Consumerism In Brave New World Analysis

How a Utopia compares to present day In the novel Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, we are presented with a society that is abnormal from our own modern day society because of their technological advancements and different life perspectives. Although our society and the “World State” are very different, Huxley relates the two worlds throughout the novel with several meaningful quotes. Social critic Neil Postman, in his “Six Assertions”, talks about many of the topics in Brave New World and whether or not they are relevant in today’s society.

Aldous Huxley’s text, Brave New World, will leave you questioning your perspective on life and it’s choices. Within the novel, curious readers can see that government control over all in an attempt to create a utopia, can sometimes have a counter effect, creating a dystopia. Wielding it’s tool of conformity, The World State has forced its ideology into the minds of its people at a young age, in hopes of avoiding rebellion. In many ways this is how our society functions in the real world. The genre of Huxley's text may be fiction, but the society fabricated in Brave New World may not be so fictional after all.

Joshua Shavel Consumer Nation 10/5/17 How Consumerism Changed America America is often described as a nation of consumers. This description usually has a negative tone, implying that Americans are materialistic, and in comparison to the majority of other countries, this is true. Many people accuse Americans of having a level of consumption that is actually wasteful in a lot of ways. Finding the difference between “needs” and “wants” is difficult in a consumer nation, where options are almost limitless. Consumerism can also bring about positive change, though, and this is especially true in the United States.

“Unlike a drop of water, which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society, in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of himself too” (B.R. Ambedkar). In a society that controls a person's life they don’t have the chance to find out who they are and what they’re capable of.

1 - Consumerism developed in America during the early twentieth century in large part due to the boom in industry created by Europe 's inability to create goods after World War I. Combined this with American inventions such as Henry Ford’s assembly line and Americans had money to spend (Schultz, 2013). With the advent of an electrical distribution system, Americans had electricity in their homes for the first time, which led to the desire for all types of electrical appliances to make life easier. All these new products meant that companies had to get the word out about their products which ignited the advertising industry, which led to even more consumerism. Mix into this recipe, the growing credit industry, and you had consumerism like

Similarly, our world encourages mass consumption as well. Mass production and consumption subsequently create instant gratification, we don 't have to wait for products to be made or delivered, its there right away. Roberts’ article supports the fact that our world and Huxley’s world aren’t so far off from each other. As seen in the qoute, society today is rejects all modes of inconvenience. People don’t want to struggle or work to get something.

In 1964, a young Korean man moved to New York for the first time. He became fascinated with the fast paced action of the city and commercialized world around him. He noted the bright lights, big screens, and skyscrapers within the city. However, with all of these things he could not help but be distracted by the distinct lack of interaction between people. The people around him were more focused on what was happening on the screen than the communities around them.

People tend to want to trust that the society and culture that we grow up in is generally good and that we do not need to constantly worry about it falling apart into ruin. However, we all do live in imperfect societies that gladly head forward into their non-perfections. Socialism is a theory that says that everything should be lead and directed by the community involved. It is only a real possibility, though, if everyone is truly looking out for the best interests of each other, and not looking at how they can advance their own agenda. As you may know, that is not always the case in our own culture.

Truth and happiness are two things people desire, and in the novel, an impressive view of this dystopia’s two issues is described. In this society, people are created through cloning. The “World State” controls every aspect of the citizens lives to eliminate unhappiness. Happiness and truth are contradictory and incompatible, and this is another theme that is discussed in “Brave New World” (Huxley 131). In the world regulated by the government, its citizens have lost their freedom; instead, they are presented with pleasure and happiness in exchange.

In modern Western civilization, based on Aldous Huxley’s personal views, he implied warnings about the future of modern society throughout Brave New World. Huxley implied the dangers of technology, a big government, degrading humanity and its implication; therefore, modern citizens should be consequently thinking those dangers and how it still applies to modern civilization. If Huxley observed the daily life of modern students in western civilization, he would point out how life in Brave New World is similar to life today through technology, consumption, and how we see each other. Consumerism makes the community and economy stable, which is the goal of the society in Brave New World. In the novel, the buying and selling of goods and services are important to them in their consumer economy.

In Aldous Huxley’s dystopia of Brave New World, he clarifies how the government and advances in technology can easily control a society. The World State is a prime example of how societal advancements can be misused for the sake of control and pacification of individuals. Control is a main theme in Brave New World since it capitalizes on the idea of falsified happiness. Mollification strengthens Huxley’s satirical views on the needs for social order and stability. In the first line of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, we are taught the three pillars on which the novels world is allegedly built upon, “Community, Identity, Stability" (Huxley 7).

The utopian society in the Brave New World can be compared and contrasted between our contemporary society using individualism, community and the human experience. The fictional novel by Aldous Huxley, published in 1932, is about a utopian society where people focus stability and community over individuality and freedom, but an outsider is introduced to intervene with the operation of the utopian state. In the contemporary world, people need to show individuality in their communities in order to survive, and to be human, one must show emotion, which is the opposite in the Brave New World. Individualism is very important in the contemporary world, but in the utopian state, individuals are conditioned to be the same as everyone else. They do not know how to be themselves.

Dawn of Consumerism: A Critical Analysis of Dawn of the Dead George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978) initially comes across as a horror zombie film, however, with a deeper look at the plot, as well as the different film techniques, the film presents itself as a warning to the dangers of consumerism and it all-encompassing properties. The film does this by various camera angles that challenge the audience, along with thought-provoking character dialogue. The film brings forward the idea of commodity fetishism, hegemony, and reification. A brief paragraph will be dedicated to the zombies and what they represent, in addition to the exoticization of the mall. All of these techniques put the focus on the audience when deciding

In capitalist economy, the most important factor was the production and consumption of goods. The industrial revolution has allowed for new methods of production. It broadens range of the services, what significantly expanded their reach. The mass migration of people from rural to urban areas has resulted in a steady increase in the demand for new goods and services - everyone wishes to 'keep up with the Joneses ': to have their own home, car and dishwasher, as well as hottest smartphone app and ridiculous kitchen gadgets. This constant need for new accessories to improve our lives is forcing production of more and more new goods and services.

Consumerism is known as an era that was characterized by massive buying and consumption of goods. It was caused by the enormous production and increased products in the market. In the USA, consumerism was experienced in the 20th century. Technological advancement enabled massive production making the supply exceed the demand in the market ( Adas, 2010). The Americans were eager to try out new things hence boosted the supply of the goods.