The Extent to Which Increase in Prosperity in the Uk Has Been Accompanied by an Increase in Happiness
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Module DD101 TMA 02
TMA 02 Write an essay that outlines the view that a consumer society is a divided society. Consumption or to consume is the ability to use and dispose of goods or services. In this essay I will attempt to outline the view that a consumer society is a divided society. These divisions can be between young and old, rich and poor, able-bodied and disabled and so on. Two social scientists, Zygmunt Bauman (1988) and Dennis Wrong (1997) state that the consumer society is divided into two parts, ‘the seduced’ and ‘the repressed’ and ‘zero-sum game’ and ‘positive-sum game’. I will take you through the claims and the concepts then back this up with evidence for these two arguments. Bauman (1988, cited in Making Social Lives, Taylor, et al 2009) argues that consumption is creating new divisions and these are defining the consumer society which is determined by the access to and the ability to use consumption to shape ones identity, thus being the seduced and the repressed. For those who, due to their financial or social circumstances, are in a position to consume effectively have the promise of freedom and choice within a consumer society, Bauman refers to these as the seduced. The seduced are not just those that have enough disposable income to purchase goods but those who are seen as valued members of a consumer society due to material things such as cars. A graph showing average weekly household expenditure on main commodities and services in 2007 (ONS, 2008, cited in Making Social Lives, 2009, p 24) shows on average a household spends more on recreation and culture and transport than necessities such as health. This evidence shows one side of Bauman’s argument for the seduced, this group want to live the lifestyle and keep the status that is identified to other members of this group. However, exclusion from the consumer society is defined by the inability to consume effectively and a lack of belonging in said society, this group is what Bauman calls...
TMA 02 Write an essay that outlines the view that a consumer society is a divided society. Consumption or to consume is the ability to use and dispose of goods or services. In this essay I will attempt to outline the view that a consumer society is a divided society. These divisions can be between young and old, rich and poor, able-bodied and disabled and so on. Two social scientists, Zygmunt Bauman (1988) and Dennis Wrong (1997) state that the consumer society is divided into two parts, ‘the seduced’ and ‘the repressed’ and ‘zero-sum game’ and ‘positive-sum game’. I will take you through the claims and the concepts then back this up with evidence for these two arguments. Bauman (1988, cited in Making Social Lives, Taylor, et al 2009) argues that consumption is creating new divisions and these are defining the consumer society which is determined by the access to and the ability to use consumption to shape ones identity, thus being the seduced and the repressed. For those who, due to their financial or social circumstances, are in a position to consume effectively have the promise of freedom and choice within a consumer society, Bauman refers to these as the seduced. The seduced are not just those that have enough disposable income to purchase goods but those who are seen as valued members of a consumer society due to material things such as cars. A graph showing average weekly household expenditure on main commodities and services in 2007 (ONS, 2008, cited in Making Social Lives, 2009, p 24) shows on average a household spends more on recreation and culture and transport than necessities such as health. This evidence shows one side of Bauman’s argument for the seduced, this group want to live the lifestyle and keep the status that is identified to other members of this group. However, exclusion from the consumer society is defined by the inability to consume effectively and a lack of belonging in said society, this group is what Bauman calls...