Patriotic Consumption

December is here, and though snowy weather has yet to arrive, the Christmas season most certainly has. And with it comes that overzealous American “Tickle Me Elmo” kind of shopping. For what is Christmas without an inflated bottom line on a credit card bill?

This year, however, shopping has taken on a new shroud of sanctity, for it is being touted as the best way for an American to both save and support his country. Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what more you can buy. For you, good-natured citizen, have a new patriotic duty: spend, spend, spend and bring this economy out of its present recession. Show Osama bin Laden the strength and perserverance of capitalism and the American way of life.

Needless to say, there are several problems with this logic. Most analysts agree that economic levels in the month of September point towards a recession. They argue that if we weren’t already in one by Sept. 11, the terrorist acts sealed our economic fates. Still, the optimistic economists are looking towards a turnaround to be sparked this holiday season, which will supposedly bring us back to the promised land of economic growth by mid February or March.

Enter the patriotic consumer. The argument is clear: if you fulfill your national duty this year and take on a little more debt, we could all be better off by the spring (forget, of course, that you already pay taxes according to a similar principle).

Why must this obligation always fall on consumers? Yes, it is generally agreed that consumers, who outnumber suppliers, propel and control markets. But what happened to old fashioned supply and demand? If something is needed to jumpstart the economy, why don’t producers stick out their necks and reduce prices a little more to entice spending? Insisting consumers dig deeper into their savings is not exactly fair—not at a time of rising unemployment and uncertain futures. Not only is it unfair, it’s also just plain unlikely. According to a highly unscientific CNN “Quickvote,” only 17 percent of consumers plan to spend more than they did last year, while 41 percent plan to spend less.

Trying to suck more from an income-uncertain consumer through appeals to their patriotic side is just plain wrong. Still, ethics have not stopped many companies from jumping on the patriotism bandwagon. Most notably and perhaps least surprisingly, airlines were among the first to equate buying their products with defending the American way. Car companies (i.e. General Motors’ “Keep America Rolling” ad campaign) and fashion companies (i.e. Polo’s montages of very attractive models with highly patriotic music in the background) followed suit immediately.

But most people don’t seem too bothered by this blatant exploitation of emotions. Most people these days are already feeling patriotic enough that they don’t see the commercials as exploitative but simply a reflection of new sentiments. In fact, shortages of American flags have given way to prospective shortages of firefighter action figures and good ol’ G.I. Joe’s, indicating that Americans have changed their consumption patterns to include patriotism in their holiday spending. If Christmas trees could be sold in red, white and blue, there would probably be shortages of them as well.

Though not every store with a “United We Stand” poster is thirsting after pocketbooks and exploiting patriotism to get its way, the cold hard facts tell a fairly straightforward tale: Big Business wants you to spend more and knows that calling it patriotic could be just the way.

Using patriotism in advertising is nothing new. After all, Detroit’s “Big Three”—Chrysler, GM and Ford—were built on that principle (ironically, Chrysler is now owned by Germans). Furthermore, the commercialization of Christmas has been an issue for decades. It is the merging and amplification of these darker, manipulative parts of capitalism that suggests that the malls may be more stifling than usual this holiday season.

In light of Sept. 11, that is really a shame. We are in mourning; we are at war. Perhaps we ought to put consumption aside this holiday season, and do something truly novel: spend more time with the people we love instead of spending more money on them—even if it’s not patriotic.

Benjamin J. Toff ’05, is a first-year living in Wigglesworth Hall.