Culture describes the many ways in which human beings express themselves for the purposes of uniting with others, forming a group, defining an identity, and even for distinguishing themselves as unique.
Cultural expression is highly sensual in that human beings often create activities, practices, symbols, and so on that can be easily consumed by our senses. For example, culturally distinct forms of dance or physical movement attract our senses of touch and sight; whereas culturally specific foods seek to activate our sense of taste and smell.
Although “culture” is not necessary for the survival of the human species, notions of culture and cultural identities are present in almost every human society on earth. As the world moves closer together through increased globalization, migration, and technological advancement human beings are beginning to question the role (and reach) of culture within all aspects of human existence. The “question of culture” is one that reflects on how culture has historically been used to justify and legitimize certain behaviors, practices, traditions, and overall ways of living. For example, while drafting the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, several countries represented at this United Nations General Assembly meeting that year took reservation with some of the tenants of the declaration that were perceived as being in “conflict” with their cultural practices and beliefs. In this example, using culture to refrain from agreeing with a set of international standards for handling cases of violence directed at women, posed a difficult situation given that it placed culture at odds with upholding universal notions of human rights.
The Essay on Cultural practices
Culture, ethnocentrism and cultural relativity are the three terms which form the basis of this essay. There is an effort to define each of these terms in as precise manner as possible. Moreover some discussion on human attitudes and characteristics precedes the final answer to the question : can we judge a cultural practice as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ? The answer is affirmative : Yes, all cultural ...
The relationship between youth culture and consumerism is rapidly growing stronger everyday. In today world, many youth cannot distinguish between “wants†and “needsâ€, and our capitalist economy often leads them to the fetishism of goods and services. Youth in our society often have the tendency to identify strongly with the products and services that they consume, and while they have more buying power now than ever before, they are also more gullible and confused. In addition, they are preyed upon by the media due to their desire to become socially accepted. In today’s world, youth are a primary concern in our materialistic culture.
Youth have more buying power now than ever before. Baby boomers are beginning to retire, and now, as parents, they have sufficient money to be able to give a significant amount of it to their offspring. This is because they have established a sufficient flow of money to support themselves, since most baby boomers by now have a stable career. Many youth spend the majority of their disposable income on typical and conventional items such as clothing, and as a result, they also have the most buying power of all the age groups (http://www.aces.edu/urban/metronews/vol2no4/purchasing.html).
Another important thing to note is that the concept of allowances is a fairly recent one. It offers a constant flow of money to children and adolescents alike, and as a by-product, it assures youth that they will have a guaranteed payday on set days. This causes teens to spend more money since an allowance is expected once every few days. If a teen did not have an allowance, then he or she would rather save their money for more important items, due to the fact that they would be unsure when they would get more money.
Secondly, tuition fees for universities have skyrocketed during the last few years. This results in teens getting jobs to afford their university fees, and as a side effect, they also have more disposable income. High university fees also tend to encourage students to borrow money from several different sources, such as banks and the government. When students get in the habit of lending, borrowing money, and even purchasing items on credit, they end up buying more products.
The Term Paper on Media Influence on the People
The US government used media in various ways during the First World War, to manipulate the public to support their purpose. The reason that the majority of people in the US had common views throughout the First World War was because of the media influence. When the US was under the neutrality agreement, the media helped people feel good about being neutral. However, when the time came for the US ...
Third of all, teens are more competitive now because of ever increasing pressure, more competition from other students, and repentance for the carefree mannerisms of previous generations. Therefore, many teens attempt to strive for the best of everything. They want the highest marks, the best clothing, and the latest gadgets or toys, which fuels their spending habits even further, and increases their awareness of the latest trends.
In today’s world, youth are more gullible and confused. They demand an identity for themselves, but they also wish to be lead. The media therefore takes advantage of this, and exploits this in every way. For example, the media introduces a new fashion style or look, and then it soon becomes the “next big thing”. When the product is common enough, it loses its attractive qualities, and youth soon yearn for something new. This is a continuous, never-ending cycle, and the media often lives off of cycles such as these. Companies often spend millions of dollars in research just to be on the very edge, to find out what will be the next big thing.
Teens wish to rebel and create an image for themselves. They do not like it if they feel they are being lead to a new fashion style by the media and power-hungry corporations. Therefore, the media invents new styles in many different ways, such as viral marketing, without ever associating the product with themselves. Then they “coincidentally” sell products that strengthen the fashion appeal of youth.
The media is creating fake images of how people will look with their products. Many people do not believe that they themselves are fooled and captivated by these attempts; but in fact, the truth is that individuals who are swayed by marketing do not wish to admit it. People often fantasize about themselves as being the person in the advertisements, the banners, and the billboards that they see.
Finally, teens are preyed upon by the media due to the desire to become socially accepted. History gives us many examples to analyze, to prove that the desire for social acceptance is a powerful motivator that shapes and directs human behaviour true. In the past (1900s – 1930s), people only purchased items out of necessity, primarily due to the Great Depression, since many families were lacking the funds to simply support themselves and purchase necessities. In the years between 1950 and 1980, people were free-flowing, and purchased t-shirts tie-dyed for a personal and unique image. Personal competition and product consumption was atypical. During these days, young people did what they felt, and felt strongly about whatever they did. They did not give criticism to peers about what they should wear and buy. During the decade of 1970, the Vietnam War and then free culture played a prominent role in the progression of consumerism. People, and especially youth, often shared their belongings, simply because they felt like it.
The Essay on Youth and the Culture of Materialism
We live in a materialistic society. Take a trip to your local shopping center, watch television for a few minutes, or check out a magazine stand at a corner convenience store, and this fact will become quite evident. Our society places significance on what you own—not who you are. This reality prevails in most areas of our social fabric, but it is, without a doubt, most apparent in the mainstream ...
Subsequently, in the 1980s and beyond, youth have lost their identity, because there is no defining moment for the generation like previous generations have had. Some examples include the 1940s with WWII and the liberation of Europe, the 1970s with the Vietnam War and free culture, and yet the 1990s – 2000s does not have anything remotely similar. As you can see, there have been many transitions throughout history regarding youth and consumer culture.
In conclusion, young people and our consumer culture is an increasingly big problem. These examples clearly state that youth, and even our society as a whole, are losing the battle against consumerism. It is not only costing us our money, but it is also taking away from our freedom
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There is no doubt that something must be done to save the youth of today. It is clear that not enough parent/children communication and relationships, are solely accountable for the negative behavioural problems our youth culture face today. If we, as a society, do not realize and act on the outcry from the generations of young adults, we will reap the reprocussions. We need to impliment change by teaching knowledge and awareness to parents everywhere and lending a hand to all those who have one out for help. We need to show these young adults and their parents how to have mutual love and understanding relationships with one another and help these parents to include them into their lives as much as possible and put them in the centre of all they do. Supporting parents who are unable to spend the quality time needed with their own children, by starting after school programs with positive parental guidance to substitute what these children are lacking at home. Petitioning government officials to give better benefits to single moms so they are not forced to work three jobs, support their families and never spend that vital quality time with the youth. Disadvantaged teens need examples to go by through schools and the community. All these things are required to allow the youth to experience the attention and time they need to become a productive member of society. We must empower youth through action.
The Essay on Should Parents Spank Their Children
There are many different ways to educate children but it is sure that parents just spank children when there is no way because no one want to hurt their children. Some people say that “spare the rob and spoil the child”,but I think that parents should not use spank as a punishment for children. People should not spank their childrend for many reasons. First,It cause many bad effects on ...
