No New Normal, Says McCracken

The blog states that Americans use their material culture to define themselves. I believe that this statement is correct. Consumers buy what they like, what they can see themselves in or using, and not necessarily what they can afford. (That’s what credit cards and loans are for.) I think that people often paint pictures by their material possessions of how they want people to view or see them. From the description of Susan we get the impression that Susan is wealthy because she just spent 45K to remodel her house and to ultimately “impress” her friends and family. What if she could not afford 45K? What if she just spent the money even though she could not afford it, just to impress or put on a false front of what she really has and who she really is as a person? This is why I think that people buy things that define who they are. An example is clothing, people don’t just buy what appeals to them, they buy what they think other people will like (as in other people I mean people at the same social status as them.) The best example is high school. There are the “jocks” who wear their letterman jackets, the “preps” who wear pastel colored cardigans, the “geeks” who wear their jeans too high and the taped glasses, the “goths” who wear all black etc. People buy products whether it is clothing, cars, or houses to define who they are or how they wan their community to think they are.

I thought that this article was very interesting and it seemed to hold true for many people I know, including myself. I have always felt that the way you present yourself (clothes, style, etc.) is a reflection of who you are. I sometimes buy expensive clothes and things as an indication of my status. Likewise, I like to take my girlfriend out to fancy restaurants for the same reason. I am a college student, however, so the nice clothes and the fancy meals are a seldom occurrence, but I can definitely relate to the article. I think that this concept is embedded in the minds of Americans since childhood. We are told that the American dream is to grow up, have a well-paying stable job, a spouse and family, a nice house with a white picket fence, a pool, etc. These things are all cultural norms that reflect your socioeconomic status. This status is in turn a direct reflection oh what someone thinks of us as a person. People who have a good job are thought of as hard workers and are dedicated and intelligent. Someone with a nice family is a good caregiver, spouse, and parent. A lot of the things that we do as Americans are done because of status. We want to mold and create how we are perceived by other people using material things. It is harder to be a nice person, than it is to wear nice clothes and drive a nice car.

The old saying “You are what you eat” or in this case “you are what you buy” seems to jump into my head after reading about Susan. In a capitalistic society most things are given a monetary value. It should come as no surprise then that even our culture has become a form of currency, where people use the items they own as expressions of their individuality. I laugh at this idea, until I realize that I too am part of Susan. The computer I own a Mac is part of an identifying piece about me, it kinda of states ” I am not a member of PC owning masses.” Although I don’t really think that, just until recently owning a mac has been counter culture. Another idea is the cars/trucks that people own that become extensions of their supposed individuality. For example, young males with their lifted 4X4 trucks and loud exhausts have a distinctly different message than the eco-friendly Prius. Whether their message is overt or unintentional it sends a message nonetheless.

I agree with McKracken in his notion that Consumerism is here to stay. The products we buy are not meant to last forever, but are built to last only set lengths as to create the future need of said product. This is also accomplished by the fact that most times it is far cheaper to replace an item than to repair an item. So what is a consumer to do? I personally try to buy second hand via craigslist or ebay if I can, and have generally tried to live a much more frugal life. However, the call of owning something new has been pitched perfectly by marketing folks.

I do not have anything against going out and spending big because I do it myself any chance I get. There are a few reasons for this. Whenever a person spends money on things because someone else owns whatever object they have, I consider it a problem. If it’s just to impress and create a sense of envy or higher status, I consider it a problem. I believe a person should make the best of what they have of course. It doesn’t take expensive “stuff” to be happy but Americans have developed an attachment to their material “stuff” and that makes us go out and spend cash on newer, better things. I have to be honest and admit that once I’m done with school and I’m ready to join a company out there in the “over the minimum wage” work force, I will spend as I can. Not because I want to show off but because life in this country is not easy. This country is full of horrible people that are the first ones to point their fingers to judge; is one reason. Finding a good paying job without an education is hard, especially with the way the economy is right now. However, the biggest reason is because education is too expensive and I find myself paying too much money for a tuition that is too high for the amount of education I receive each semester. Feels as if my education is being rushed onto me so no, I would never judge Susan. I will in fact join her in the big market’s world and spend my money, not for status but because I will deserve it.

Consumerism has become so much a part of the way of life for us, Americans. However, one would like to think that with the recent economic recession, that consumers would learn to better manage their finances. This “new normal” mentality of consumerism, I do not believe will last. I have to side with McCracken when he says that Americans will contiue spending large amounts of their money as soon as the economy seems to be picking up. We, as a nation, have become so ingrained with the idea that buying expensive items and displaying them in our houses makes us better people. This mentality will not be stopped by the current recession. On the topic of Susan, I don’t think that we can judge her as being immoral. First, she is just a composite thing which McCracken made up for his paper. Second, her actions, when put into the contect of the American society, are not that mauch different then many others. People are always spending money on items and clothes that they feel will make themselves look better or more influential then they really are. If people have a problem with Susan, then they should really look at themself and see how similiar their actions are compared to Susan.

This may be off topic but do others find it strange how a family where the parents raise them in a certain way, have all their child be all so different. What I am trying to say how each child interprets the teachings of their parents is different in viewing. Could it be life experiences that create such a difference between siblings? What I mean is you are raised to be respectful, honest, and make wise money spending decisions. Now one sibling takes all that and throws it out the window and does all the opposite, another may do two or even one other things but not the others. I guess is what I am trying to say is, does this really happen that their parents raised them all the same way but they don’t all follow what the parents taught them. I guess it could be the fact that each are different of course, but maybe also they took the teachings and intrepreted them all differently. Or maybe they had different experiences to things in life and that changed the way they view things? The concept is a little hard for my to grasp. It may be that I just fully do not understand it can even be possible or I am just blind on the subject. It boogles my mind that all being taught and raised the same way and all siblings have different views or totally oppsite views to what they were taught about certain issues/things in life.

Yes, quite an interesting article. Out of the three initial ways of describing Susan, the last in particular is the one in which I’m in agreement of her god given right to do what she likes if she has the opportunity to do so or doesn’t mind the debt. But to the better understanding of the person, quick conclusions and the rhetoric sound bites, does do a disservice to fairly describe an individual.
To the point of spending, I had meager beginnings; I wanted things that I couldn’t afford. But one goes to work, learns the value of a dollar and for some become hesitant to quickly spend that dollar. So one learns budgeting, extending the life of items and making due with what one has even if one does have the financial capability , but there is a stigma for this extreme as well (i.e. cheapskate, tightwad). Personally, I think both (spenders/frugality) are needed. For the economy to rebound, money has to be put into the system, even from the indebted.
McCracken point for Susan of self identity by the result of purchasing items is true for some people who view there status by material possessions, which may be a gray moral issue. But I don’t think that Susan is oblivious or incoherent about what she does in general. But isn’t that the point, it’s just that’s what she does.

I agree that the “new normal” will be to continue spending after this economic depression. We have seen it in the past after the great depression, it took a while but people continued spending large, and here we are again. After all everyone is a consumer, including myself. The companies have found the way through the media to present sales, special discounts, so we as consumers continue to buy even in this recession. I don’t necessarily agree that one defines oneself by what they wear, or what they buy because this is when judging people comes into play. Many people like myself just like to buy nice things and seem presentable; there are those people though that do go overboard with the spending. Although I agree that many people aren’t described as McCracken explains, he does have a point that this has become a common theme in Americans. If you everyone is honest, people want to have money whether you want to be a millionaire, or just middle class. That is why there are so many “get rich quick” schemes because these companies know that nobody likes to struggle, we prefer to have money. Since everyone wants money we tend to buy things to make the illusion that we have money or some people just like buying nice expensive things. Examples in my family, are people over the age of 50 still do not pay off there home, or don’t own a home, because they rather have expensive cars and gadgets, than invest and save. I believe (personal opinion from observations) if a person consumed a lot before the recession, once the recession passes they will consume a lot again. I am not talking about all people because everyone is different, and I do agree with some people that the recession has opened the eyes of some Americans to stop spending and save. Some people though, not even in this recession have slowed there spending. I work at a doctors office where we see patients and many times the people say they are in need of money, but yet they have expensive, really nice cars, expensive name brand clothing, there hair is done, and there nails are done. These people even in a recession still have money (or loans, credit cards) to pay for all their expensive consumptions. This shows that some people will be large consumers even after the recession. This topic is a debatable one, but a great one to bring up for discussion.

This article projects “Susan” as being under many different types of influences. He uses her as an example of how Americans spend their money in times of a recession and how people are driven by their desires, self-image, and their projected image. I do agree that American spending will go back to overspending if we do get out of this “crisis.” People fall into patterns of spending and it is hard to change personal habits as well as the image they create for themselves. For all we know, “Susan” could very well have built a “great room” because she genuinely wanted to be a part of the guests she entertains. Who wants to be in one room, while people are laughing and enjoying themselves in another room? No one wants to feel left out in their own home. Maybe “Susan” really is superficial and wants to show off to her friends or maybe she really doesn’t have the money, but felt the need to impress her friends and keep up a certain image. She could be in debt just like a lot of people are. You can never really know a person based on what you see. That is why “not judging a book by it’s cover” is helpful in anthropology. Keeping an open mind can be extremely hard to do because a lot of us have a quick instinct to want to make quick judgments. The study of anthropology does not make judgments, but rather tries to understand why people do the things they do. I completely agree with the statement made, “Morally judge her if you will, but if you want to understand her, leave your judgments at the door.” This sums it up for me.

In situations like Susan’s, it is important that we keep an open mind when interpreting her behavior, and spending behavior of Americans in general. There is indeed symbolic meaning behind spending in the American culture, all of which is not new or unique to the present time and generations. Some people do spend money and buy things as a way of showing their status, what they can afford, and what they have. I agree that people have that right, especially those who work hard for their money. It may not necessarily be an attempt to show others what they can afford, but rather their way of rewarding themselves for their hard work and fruits of their labor. It is also important to consider alternate reasons as well. In relation to Susan’s kitchen, maybe the remodeling project was more of a comfort issue. No one should feel uncomfortable in his or her own home, and Susan made changes so that she and her guest could feel comfortable and not excluded from each other. As far as her garage goes, I don’t think she is proud of the fact that she has clutter and uses the garage clutter as a sign that she has lots of things. Maybe she has a lot of clutter because the items have value to her or symbolic representation. She probably worked hard for those items and wants to keep them just incase there is a need for some of them down the road. She will not have to spend more money for the items. She also may have sentimental value attached to the items as well.
Overall, I believe that this is not a situation unique to Susan. No matter what the cause is, it is a part of many American’s lifestyle, and can even be an American cultural issue is which value is placed on items that show status, or make on comfortable. The concept of the kitchen remodel can be looked at as great hospitality as she may be a social person who loves to be around others, and has the natural need for human love and affection.

I think tha everyone has that side of them where they do just spend because they really want to. We are human and if you have the money at the time why not thats why and how all these companys and manufactures continue to make their products. Its a cycle and like some may say, hey we can’t take your money with you when you die.

Americans, for the most part, are known to be materialistic. We are so much wrapped up with our wants that we have turned them into our “needs”. There are many times I find myself saying, “I need these shoes, I need this shirt, or I have to have these pairs of jeans.” We have always been taught the basic needs: food, water and shelter; everything else is a want. I agree with McCracken when he says that after the recession, everyone will be going back to their old spending habits. Some people save now because of unemployment, or because they don’t have extra money to spend, but once the economy goes back to normal, there will be the same pattern of spending.
I also agree his other point of us using money and being materialistic to show who we are. In the case of Susan, who spend 45,000 to remodel a kitchen, we don’t know if she had the money to do it, or she did the remodeling just to impress her friends. In the article, Susan’s life was described as being empty and meaningless; based on that we can assume that the remodeling and spending money was just to make herself feel better. Recently, my aunt spent close to $30,000 to remodel her kitchen and living room, she took out the carpet in her living and replaced with tiles; also in the kitchen, she upgraded everything. After the job was done, she called my mom and started talking about how pretty the kitchen looks, or how nice the new appliances in her kitchen are. Now, my mom is just so anxious to remodel our own house (which is just 5 years old). My aunt’s old kitchen was perfectly fine, but just upgrading everything to show higher status, and bluffing about it after is a habit of a lot of Americans. We tend to spend so much money just to show off to others even if it is putting us in debt. In stores, we see something eye-catchy, we buy it with our credit cards.
For many of us, we spend money to look good in front of others. This is because a lot of people, including myself, judge based on appearance. I am always told by my mom that I should eat to my heart’s content, but wear what looks pleasing to others, so other people won’t judge. I think this is mostly cultural, but the reason we do many of the things we do is because of how people might look at us. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, but when we have to go out of our way to buy things that we know we can not afford, then it is a problem. I mean, I have seen college students driving Lexus, BMW, or Mercedes. Some might be able to afford them because of their parents, but I don’t think a full time college student will be making anything other than minimum wage, to be able to afford that kind of luxury. Still, some take the money they have and spend it on things they might not even need, but just to fulfill their desires. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with fulfilling ones wishes, but it seems logical to do so when you have a good job, and good money, but otherwise it is foolishness.

I would definitely agree with McCracken’s findings, which are that in general, we have become a consumption-oriented society, trying to keep up with the Jones’ and on a quest to keep up with the latest and greatest, whether it’s a car, an iphone, or a complete remodel of our home. From a neutral and objective standpoint, one might agree with McCracken that consumers like Susan aren’t necessarily shallow or materialistic just because they rely on these things to define who they are, but is that really the type of society we want to become? I’m not going to pass judgment on Susan because most Americans today, myself included, are guilty of unnecessary and excess consumption. But, it makes me take pause and question the reason that we feel the need to find our identity, and fulfillment in objects. I would also agree with McCracken’s conclusion that the current economic times won’t necessarily create the “new normal” of more conservative spending and less consumption. Old habits die hard, and for most Americans, the recession is simply a bump in the road, not a permanent deterrent from spending. This is probably due in large part to the fact that our government has intervened so aggressively to prevent many Americans from facing the true harsh reality of a depression. During the Depression of the 20’s and 30’s, the stock market crashed, and people starved to death. They lost their homes, their possessions and endured more difficult times than most Americans can imagine. As a result, people like my Grandmother who saw her parents struggle through the depression, understood how to stretch a dollar. Her goal was to pay off her modest home early and she and my grandfather saved their money for a rainy day. Today, the government has stepped in to funnel billions to banks, help people stay in their homes, and extend unemployment benefits for months and months. I don’t necessarily disagree with the government intervention when it comes to helping people who were truly victims of economic circumstances beyond their control, but let’s face it – a lot of people, from banking executives who made irresponsible decisions, to people who overspent and lied on their loan applications to buy the bigger home, are benefiting from this assistance. This begs the question, have people really learned to tighten their belts, save more and spend less? I doubt it.

I absolutely agree with the idea of Americans returning to old habits and consumption levels that were seen pre-recession. It is embedded in the culture of being American; spending and consuming for the purpose of self gratification and establishing status. Americans always want a bigger house, the newest gadgets, and more land which can be traced to our earliest roots. Another thing that I noticed in Susan as well as in me and others is that we as Americans convince ourselves to spend more or consume more. Just as Susan developed the excuse for merging the kitchen and living rooms together for the purpose of actually entertaining guests instead of being their “slave”, we all do a similar thing. We begin to tell ourselves “I deserve this”, or “It’s my money I work for it…” or other excuses to motivate us to buy more. I am also willing to bet that a large number of American have not changed their spending habits, or if so only very slightly. Some American may see the benefits of conservative spending however a great majority in my opinion still continue in their same care free spending. The reason I believe this is because the factors that contribute to care free spending are still present and will always be present despite the economy’s health. We shop to feel better about ourselves and to establish status by having the newest materials.

I think its very unfortunate that a majority of people after the recession are most likely going to return to their money spending ways. Isn’t bad spending habits and other factors the reason we are in the recession now? I thought the blog was very interesting and brought up so very good points about not being biased towards people. I think its sad that our society has developed into a very superficial materialistic orientated society. It is true that in fact some people may spend a great deal of money in order to be more socially interactive, but I also think there are ways to be more thrifty and still able to entertain and interact with people.

I’m pretty quick to judge people, especially when it comes to materialistic ones who live lavish lives. McCracken makes me think differently now. When I see people with really nice cars or wearing expensive flashy clothes – I always assume they are doing it because, like stated in the article, for status or filling an empty void. I now have a new outlook on these materialistic people. They could be in fact doing it just because they are trying to define themselves personally or socially – a much more positive and realistic way of looking at this situation. I for one, am pretty bad when it comes to self-control – especially when it’s something I really want, be it a new drumset, guitar, or anything else for that matter. Now when I think about why I want to buy these things I always come to one honest conclusion. I’m doing it for myself – not for anyone else. Not for “display” or filling an empty void – it’s purely for myself and what I enjoy doing, it helps me define who I am and what I enjoy doing.

I don’t think that there will be a new norm. Once we are out of this recession I believe that everyone will resume back to their old ways – just because it will be okay to do it. People say, “Oh, I can’t buy this because of the economy blah blah” once we are out, everyone will start back to their old ways because they couldn’t afford to buy or didn’t feel comfortable buying certain things during the recession. Once the media starts saying we are out of the recession, every thing will turn back to normal. At least that’s what I think.

I think that there are three different types of people in regards to this article. There’s the people like “Susan” that these economic hard times have not affected at all. She has continued living her life as if our economy is not in any kind of recession. I feel like these people have the right to continue spending their money the way that they want because if they earned the money then it’s their choice on what they want to spend it on. The second type of person is the one that has slowed down their spending during our depression, but will return to their normal ways once our economy is back on track. This type of person has been affected by the slow economy, but has not learned their lesson and will return to their free-spending ways. The third type of person is the one that has found their “new normal.” These people will continue being “stingy” with their money even after the economy returns to its normal state. These people will be very frugal with money from now on because this depression has shown taught them a great deal about saving and being smart with their money. I feel that it’s up to the person which “type” of person they are going to be, but it also depends on how much money this person makes. I think that the majority of people will be “type number two” that returns to their free-spending ways.

This is an interesting post, but not one that is saying anything new. America is a capitalistic society, because it is a free market society (anyone buys, and anyone sells – supposedly). It is, I believe, the nature of humans to want more stuff, it is the greed instinct inside us. So, when Susan wants to remodel her kitchen for 45,000 dollars, she does so for a few reasons: She wants to make her house look nicer (for herself), she wants to make her house look nicer (for other people), and she probably feels like she owes it to herself for being in a position to get a 45,000 dollar remodel job. As to the question of whether or not this is a wrong thing to do, I cannot make judgment, because I am not Susan and I do not know her situation in its entirety. However, I can make a judgment based on my personal feeling and personal situation. I agree that America has the stereotype of being a greedy nation consumed with stuff and status, but I am an American and this is not me. I believe that enough is better than too much, so if my house has a nice kitchen and doesn’t really need to be remodeled, I probably wouldn’t spend the money to get it done. There is another aspect to the story, suppose that the Susan’s house was set up in such a way that it didn’t allow for good social interaction. If Susan is a very socially active person who has people over to her house regularly, then considering a remodel job would definitely be a possibility. There are many ways to look at someone’s position and decide whether or not they are acting responsibly (I fear the word responsibility is becoming obsolete in much of society), but it really isn’t your opinion or mine that matters. What we need to be concerned with is our own lives and how we conduct ourselves, financially as well as in every other way.

I don’t agree with McCracken and his idea that Americans can’t change their spending habits. I believe after the economic crisis people will be more aware of how they send their money. I think we will look back and see how foolish we were wasting money and be smarter with spending. In the case of “Susan” McCracken does not go in depth and there could be other reasons “Susan” remodel her home. In the blog posting anthroguy points out other valuable reasons why “Susan” remodeled her home. But McCracken comes to the conclusion that fits his theory. I know that not everyone will change and there will people like “Susan” after the economic crisis but I believe the majority of us will change for the better.

I have to agree with McCraken about the “new normal”. American’s can not wait for the opportunity to get back to where are economy used to be. The reason I agree is because I saw it first hand on “Black Friday”. I had never gone to any “sale” the day after Thanksgiving because I did not think it was worth standing in line for hours just to buy something that might be sold out, or the same price as any other time. This year my younger brother convinced me to go with him to BestBuy. I thought that perhaps it might not be as packed as I have seen on T.V., we headed to the store when it was about to open. When we got there my brother had to park across the actual store parking lot, while I got in line. Needless to say the line was very long. If the economy is so bad, why are there still people waiting in line to spend, what they do not have? My brother had been saving his money from his first job, to buy himself a laptop, since it’s his first year in college. “Susan” is an adult, with a house, and bills, I do not see how she could still afford to remodel. Many people are losing their homes, and she is spending $45,000 on a “great room”. I suppose that money has to circulate somehow, and I understand that not everyone is in the same position, but if we are in this “Great Recession” I would be saving that money instead. “Susan” doesn’t seem like she is shallow, she is just a social person. Perhaps, she likes to invite people over to help them forget about their financial struggles and have fun for a change. Maybe we shouldn’t be quick to judge only because someone can afford to remodel and we can not. We are unequal and there will always be someone that can afford something that we cant, even if we are in a recession or not.

I think that it would be wrong to judge Susan. We may see her practices as wrong or over indulgent but as is stated in the blog, she is merely a product of our society and in the eyes or our society she is thriving and achieving what most of us have been taught to achieve. As Americans we are defined by our positions and people label us by our possessions. How many times have you described someone by the car they drive or ladies, by the purse they have? It happens all the time! Should we be ashamed of what our society deems successful? Probably. The waste our country produces is matched only by our consumption but that doesn’t mean we are going to change our ways. I grew up in poverty, literally wearing the same clothes to school for days. The only consolation given was that all this suffering would all be worth it because through school I would be able to buy and afford whatever I wanted. Now that I’m at the cusp of achieving this goal, I’m not sure I want it; but I’m sure am gonna get it! I agree with McCracken. Our society will not maintain its frugal status that it has held during this recession. We are eagerly awaiting that day when we are told that it is OK to spend and consume at “break-neck” speeds once again. When that time comes the shopping malls will once again be filled and the land fills will once again be overflowing.

everyone is different in who they are and how they spend there money during this economic troubled situation. lets look as susan a person who has no worries of what is at hand economically. she has stayed in her own ways of living and spending. but to i feel like in order to stablize the economy they always come after the lower and middle class people first, i think it should start at the top then work its way down. then we go down to the people who do spend then when something like this hits we start to see a change in the amount we spend and start setting our limits money wise and in what is more important. then once everything is ok economic wise we will start going back to spending. finally we have the new normal. these people are greedy with there money. these people know that one day everything will come tumbling down the the great depression and learn that the past can repeat itself if we are not too carful. overall i believe that we are in the catageory of the second type of person that will be aware of what they spend and go back to spending on whatever they want.