Critical Analysis of Zygmunt Bauman's Consumer Life - Assignment Example

? Critical Analysis of Zygmunt Bauman's Consumer Life Critical Analysis of Zygmunt Bauman’s Consumer Life Bauman not only stands out in the midst of his colleagues but his work is also exemplary. However, he is an individual whose sociology indicates a discourse between several aspects of social thought as revealed in his book. One of the most obvious extractions in Bauman’s sociology is related to anti-founding perception of Richard Rorty. Rorty supports fresh and advanced manner of writing about the society. Just like Rorty, Bauman acknowledges that sociologists should be innovative writers. In this way, he develops his individual aptitude for talking in a different way. As such, Bauman discovers various fields of sociology that have remained uncovered by most professors around the globe. Also, Bauman resembles Rorty in a different way. He is not worried to determine whether real worlds of sociology exist or not. Nevertheless, he merely identifies that if sociologists need to debate persuasively for new customs of understanding the world, they have to acknowledge that they cannot turn to any introductory principles for justifying that their view of the society is superior to other people. Bauman’s sociology makes it out that if in international terms the difference between the rich and the poor has become much bigger over the past 25 years and keeps increasing, it admits that the tussles that individuals have to withstand to make a better life are both identical but is dissimilar from what they were over some years back. With this regard, Bauman’s sociology is a criticism of modernity that discerns that if for most of persons surviving in the alleged developing world the struggle is normal; it is ready to admit that for men and women thriving in the overfed industrial economies of the west, disparity has transformed in unbelievable ways just 20 or 30 years ago. Accurately, Bauman’s book covers interesting concepts and viewpoints of people and societal consumption and several other aspects of human nature with regard to these ideas. This essay seeks to review different views expressed in the four key chapters in Bauman’s book about consuming life. Argument for and critiques of his argument are also presented. Review of the Main Chapters The first major chapter to be reviewed here is chapter one. In this chapter, Zygmunt Bauman’s objective was to familiarize his readers to the consumption and consumerism ideas. This is linked to how people, both at personal and societal levels, interrelate with commodities, along with the experience of these commodities not only at present but also in the past period. What can be derived from reading the chapter is that he wanted to give a wider attitude of criticizing the current consumer while at the same time overemphasizing the preceding solid modern society. However, Bauman’s objectives and opinions cannot be perceived quite easily in this chapter. A review of the chapter does not actually reveal the major purpose of the writer. Mainly, this is because his aims or objectives were not noticeably stated. In addition, he was not successful in formulating queries to the readers, whether his assumptions were predictable or not. In this chapter, Bauman’s way of argument was more of formulating a thesis instead of suggesting a hypothesis which was to be verified. The author depended much on presenting an idea simply by name-dropping and then enlightening readers from his own perspective on the. In this context, he mostly referred to other writers, reporters and other records of academic significance. He uses different sources to link terms instead of using accurate information or data. The author ignores the use of proofs that are available in the papers, survey research, private talks, financial or social data as well as certified documents, to support his argument. Yet, this is constant throughout the chapter. Chapter two of Consuming Life provides an explanation of the concept of flawed consumers. He talks about the poor who are blamed for their own situations since thinking in contrary would be to overturn the belief about the option of consumers being equal to democracy. This would give a depiction of emptiness of an individual’s power. There is no pleasure in consumption. According to Bauman, consumers understand commodities to be personal-brand investments and consumption has proved to be equivalent to production; focus to semiotic principles of commodities a kind of essential capital. However, the main outcome for this author is self-commoditization concerning oneself as a consumer commodity in a society that only discerns how to determine the worth of consumer goods. In his view, individuals in a society have no option but to self-brand themselves since this is the only means to take the measure of themselves. The commercial threats that are associated with self-commodification and character construction cannot be met by the government.This implies that they are past the welfare state and can be argued against by some people with the motive to prevent it. Social achievement on the extent of character nullifies collectively as an objective. Here the main purpose is to be identified as an exclusive person who has in private brand wisely, who has spent well and his or her consumption tastes are worth. Zygmunt Bauman tries to explain the concept of consumerist culture that is identified by the inversion of production qualities such as deferment, period, fortitude among others. According to Bauman, ‘consumerist syndrome’ depends upon swiftness, surplus and waste. Therefore from this perspective, hoarder shows can be viewed as ideological training. An extract from page 99 reads, ‘The nightmares that haunt Homo consumers are things, inanimate or animate, or their shadows – the memories of things, animate or inanimate – that threaten to outstay their welcome and clutter up the stage.’ Bauman refers to Bourdieu’s work that describes how coercion has been substituted with stimulation. This is an element from Frankfurt school that claims that persons are controlled by pleasure as well as gratification. Fresh needs are stimulated and contented as a style of control, contrasted with inculcation of abstemious etiquette. This is presented as a sort of personality to gratify oneself. This can be viewed as an employment of ‘enlightened self-interest’ concept in consumerist context. After all it is the responsibility of humankind to be rational. Consumerist prejudice also depends on making waste rational, on introducing the preferences of devastation and deteriorating, the liberalization of clearing the deck for more consumption, which is the requisite of being updated on what an individual consumes. The ‘presentist culture’ sets a premium on swiftness and efficiency, while supporting neither endurance nor persistence. This can be argued to be a weakness and deceptively easy disposability of a personal character and inter-human unions that are signified in the modern culture as a matter of private freedom. Convenience is perceived to be liberty from social relationsand freedom in general is an escape from death and taking responsibilities. Then, communications technology advances to put upwith this to allow for control over disconnection… (p. 107); the safety scheme that lets prompt withdrawal on demand perfectly fits the necessary principles of consumerist culture. However, social links and the skills required to tie them and deal with them are its first and major collateral losses. Personality ceases to be a gradual growing process, but develops into liquid structure of the fixed symbols, a continuous burden that need service, necessitating display for authentication, strategic advancement and much more. Instead of a gift, personality is a consequence of enduring hard work. As evident from these chapters, this book develops on Bauman’s previous works on consumerism and liquid modernity. In this modern entry, Bauman makes a contribution to his works with three perfect kinds: consumerism, the society of consumers as well as the culture of consumers.In the Webern custom, Bauman presents these ideas as heuristics for appreciating the bias of consumers. By what means, it shows how consumers interact with the society and a manner in which they interact with one another. After establishing these perfect types, Bauman concludes his book by the most politically exciting chapter in his book, ‘consuming life’. In this chapter, Zygmunt Bauman discusses the collateral casualties of consumerism. According to him, the outcome of this modern social landscape has been the creation of a substantial under class with little or no capability to consume or be consumed. Even though a society of manufacturers might try to socialize with the less unfortunate so that they can make them industrious, the underclass of customer’s society is just secluded and disregarded. In spite of this miserable image, however, Bauman’s point of argument is one of hopefulness. The social conditions are not old-fashioned or fundamentally opposed to consumer choice as the political privilege has he has discussed in most cases. Most reviews criticize how Bauman’s work is extremely hard to understand or appears slippery as he eclectically lures on a diversity of hypothetical sources instead of sticking to a particular academic alignment and because he constantly emphasizes on sitting astride those obstructions meant to distinguish between customs, perceptions and institutes of thought. It is significant to identify that Bauman’s sociology is much more than a collection of different works that have scanty examination. His analysis of sociological issues is specific and he tries to link various unrelated themes. Conclusion Given the way of Bauman’s publication and visionary writing style, opinions and concepts can be exciting to navigate and, in most cases, challenging to access. This forms an entertaining read if statements are taken as ideas and concepts instead of factual information. In conclusion, Zygmunt Bauman’s book entitled Consuming life is pleasant and a thought inciting read instead of being a piece of academic reference. The absence of actual information and statistics creates a perception of disorientation. This leaves the reader without any tangible information to review or assess. In addition, theories presented throughout the book encourage critical thinking about consumption, entrepreneurship, contentment, conception of space and time, as well as human nature. It is just absence of proofs that makes it challenging to contest or support these ideas. References Bauman, Z. (2007). Consuming life. Cambridge: Polity Press. Read More