Buy Your Identity

So, the obvious theme of this weeks readings is identity.  More distinctly, identity through consumerism.  What is cool? How do we be cool? What can I buy or wear or advertise to stay cool.  It's amazing, once one reflects on the state of attire, nowadays. When I walk along the streets of this campus, or back home      -the halls of my high school- its curious to see how successful the clothing companies.  It has come to the point in modern society that the individuals essentially are walking advertisements. Shirts with giant logos splattered across them can be bought for anything from $10 to $100.  What this does is create a society that spends hours of their lives working, so they can afford to buy a shirt that they can wear, which advertises where they bought it, so that said industry can make more money. We are paying to advertise for the companies. Sit on that.

While the A&E for the homeless video is entertaining and thought provoking to say the least, I do have a problem with it. To be clear, the owner of A&E, aforementioned in the video, is nothing short of a sadistic, self-involved, very wrong, ass. That much is obvious. But the fact that the video maker gave A&E to homeless, believing it would insult the industry, is an insult itself to the homeless society. Doing something in such vain is no way to go about fixing this problem.  I understand that this may not have been the video-creators intention, but it is a consequence. That being said, the video does adhere to our idea of perceived "coolness" through a consumerist society. I argue it should be taken to the next level and address the problem head on. Macklemore's video begins to do this.

Overall, Macklemore's song and video is a great piece of critical perception. Similar to the "Jacket" article, the song and video address the dangerous emotional, physical, and mental affects of the pressures to be cool.  It also shows the consequences of not having the option to purchase such "coolness" in a world that demands such things. Often, young children suffer in many ways because of the way a consumer based society divides such groups.  It's a cruel joke.

I believe this unit is perfect for 6th graders through seniors in high school.  Its simple, its relevant, it is utterly truthful and it teaches children to dig deep beneath the surface of themselves and of society