如何玩弄你的wife?

Consumption and Identity

  Under the contemporary capitalist society, consumer culture as a dominate ideology is circulating around the entire society. Consumption as one of the most important things in every day life is highly related to the marketing, advertising and production process. Nowadays, there is an increasingly interest about the ideas and activities of consumption in the aspects of academic and popular discourse. Citizens, in the society, are more concern about their right as a consumer like the quality of the product, the attitude of service and the price of the product. There are also many scholars have delivered their theories and concepts about consumer culture. It should be noted that consuming a product is more than satisfying the personal needs in a mechanical way but about the personal feeling, identity and desire. Therefore, it is necessary for people to reflex about their consumption habit in order to make a clear mind about the relation between themselves and the products they consume. In the following part, I will reflex my recent consuming practices with some theories. Through the introspection, I would like to familiar with my consuming habits.

  Recently, I had bought a bag from Muji in the new store in Habour City. This bag is a travelling bag with a completely charcoal black in color. There are no other decorations on the bag. Frankly speaking, I would only consume bag from Muji but not other places. It is because all the products from Muji are selling a concept of simplicity which is a kind of minimalism. I think this kind of idea is suitable for my personal image therefore I usually use the bag from Muji. Through purchasing a bag from Muji, I am constructing my identity as a person who is simple and concise. This process is like a reflexive project that I choose what to wear in the market and my identity is shown through my choices. It is a process of self formation which means I make myself as a person I want to be. Other people would also depend on what I have chosen to judge what kind of person I am. This project of self is highly related to the possession of desired goods which help me to frame my life style artificially. Therefore, my identity is actually within a shopping list which I selected several items to dress on. After I dress on the commodities I selected, my image is able to be projected completely and successfully.

  The other reason I choose shopping in Muji is because Muji is promoting an attitude about all of the people should reason and restrain their self-interest rather than prioritize exclusive profit and individual cultural values. Also, products manufactured by Muji are not aimed at lure their customers into believing that ‘this is the best’ or ‘I must have this’. Otherwise, Muji try to let their customers to feel the rational sense of satisfaction with ‘this is enough.’ Therefore, Muji tend to use the high quality material and the simplest design to make their product universal enough for all customers. In order to show my agreement towards the idea promoted by Muji, I would tend to selected products from Muji rather than other place. I as a consumer can be regarded as activist. Through consuming the products from Muji, I support the concept of redefining consumption in a more ethical way and the effort made by Muji.

  However, in the other point of view, when I considered consuming this bag, I only concerned about the exchange value, the use-value of the bag was completely ignored. The price paid for this Muji bag was taking over the usage of this bag. It can be refer to the commodity fetishism from Marx. Commodity fetishism claims that the value of commodities is no longer depending on the nature of the commodities themselves but on the social relations within the production. Marx’s will is that people do not produce goods directly for their needs. People start to exchange their labor power for money to purchase goods from the market. There is no longer a relationship between the producers and their products. This is a process of comodification. That means when I buy this Muji bag, I aware only the relationship between I with the bag, but unaware of the people who produced that bag. Also, I will try to sell my labor power to produce goods I do not need in order to exchange money for me to buy the bag. It is a kind of alienation between the labors and their products. The more important thing is that the labor power is not related to the values it produces . There are manufactures, businessmen and authorities are gaining the profit between a high price of products and low cost labor. After selling my labor force, I may not be able to afford to buy or use what I have made.

  When we concern about the use value of the bags, there are many bags in the market can share the same function with the bag from Muji and the price of those bags is also much cheaper. However, I still willing to consume this bag because I want to consume the signs attached on that products. The signs behind that Muji bag can be the idea of simplicity, the satisfaction and the quality of life and superior lifestyle. All the above ideas can be found by the advertisements of Muji. There are signs added on the commodity through the image and music in those advertisements of Muji. Advertising help Muji to add its products with certain meanings. Other than those meanings, those advertisements create needs and try to shape consumer behavior.

  Also, the design of products and the branding of muji help the deliver of these signs. After purchasing this bag, I am able to own these signs in order to construct my self identity.

  Few days ago, I had my breakfast in Delifrance before I went to school. I seldom go to Delifrance for breakfast and I think it is an interesting experience to have breakfast in Delifrance. Before having my breakfast, I bought a newspaper which was Ming Pao. Most of the time, I stick on watching Ming Pao but not other newspaper. This kind of consumption is not merely about a consuming habit but a communicating process. According to Douglas and Isherwood, consumers use good to make and maintain social relationship with others. Through Ming Pao as a material object helps me to express social difference with the others. Also, reading Ming Pao allows me to make a relationship with others who read the same newspaper with me. I am able to communicate with others about who I am and what kind of person I am through this newspaper. It is because Ming Pao is renowned as its professional and neutral characteristics. There is an underlying statement in my mind which is people who reading Ming Pao seems well educated and civilized when comparing with people who choose Apple Daily and Oriental Daily to read. Therefore, Ming Pao is like a marker for me to distinguish myself from other and at the same time to show I am more superior then others who read Apple Daily and Oriental Daily. Therefore difference types of newspaper have carried different social meanings to the citizens. Also, all the newspapers in Hong Kong are nearly the same price. There are no advantages for people who have high volume of economic capital. The choice of newspaper is completely depend on what kind of person you are and what is your preference toward newspaper. Moreover, some people would choose Hong Kong Economic Journal or South China Morning Post to read which seem even more superior to read Ming Pao. However, for me, these two newspapers are too formal and serious.

  Usually, I would not go to Delifrance for my breakfast. I would go to Macdonald or KFC which is cheaper, but seldom go to Delifrance. For me, people having breakfast in Delifrance are more likely coming from middle-class. I a student, who do not have high income, can only afford a breakfast in the place like Macdonald and KFC where most of the lower classes would have breakfast there. However, interestingly, the price of having breakfast in Delifrance is only a little higher than in Macdonald and KFC. The one who can afford about $20 for a breakfast in Macdonald should also have enough economic power to have a breakfast in Delifrance which in Delifrance a breakfast is only costing $25 in average. Therefore, it should be noted that the economic factor is not the only reason for people to design which restaurants they would like to go to. Delifrance are restaurants which there are servants to serve their customers and the decoration is decent and cozy. Macdonald and KFC seem more crowded and uncomfortable when compared with Delifrance. When we design where we to go for a meal, we would not only consider our economical condition but also the status. Warner had said that different status group had developed a unique way of life. People in different status would have different consuming behavior. According to Bourdieu, people would draw three types of different resources to compete their status. These three types of resources are economic capital which refers to financial resources, social capital which refer to networks and cultural capital which refer to tastes, skills and knowledge. People go to Delifrance for breakfast is not only because of their economic capital but more importantly about their cultural capital. People having breakfast in Delifrance can be regarded as having a taste of middle class. Delifrance seems act as a marker of class. Therefore, people who are in middle class would go to Delifrance or restaurants with the same rank rather than KFC and Macdonald. Also, people like me who want to be regarded as middle class would also go to Delifrance as through having breakfast in Delifrance, their identity can be shown, created and developed. Cultural capital operates in term of tastes and consumption practices. Also, throught the construction of the habitus as tastes and consumption practices across many goods and activities, a lifestyle is constructed which is a distinctive set of consumption patterns. That means having breakfast in Delifrance is only a single consumption practice. However, when people having brakfast in Delifrance every day, it becomes a habitus. This habitus together with other consumption practices, a lifestyle is constructed. Different lifestyle would fit in different social class. Therefore, it can be regarded that having breakfast in Delifrance is an activity of middle class. It would also show that the people have taste if they have breakfast in Delifrance.

  From the above consuming activities and the analysis behind those activities, it can be noted that consumption these behaviors are not only related to the commodities. When people consume a product or service, there are many factors and reasons behind this consuming practice. It may relate to the self identity, the personal desire, communication process or self interest. Also, the aim of consumption is actually satisfting the personal needs and desires. However, these needs and desires can be greatly influnced and created through the advertisements, marketing and dominate ideology. Therefore, we should not disparage consumption as a usual behaviour in the society.

 

Reference list

Corrigan, P. (1997). Theoretical Approaches to Consumption. In P. Corrigan, The Sociology of Consumption. London: Sage.

Edwards, T. (2000). Conceptions of Consumption. In T. Edwards, Contradiction of Consumption: Concepts, Practices and Politics in Consemer Society. Philadelphia: Open University Press.

Edwards, T. (2000). Introduction: Contradictions of Consumption. In T. Edwards, Contradiction of Consumption: Concepts, Practices and Politics in Consemer Society. Philadelphia: Open University Press.

Giddens, A. (1991). In Modernity and Self-identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford: Standard University Press.

Holt D.B. (2000). Does Cultural Capital Structure American Consumption? In D.B. Holt The Consumer Society Reader. New York: New Press.

Lee, M. (1993). Capital, Labout and the Commodity-form. In M. Lee, Consumer Culture Reborn: The Culture Politics of Consumption. London: Routledge.

Slater, D. (1997). The Culture of Commodities. In D. Slater, Consumer Culture and modernity. Oxford, UK: Polity Press.

The Future of Muji. (n.d.). Retrieved 5 10, 2009, from Muji Global: http://www.muji.com/message/

以往寫的東西......(5)

我想將不愛的東西從窗口丟棄。




枯萎的花，過期的維他命，



褪流行的戒指，



變色的友誼，失寵的回憶，



模糊的愛情........



還有我自己。

以往寫的東西......(4)

水




從額前的髮綹滑落



沿著瞼頬的曲線蜿蜒滾到下頷



接著........



一滴一滴



已不清是雨縷良還是....

以往寫的東西......(3)

這是生命的氣息




是河岸邊動人的場景



水上的暮色如鏡



漣漪微波的聲音浮過晚空

以往寫的東西......(2)

你若看到一朵鮮花在你手里總難免會覺得很惋惜




甚至會覺得有種說不出的愁悶



就算你并不是個多愁善感凡人



你也會不禁為這歎息

......真的是我寫的嗎？為甚麼會忘了？

以往寫的東西......(1)

那天，我把自己的心刨了出來，




放在浴缸裏，洗了又洗......



之後又把他掛在窗外等乾，



卻給一隻不知來歷的烏鴉吃了。



在與那死雀打鬥期間，



又把住在對面的鄰居嚇暈了。

面試五招

經歷了大大小小的面試之後，覺悟出面試必備的五個條件，與方間所教授的面試技巧不同

1. 面試前填form，記著每份form 都可能有背面，要檢查清潔自己有沒有填。 我見過很多人太緊張，不知道背後有得填，被笑

 

      2.   當面試的時候，考官說甚麼都好，瞪大雙眼，作可愛陶精狀，令考官覺得你很祟拜他。(考官男女佳可)

 

 

 

      3.   說話大聲，達先聲奪人之效，但切忌咆哮。

 

 

 

      4.     一係第一個發言，一係最後一個，中間那些大都被忘記。

 

 

 

      5.     找方法讓別人記得你。(在正常的方法下)

最新老麥廣告

修改前

修改後

小弟一年前的作品，反正封塵，不如拿出來供人欣賞。

一個殺手的故事

這是我最近參與短片拍攝所遇到的故事

好厲害的編劇阿!



人：殺手 H、被殺者


被殺者：你唔好殺我，至多我俾曬我d身家俾你丫，有8萬幾嫁。




殺手 H用槍指著被殺者。




殺手 H：請我殺你個條友俾成十萬。




被殺者：我俾我既家傳虎鞭丫。




殺手：唔洗，我有偉哥。




被殺者：仲有仲有，我老婆好索嫁，我送埋佢你，唔求你好殺我丫！




殺手H：唔好意思，請我的人正是你老婆，我擒夜仲同佢攪左幾鑊。




被殺者：係咩，咁你覺得點呀？




殺手H：ok la。不過我嫌個胸細ｄ。



被殺者：係la，我都覺，等我返去叫老婆隆下個胸先。遲ｄ聯絡。






被殺者起身，步行離開。

殺手開槍。

被殺者被射死。

殺手目無表情的離開。

from Swing

慶祝本日誌正式開張

真是的，在這年紀才開始寫自己的第一個網誌好像有點老。

不過希望能持之以恆，寫個有趣的網誌呢。