affection towards his car, maybe because it contains so many memories, walks away, but yet he feels freedom. The man, within Dawes poem ‘abandonment of autos,’ has started a new trend in dumping cars, changing society, yet again, but now, maybe because of ads telling him too lose weight and buy their ‘diet’ programs, to help fit in because consumerism has made him feel dissatisfied about himself, so to become a ‘Anthony Squires- coolstream- summerwieght’ guy, he must change himself to become something else.
Consumerism has now targeted society to make people feel dissatisfied about their bodies, and how they weigh, whether they have a gap between their thighs, collar bones and a flat stomach, consumerism has trapped society, forever changing. Consumerism is training society to be dissatisfied with what they have now; therefore society is forever continually changing and buying new things to try to feel satisfied and more ‘in’ with the crowd and feel like they are ‘independent’ when they buy new products.
