Comments on: No New Normal, Says McCracken

By: LeahW.

LeahW. — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:10:31 +0000

McCraken’s statement that Americans will shortly return to their original shopping habits shortly after or during the “repression” is most surely proven correct. Businesses have had to change their marketing strategies to continue to keep sales up during this recession, and it shows to be successful. Every business advertises “sales” and 0% financing options to draw in buyers and it works! The American public is in more debt now than it ever has been and there is no end in site. In my experience with the people in my life the recession has increased the spending habits of some while increasing that of others. Due to the fact that people like construction workers are out of jobs, they have lowered their prices and started doing more work on the side. This would result in an increase in remodeling as Susan has done.
Susan is choosing to spend her money as she wishes and more power to her. We don’t work so that we can have money sit in a bank for our entire lives; we are supposed to enjoy it. I liked McCraken’s anthropological approach to Susan’s character. He did not judge her actions but rather took a step back and saw her view of the situation. Susan seems like that type of person who likes to surround herself around company and objects, they make her feel comforted. She likes to have an open area so that she doesn’t miss out on any of the conversation or action, which I why she remodeled. We should thank Susan instead of judging her. She is not just sitting on her money but rather investing it into the economy that is in the middle of crisis. The more money that can be out flowed to the economy the better the economy will become. People like Susan are the ones that are continuing to give us all jobs and supporting our economy. Without spenders there is no need for producers, the cycle needs both to work.
In general the recession has affected many people and their spending habits for a period of time. Like McCraken states as soon as the immediate crisis is over the public will return to their original shopping habits. If the recession hasn’t personally affected you and your family’s income than it is more than likely that your spending habits have not changed at all even though you are aware of the condition of the economy. McCracken brings valid arguments for American and their shopping habits that really interested me thank you for sharing this article.

Leah

By: Diane Barnes

Diane Barnes — Mon, 02 May 2011 06:38:25 +0000

I’m torn by this piece for several reasons. First, I myself have never gone into debt or have had real extreme money issues but I am in the process of paying the small amount of debt I have accumulated; mostly from spending in my late teens and early twenties. I learned the hard way to manage my money and am now more frugal with my money. Do I want certain things, yes, do I make spontaneous purchases? Sometimes, but I have learned to live differently. I am sure that many others in our society have and are in the same boat cutting down on materialistic objects. However, we have in a sense fostered a society in wich materials are highly prized and used to convey social status. Many, spend beyond their means. We have seen depressions come and go and in a society where things are constantly changing and improving, people will continue to spend. Some of them will be able to afford it, some won’t and those who can’t wont necessarily learn from their experience but continue until it breaks them. History usually tends to repeat itself because people don’t learn from theirs or others pasts.

By: Nicole Angene

Nicole Angene — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:48:26 +0000

As Americans, many of us do like to spend a good amount of money. This Idea of “Susan,” that McCracken has composed of through research, is a character that I have seen one too many times in my lifetime. The people who have everything, yet always seeking the bigger and better things out there! The motivation is often time for social purposes, to fit in, or to give people something to talk about. I often would see Susan as “a status-seeking machine…and to register her relatively high position on some scale of social hierarchy,” as mentioned in the study above. Yet when the article/study asked me to leave all judgment at the door when thinking back on this “Susan” character it was easier for me to understand McCracken’s point that her life was sensible to her, and that was all that truly mattered once I left the judgment at the door. Recession or not, people will do what fits in their budget and in their lives, can we change that about them? No! Besides like many have mentioned in previous posts, it’s helping our economy the more they spend!

By: Mary V.

Mary V. — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:01:04 +0000

Capitalist society we are. We are taught to make lots of money and forced to spend lots of money. In all that process we envy the people who have more money and material things. Like Susan who uses her money, not necessarily for profit (e.q.money) but another kid of profit. She expects acceptance and status. I believe that is why we “society” spends, by spending on “us”. I am hoping people learn, because we are in a depression when money and jobs are becoming scarce.

By: Kassandra E

Kassandra E — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 02:01:00 +0000

I agree with McCracken on how we cannot judge “Susan” because really we have no idea why or for what reason she wanted to remodel her kitchen. For all we know it could have been just for herself so she could watch the television while cooking in the kitchen. It’s not our right to judge people on how they are coping or dealing with the recession. Like the article said, some people aren’t affected by the recession at all. They continue on with their everyday spending and aren’t worried about their finances. As for the rest of us, watching how we spend our earning now has become much more important. It’s a debate between $4.00/gallon gas to get us around or buying that really cute dress we saw at the store. I think that it is important for the people out there who are not affected to continue their lifestyle and keeping consuming products, they help stimulate the economy. The others who aren’t so lucky still have their wants that they will someday get I’m sure, but for now they’re put on hold. Even though this article is over a year old, the recession is still in full effect, and much change hasn’t occurred.

By: Cathy Nguyen

Cathy Nguyen — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:32:09 +0000

This is certainly an interesting post since I believe if you have the money and want to do something with it, you can. It is just a way of life. Money does have a lot to do with how things work in our world and you get what you pay for and that is what Susan did with her money. She wanted something nicely done and she got it. People use money to get what they want and most of the time, it works. Other times it does not. But sometimes we do not look at the outcome of things like credit card bills or even loans. We just all live in a life filled with materialistic things and we are all just so comfortable with that that we do not value what money could actually do. So much is going on in our world that I’m sure most don’t care to help. Life has its ways and we all tend to take it for granted but hopefully when this crisis that we are dealing with will become something of the past. Budgets and jobs are being cut more and more just so we can save our future and in relating to this article, Susan probably did not think of that. She simply saw what was best for her. $45,000 is a lot of money and it could have been used on something more useful but it wasn’t and there is really nothing you can do about it but admire what was done. Here we don’t know the full story of Susan or what she has done out of life. It pretty much was summed up how American live in a world where materials are important since it is connected to status. I however am half and half on this, we all are different and do help out when we can since we do after all have our own lives to worry about too.

By: JessicaM

JessicaM — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:22:54 +0000

Ummm, please define normal to begin with then define new normal, that’s like telling a rock no you cant be a tree…You cant define normal, because we all know normal is what the norm of that area of majority is/ says it is…sometimes the majority means all the idiot are on the same side. I don’t really see how Susan is the best example he could have came up with but will go from there. I do like his snazzy way of saying materialistic to its fullest in the post (n an exchange with a commenter to the piece, McCracken sums it up nicely: “Americans are especially interested, for several technical reasons, in using the object world, their material culture, to [define themselves].”) However even if some people were like that, I know a lot of people who would redo their kitchen to make more room. For example my grandparents redid their kitchen to open it up more to the house so we could utilize a room we were not using (dinning room) and allow for a more open area in which to cook. This wasn’t done for socializing this was done cause my grandpa want to be able to cook and wanted more room. At the same time everyone uses materialistic things to in a way define them from their shoes to their clothes to even the products in their hair. Even tattoos can be a form of materialist art. My only concern is when the person becomes so consumed in it that they become so materialistic they stop enjoying the finer things like life. Just cause the jeans didn’t cost 190 bucks does not make them better it makes them more expensive. People who use materialist things to me seem to be hiding in a way from either a flaw they have or some sort of insecurity they don’t want to face. Clothes don’t make the person, they make the person look a little bit better, but in the end its not going to make you a better person if you buy a 400 dollar suit compared to 250 dollar suit. I think more people need to be aware of this and how its coming across to the children this day an age. My cousin is 10 and if he doesn’t have a certain type of shoe he freaks out cause that’s what the tv and all the other children have. People need to get over themselves and remember there are those who don’t have anything. I may not come from the richest family but we get buy cause we are not materialistic, but I grew up with a mother who spent money like it grew off trees cause it made her feel better about herself. So half the time there was no food in the house cause she went and bought clothes or shoes or something. We got by, but I would never want to see other children not be able to thrive cause their parents are off buying things, lesson here don’t have children, but really people need to realize materials don’t make the person and they wont fix the flaws or insecurities you have, seek help not your money.

By: 2010 in review « TheAnthroGuys

2010 in review « TheAnthroGuys — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:34:57 +0000

[...] The busiest day of the year was January 7th with 226 views. The most popular post that day was No New Normal, Says McCracken. [...]

By: Misael Aponte

Misael Aponte — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:25:39 +0000

Well you can call me judgmental, the the lady does seem to be trying to fill a void. I’m sorry but I can not help but to think if I had ever to meet this little that she would be a self-centered pompous snob. That I would have nothing in common with. Is she a good person? I do not know. Does she have some redeeming qualities? I do not know. All I can see is the fact that she spends a lot of money. Impressions go both ways. If a person sees a hobo out on the street begging for money. I am pretty sure they would have an impression, most likely negative. So at the same time if I see a rich person acting like a pompus my impression would be also negative. I think that the “Poor rich guy/gal” cliche is over played.

By: Suzanne Ronshausen

Suzanne Ronshausen — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:58:16 +0000

I think McCracken’s work summarizes the “American Dream” of working for something and getting whatever you want. We are a nation of consumers, the reasons why we each want to acquire as much as possible may vary, however, that drive for consumption does not. Our country’s current economic status had merely slowed the consumption rate but has not eliminated it. Proof can be seen that as soon as people get there tax return checks, much of that may be spent on new toys and other fun things. The more we come out of this recession, the more people will consume. What this nation needs is to become a nation of producers again. While we once were leading the world in industry, much of production has been outsourced and we buy from other countries. Not much is actually American made nowadays. It feels as though we just expect to have whatever we want yet there is no pride in making things ourselves. Our nation puts importance on social appearance and socio-economic status rather than the ability to produce.