A desire to acquire material possessions in which are generally unneeded. What is this? This is consumerism. Good morning/afternoon, as you might already have guessed, my speech is on Consumerism, as part of my Module C studies. Consumerism is strongly epitomised in the poem ‘Televistas’ by Bruce Dawe and in the song ‘In the Crowd’ by The Jam. Televistas shows how even love is littered with consumerism, as it is an extended metaphor and a massive exaggeration that isn’t as far-fetched as it seems.
A relationship is established as “a faulty tube led to their meeting”, meaning they met through a feeling the need to watch television as one had broken. A realistic sense is created in the exaggerated world of Televistas through the laidback characters and attitudes, as well as the colloquial tones. Consumerism has become a part of everyday life in today’s society, from very young ages we are exposed to this materialistic world and it becomes part of us as we grow, develop relationships and so on. “Fortune smiles between commercials”.
The use of personification creates a satirical sense of positivity as the young couple continue to discover each other between programs. This stanza epitomises the stereotypical American, as created through the means of the media. In the Crowd conveys the message that consumerism is about seeing things that aren’t there, imagery created in advertisements of beneficial items which in truth are not needed. We are blinded, mindless, brainwashed. Surrounded by material items we are forced to believe we need.
The imperative anaphora of “when I’m in the crowd” in the chorus related the subject as being just that, a subject, moulded into the crowd of uniformity. Loss of identity, stuck in trends, everyone is the same. The repeated word “simple” implies that’s everything in the world lacks depth and complexity that comes closely with uniqueness and identity. Consumerism is a lifestyle, frequent with the need to acquire items of material means, that are often unneeded and just a media pushed desire. It is shown as just another part of life in both Televistas by Bruce Dawe and In the Crowd by The Jam. Thank you for listening.
