“Is the culture of consumption good for American society?” 

thesis: The culture of consumption is not inherently bad for American society, but would be better if it were manifested in a different way.

Introduction:

Opening/ ‘Clincher’: No one can deny the high that comes with going on a shopping spree, but is that high one of an Enlightened mind after a particularly challenging session of meditation, or the high of a junkie who is a few hours past his fix?

        -Consumerism can be harnessed into positive energy, though it is mostly used for what we consider ‘bad’ (Shames’s          article + how the desire for "more" can never quite be fulfilled)

         -according to Maasik and Solomon, there is renewed interest in cultures past that pop culture brings about
        
        -these two schools of thought can be combined to show that consumerism is not an incurable ill, but rather something that can be good.

Thus, the culture of consumption is not inherently bad for American society, but would be better if it were manifested in a different way.

Body:

I. Obviously, if we do not know why we're consuming or why we feel the constant desire of 'more', as Laurence Shames describes it, that is not an aware or positive act of progress.

         -it still is progress

         -let's look at some things consumerism brings into our cultural consciousness

II. Consumerism brings about renewed interest in older or different culture (vampires), although not in the same    
way as these were originally presented; though, it can for some people (Dracula is more readily available, nowadays).

                        - Though, perhaps, most people do not look past the immediate rush or pleasure in consuming a new                        phenomenon (vampire love stories, for instance), there are others who can and do.
               
III. hipster culture: a passing fad or a revival in older, harder to find culture?

                       -1920's mustaches, tape recorders and portable CD players becoming 'hip', old films and fashion trends of                different eras ---> done, perhaps, as more of a "statement", but can spark interest, help expand knowledge,            intrigue at older ways of life and help fill the gap of generations disconnect (consumerism can be used for 'good')


Conclusion:

         -Consumerism is not inherently bad, but has been used by big companies as a blind mechanism to allow people to keep contributing to the economy. It can be used for good, just as it is being used to expand knowledge and bring generations closer in the dreaded 'hipster movement'.

    The authors of Signs of LIfe in the U.S.A., broadly define sign as a shift in what an item of popular culture means to us, as Americans and consumers (of American culture). This is different from signifier, which is simply the item which has changed. Maasik and Solomon use vampires as their example: "But these vampires are not the same. It's as if Dawson's Creek were set in Transylvania and Nosferatu moved to Melrose Place" (1). Of course, here they are noting the dual meanings of vampires - what they used to represent to people, bloodthirsty creatures who were vaguely sexual, but not accepted or normalized as according to the strict societal and moral standards of the time. The other meaning would be the one given today, which most pre-teens and teenagers, could tell you: vampires are now 'sexy', to use modern terminology supplied by the authors, and normalized. They lend real life a certain danger, but do not deviate from most other adolescents - they go to school, work, and have romantic interests.
    So, how was popular culture formed? Well, it is a fusion between 'folk culture' and 'mass culture'. Folk culture is entertainment by and for the people, literally. As Maaskin and Solomon write, "Self-produced by amateur performers, folk culture can be best envisioned by thinking of neighbors gathering on a modest Appalachian front porch to play their guitars, banjos,.....to perform, for their own entertainment, ballads and songs passed down from generation to generation" (3). Clearly, while this is a form of entertainment that is shared by multiple people, it is far too localized and specialized to be recognizable as the kind of entertainment we have today, although it was a start to the culture we have today. Mass culture is the kind of popular culture we have today - it is sold and marketed as a commodity. It caters to a large scale of people and is made by a few, rather than by some individuals within the area.
    The semiotic method can be used to analyze this newly formed popular culture by deciphering 'sign's and seeing how they relate to the community and time period, at large. Semiotics seeks to look beyond the literal message of an item of popular culture; the authors give an example of 50s sitcoms that were perfectly acceptable at the time, which then a modern feminist can critically analyze, using semiotics, saying they perpetuate a misogynistic culture. Maasik and Solomon writes of the way a feminist can view these sitcoms, " Such images - or signs - did not reflect reality; they reflected, rather, the interests of a patriarchal, male-centered society" (11). If feminists can use semiotics to incorporate their world view into a seemingly minor popular culture phenomenon, then semiotics have obvious advantages - they can be used to critically analyze a trend from any school of thought or from any platform, rather than simply pointing out obvious, surface-level ideas from any trend or item.
    Using semiotics to interpret the modern phenomenon of vampires, as mentioned earlier, Maasik and Solomon first point out the history of vampires - they have been in popular culture for quite some time, but why the sudden resurgence? And why are vampires not so scary and more relatable, nowadays? Again, according to Maasik and Solomon, the shift came by an item within popular culture, a sign - specifically, Interview with the Vampire - in 1976. The vampire story there was charged with eroticism and relatability, rather than revulsion and horror. In even more modern culture, vampires now have stories that appeal to young adults, teens, and even preteens. They are set in suburbia and have touches of eroticism that play into the adolescent love stories described, like in Twilight, rather than overt sexuality that is seen as satanic, as in Dracula. A good love story always reels teens in, especially when it is set in high school and there is a touch of danger to it. The resurgence of vampires makes perfect sense when viewed in this context.
   

Maasik, Sonia, and Jack Solomon. Signs of Life in the U.S.A..
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 1-22. Print.