Should corporate symbols be a part of everyday life in schools? Is it possible to imagine daily life without these symbols? In the ongoing quest of figuring out your end game, to what extent is privatization of school acceptable? necessary? predatory?
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sports, symbols and commodification
One of the takeaways from Alex' visit to our class last week was the ubiquity of corporate symbols. He opened our class by stating that we cannot go a day without interacting with some kind of corporate symbol. Extending on that, what drives us to place value far above material worth and imbue symbolic worth on some brands? To put this in relief, think of the brand names that mean a whole lot to you but make zero sense to someone not in your social/cultural circle. For example, I am forever teasing my friend Bree for her Vera Bradley bags which I call "old lady bags," but I recognize that the appeal of these accessories lies not in the pattern and quilting but in who else is carrying the bags. You should be hearing some echoes of Bourdieu and cultural capital here. For a more pointed discussion of the symbols in sports marketing and the ideologies in those symbols, check out Macklemore's commentary below.
Should corporate symbols be a part of everyday life in schools? Is it possible to imagine daily life without these symbols? In the ongoing quest of figuring out your end game, to what extent is privatization of school acceptable? necessary? predatory?
Should corporate symbols be a part of everyday life in schools? Is it possible to imagine daily life without these symbols? In the ongoing quest of figuring out your end game, to what extent is privatization of school acceptable? necessary? predatory?
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Like we've talked about, brand names are literally everywhere in our society. Maybe I'm being cynical, but I'm really not sure that banning corporate symbols in schools would change much of anything, since kids will still absorb these symbols in almost every other arena of their lives (social interactions outside of school, TV, advertisements on public transportation, signs on the street etc).
ReplyDeleteFor the past few years, I've worked in a tennis/literacy program at a BPS middle school, and it's become very clear that students have internalized the meaning of brand names well before 6th grade. Every month we have "real talk" with the 8th graders (who have been together since 6th grade) to talk about a different issue. In December, the topic was judging, and the students discussed the ways that they have all judged one another, and how they can stop it. This song immediately reminded me of one of my students who started crying during the real talk because she told her classmates that she feels judged by them for wearing the same clothes a lot of the time even though she can't afford anything else. Her comment caused a lot of other students to chime in as well-- mostly talking about the pressures of "cool" clothes/shoes in middle school. This is a sad reality, but I think one of the saddest parts is knowing that being judged for what you wear/the brands you have is not unique to middle school.
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ReplyDeleteI have to say I was surprised by Mackelmore’s insight on branding, specifically the Nike Swish. No matter how “non-conformist” people may identify themselves as, we are lying if we claim to live above the branding of consumerism. We are naturally inclined to make meaning of ourselves and the world around us through symbols, and branding has capitalized on this tendency. It is interesting to think about the way we brand ourselves through the variety of symbols we identify with – whether those symbols are displayed on our laptops, clothing labels, tattoos, jewelry, cell phone cases, facebook pages, etc. Even more interesting is how we are inclined to think we represent our individuality through our personal display of branding. Why is it that we think we can and should define our individuality through corporate symbols? That is a loaded question and one easier to ask than answer. On the one hand, the brands only mean so much when compared to personality, behavior, and character. Yet on the other hand, as Mackelmore highlights, our crucial phases of developing a sense of self in the years of schooling are dictated by brands and how they define which social circles we identify with, ultimately influencing who we become as adults.
ReplyDeleteThe culture of schooling pressures students to establish themselves in a particular category of interests, manifested through branding ourselves in the various examples I mentioned. Mackelmore dwells on how he defined himself through the swish on his sneakers, explaining how consumerism consumed him, the symbol becoming entangled and fused with his identity. As People Like Us reminds us, class is absolutely everywhere. In a perfect world, branding would exist without the price so entangled in its meaning, allowing people to choose on the mere condition of interest or appreciation of a product. In a perfect world, corporate symbolism would not be categorized by social class and there would be no implicit difference between a North Face jacket and a comfy fleece, or between a Long Champ purse and any other kind of tote bag. This perfect world, however, is not feasible in our consumerist, capitalist society. I do not believe that corporate symbols should be a part of everyday life in schools, and I would even go so far as to be in favor a dress code of sorts that limited the scope of labels to be plastered on our appearances. In the debate of school uniformity, I have always been in favor of individuality, which is most obviously manifested through freedom of dress. However, the vast majority of students in school, especially middle/high school, are so weighted by the pressures to wear certain clothes or shoes or jewelry, whatever it may be, that individualism is suffocated by the intense desire to conform with the rest of the crowd. I am sure this attitude is a reflection of my own insecurities in high school, trying so hard to match whatever the look of that phase happened to be; however, I am sure I am not alone. Especially in response to Annelise’s comment, it is disheartening to hear how something as trivial as brand names will damage a student’s self-confidence and elevate a fear of judgment.